The theatrical film, The Fourth Kind, addresses the prospects of aliens through a basis on real events occurring in Nome, Alaska in 2000. The plot line follows Dr. Abigail Emily Tyler and her professional experiences with patients claiming alien abduction. The film begins with Tyler recounting a personal experience of her husband’s supposed murder that occurred in August of 2000. The Fourth Kind then takes focus on Tyler’s professional career as she tapes hypnotherapy sessions with patients experiencing a similar account of events. The correlation is summed up as a white owl staring at the patients through their windows each night. While under hypnosis, two of the patients describe similar stories of the creatures attempting to enter their homes. In addition, the film portrays one patient killing himself and his family after undergoing hypnosis. Following similarities in the individual’s stories, Tyler suspects the patients were abducted by aliens. The plot thickens as a patient requests Tyler to hypnotize him, which results in the disturbing act of him hovering above his bed while a voice informs Tyler to end her study. To further complicate the scene, the patient is paralyzed resulting from the hypnosis leading to Tyler being placed on house arrest. While confined, police camera footage shows a large dark object flying above the Tyler household and the officer describes people being pulled from the home. Tyler then claims that her daughter Ashley had been taken, however she is accused of the disappearance. In an attempt at making contact with extraterrestrial beings, Tyler undergoes hypnosis during which she and two other doctors are abducted. The film concludes with Tyler suffering from a broken neck in the hospital while finding out that she was delusional when believing her husband was murdered and that instead he had killed himself. In addition, she makes an emotional statement that she believes her daughter is alive. Finally, The Fourth Kind, closes with an epilogue accounting descriptions of the individuals futures.
The film is enticing in that it utilizes both dramatization and video footage. The video footage seeks to add validity to the claims of the film and strike an emotional cord for the viewers. In actuality however, the majority, if not all, of the film is played by professional actors. The Fourth Kind dramatically reconstructs the disappearances in Nome, Alaska to lead viewers into believing the plot is one-hundred percent true and the events were the result of “close encounters of the fourth kind.” The film opens with an assurance of such validity with a statement by the film’s star providing, “I am actress Milla Jovovich and I will be portraying Dr. Abigail Tyler. This film is a dramatization of events that occurred October 2000. Every scene in this movie is supported by archive footage. Some of what you are about to see is extremely disturbing.” From the start, the viewer is set up with the mindset that what they are about to see is real and that an actor was only used during dramatizations. The film alternates between these dramatizations and allegedly real footage of hypnosis sessions, sometimes showing both at the same time. Through utilizing split-screen, the filmmakers attempt to further prove that the dramatizations are completely accurate and drive a perception of reality into the viewer’s mindset. If accepted at face value without further critical thinking, the viewer may believe the notions of alien abductions as real, however with remote suspicion the footage can be debunked. The Fourth Kind employs a number of visual tactics, such as a static picture for the real footage and distortion of Tyler’s face during recounts, however the substance of the film is the only quality that possesses real impact in regards to validity.
The footage itself is not the sole determinant of viewer curiosity for The Fourth Kind, as much of it is blatantly fake. Instead, the premise of the science fiction-thriller and its link to sleep disorders gives the film a personal connection and needed attraction element. The disturbed sleep patterns throughout the film are relatable to those suffering with conditions in that some may see strange creatures staring at them and believe they are being attacked by unearthly intruders. Individuals with such experiences can relate to the film in that their sleep paralysis, temporary paralysis when entering or emerging from sleep, may have similar symptoms to those features in the film. Sleep paralysis may sometimes be accompanied by a “strong sense of presence, terrifying visual, and/or auditory hallucinations, and intense fear.” In relation to the film, such an individual may find the claims of alien interaction more likely believable as they have experienced correlating symptoms. In addition to those suffering from sleep disorders, the average person is attracted to the film as they relate the hypnosis patterns to their dreams. The Fourth Kind invokes inner emotions and fears through relating horrific and terrible instances to the average being with no rhyme or reason. Through pulling on emotional strings, a person may be able to ignore the poor craftsmanship and cinematography and actually believe the story the movie is marketing.
While enticing, The Fourth Kind is debunked as further research is done into the validity of the film. In reality, a string of disappearances occurred in a small town on the west coast of Alaska between the 1960s and 2004. In 2005, the Federal Bureau of Intelligence investigated the instances, finding the victims to be mostly native men traveling to the town from small villages. In addition, the FBI found a relation of alcohol, cold temperatures, and weather conditions to be the cause of such events. While the film capitalized on these instances to market alien abduction, The Fourth Kind provided a relatively intriguing, yet obviously fake, experience for an hour and a half.