This is kind of a compromise rating as I think maybe it's a better movie than this, especially for the sort of lot who thought Paranormal Activity was the most frightening thing they've ever seen (faint praise, I know).
Bit of a condescending opening line there so let me qualify it. This is a pretty scary fucking movie. My problem was that aliens don't much frighten me and in a movie like this when you sort of feel what the conclusion is gonna be, maybe it loses a bit of the edge if the viewer doesn't believe or isn't affected.
That being said, this is movie that does the horror genre fucking proud. The lovely Milla plays a psychologist who has been interviewing people in Nome, Alaska and has stumbled upon some very dark things at play. Otherwordly things? The film leaves it up to you.
The trick the film uses, and I haven't looked it up to see if it's legit or not, but after the fact it doesn't really matter as it drew me in upon first viewing, is that from time to time they will use side by side footage of both the original video the film is based off and the actual film recreation. It's a very interesting technique that gives it a pretty spooky vibe.
Let's start at the beginning shall we?
Milla actually intros the film as herself and says that she's playing Dr. Abby Winters, a psychologist who's work in Nome led to a chain of rather horrific events and asks you, the viewer, to decide for yourself.
From there we're given a story that is much more about Abby herself than the trailers may have led you to believe. Her work has caused people to remember things they might have rather not remembered, leading to some very bad and frightening consequences.
Throughout the film we are shown actual footage of Abby being interviewed a few years after the movies time frame ends, and it's rather disturbing. The film definitely captures the aura of horror about as good as any movie in recent years.
So yeah, I won't spoil much more except to say that Will Patton as the towns sheriff is fucking aces and Milla does a good enough job although there are times when I felt she was a bit........not wooden, but just....not quite right? I don't know if she was the perfect candidate for a role like this but it's not like she's bad either.
Paranormal Activity piss you off? Turn out the lights and pop in The Fourth Kind, you'll find what you're looking for. And it will scare the shit out of you.
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