What actually happened here?? Did he got frozen or put in a trance? Cos as soon as that finished the alien had gone and he walked out in the hallway to help Kurt who had an alien trapped!
Was there 2 aliens in the house?
Why didnt that alien take the camera boy or keep him in the trance?
I dont usually get confused in films but this really got me. Can anyone help or post there views?
Actually, based on the fact that after his "trance," Tommy just goes on to help his brother without having any reaction about it at all, I'm going to say that he didn't even notice it happened. And yeah, there were probably two aliens in the house, since that one put Tommy in a trance while the other one was being locked up. Why the alien didn't take Tommy then or anything, who knows.
"GET BACK IN THE BUILDING!! NO LOITERING!!" - Trudy Weigel
common theme with the standard alien abduction....frozen trace/forgetting/mindwiping. hence losing time.
where most abduction cases dont directly remember something happening, they remember the tale via regression hypnosis.
don't point that beard at me, it might go off... Groucho marx
I think there was a editing change because I distinctly remember when this aired, the scene where Tommy is frozen in a trance while the alien looks into the camera was the END of the original broadcast. The ending in all subsequent releases is the dinner table scene which was not in the original broadcast.
This actually makes sense and is the typical "end of the broadcast and of the cameraman" conclusion of reality horror.
But, yeah, as mentioned the standard theme in alien abductions is the aliens putting the humans in a trance where they have no control or later memory of the abduction.
Your day could be worse
I think there was a editing change because I distinctly remember when this aired, the scene where Tommy is frozen in a trance while the alien looks into the camera was the END of the original broadcast. The ending in all subsequent releases is the dinner table scene which was not in the original broadcast.
This actually makes sense and is the typical "end of the broadcast and of the cameraman" conclusion of reality horror.
Yeah, I distinctly remembered the alien coming at the camera as the ending! I remember being freaked out like crazy when I first saw it. Now after rewatching it and that scene came early, I was so confused about what would happen next.
shareWell I don't know how many versions of the film exist, but the one I always find online is the full, hour & a half version which I BELIEVE is Dean Alioto's original version. Then also my brother has the original VHS tape he bought online from UPN back in '98, which has the 45 minute broadcast version.
The broadcast version is mostly interviews and only shows CLIPS of from the full movie, and yes the scene with the alien happens at the end!
It was really weird having that scene with the alien right in the middle. *shrug* But the full version is much better than the broadcast version... When I was a kid the broadcast version made sense. But in hindsight it's not even a movie, just action clips. No build up, no suspense.
Definitely think the scene with the alien should have been at the end, though. I thought the ending in the full version is VERY cheesy. They should have just finished it with the aliens walking in, or with the red light creeping up on them. MUCH scarier that way, the aliens freezing everybody looked soooo hokey.
I agree: The scene with the alien's close-up in the dark should've been the climax for all versions of this film. I would've upped the fright quotient by having "flash" lighting (coming from the camera?) illuminating that face for ONE second - one second that gets FROZEN on the screen as if "pause" had been pressed - while in the soundtrack you have a LOUD bOOm sound - to make the most vailiant soul jump out of his/her skin! LoL!
I caught the film on YouTube last night. It was ridiculous, but as entertainment it was pretty neat & it did deliver several good chills.
But THAT GRANDMOTHER CLUTCHING A HALF-FILLED WINEGLASS THROUGH THE WHOLE FILM no matter what terrorific situation they were going through, had me in stitches!
If I could shoot a parody of this film, I would have that last shot of the alien face looking at the camera, while "it" lifts a glass of wine to its rubbery, smirking thin lips...
;)
I agree about the grandmother holding the glass. My brother and I were laughing ourselves sick!LOL. The best part was when they run out the house and SHE STILL HAD HER WINE GLASS WITH HER. LOL.
This was good value for laughs but a very, very badly acted movie!