In December of 1985, something truly incredible happened in the life of then best-selling author, Whitley Strieber. This alternately numinous and nightmarish event, aside from causing Strieber tremendous anxiety, would also help to dramatically alter the trajectory of his writing career. Almost overnight, the author went from being a moderately successful yet relatively obscure fiction writer to being a print-media sensation.
The unbelievable series of apparently otherworldly contacts Strieber is said to have experienced was inevitably chronicled and detailed in two allegedly non-fiction works that soon followed; these being "Communion" and later "Transformation." As one who has perused these publications several times each and who has been following Strieber's close-encounter narrative for over two decades now, I very much wanted to see this documentary, being the fan that I am of Strieber's work.
ENCOUNTERS OF THE FOURTH KIND, hosted by Roddy McDowall, takes a cursory look at Strieber's story as well as the alien abduction controversy in general. After noting that the phenomenon is not just relegated to the United States but extends beyond (to places such as Brazil, Australia, the UK, Israel, to name a few) and providing an overview of other 'CEIVs' (as these types of encounters have been dubbed) of the past -- specifically, the Betty/Barney Hill and Betty Andreasson cases -- the documentary gets down to focusing on Strieber's own account, which in the ufological literature is the most discussed.
Aside from this, at about the quarter-hour mark, our host sits down to conduct a brief round-table discussion of the UFO phenomenon. William Moore, Frank Stranges, Vicki Cooper, Richard Haines, and Ed Conroy (names familiar to 'UFO' enthusiasts like myself) comprise the five guest panelists. This segment lasts for approximately ten minutes but one wonders why it was even included, as it's not all that insightful and feels inserted as if for the sole purpose of padding a far too short running time.
ENCOUNTERS OF THE FOURTH KIND also includes a brief behind-the-scenes peek at the making of "Communion" (1989), a film that featured Christopher Walken in the lead role and who makes an appearance here. (I do like this movie but consider Walken to have been greatly miscast, what with the actor's unusual appearance and semi-eccentric onscreen shtick bearing little resemblance to the down-to-earth and generally conservative Strieber.)
What I liked most about this documentary was its overall informal approach when profiling Strieber. For example, there's a few shots of the writer doing mundane, domestic things around the house, like napping in a recliner and washing dishes without complaint. We are also taken inside one of the cabins Strieber owned at the time, located in a secluded spot of upstate New York; a wooded retreat where many of the mysterious encounters reportedly took place. It is interesting to note that this area of New York state was a hotspot for UFO sightings at the time (UFOs not necessarily translated to mean ET craft, it must be emphasized) and that a few of the locals and one or two of Strieber's neighbors had also witnessed anomalous activity during this time (a period known as the Hudson Valley flap).
Does one have to be a believer in 'aliens from outer space' in order to enjoy this documentary? My answer is no, a person does not. Prior to December of '85, Strieber himself would have scoffed at the whole idea of people being abducted by aliens or god knows what else. Until High Strangeness is experienced for oneself, I think it commendable that a person be highly skeptical of far-out stories of this nature. That said, once one has had his paradigm shattered and shifted in one way or another, it becomes all the more easy to be open-minded to the fantastic-sounding stories of others.
With regard to close encounters of the fourth kind, that something most strange and very likely metaphysical has been going on, at least in some cases, seems highly certain. What that is exactly remains unknown. This is what makes Strieber such a fascinatingly enigmatic penman. Whether an actual experiencer of paranormal phenomena, an unwitting victim of some covert military operation involving psychedelics and mind-altering technologies, or simply a skillful weaver of yarns, Strieber keeps you reading and guessing until the open-end and the next published installment.
The unbelievable series of apparently otherworldly contacts Strieber is said to have experienced was inevitably chronicled and detailed in two allegedly non-fiction works that soon followed; these being "Communion" and later "Transformation." As one who has perused these publications several times each and who has been following Strieber's close-encounter narrative for over two decades now, I very much wanted to see this documentary, being the fan that I am of Strieber's work.
ENCOUNTERS OF THE FOURTH KIND, hosted by Roddy McDowall, takes a cursory look at Strieber's story as well as the alien abduction controversy in general. After noting that the phenomenon is not just relegated to the United States but extends beyond (to places such as Brazil, Australia, the UK, Israel, to name a few) and providing an overview of other 'CEIVs' (as these types of encounters have been dubbed) of the past -- specifically, the Betty/Barney Hill and Betty Andreasson cases -- the documentary gets down to focusing on Strieber's own account, which in the ufological literature is the most discussed.
Aside from this, at about the quarter-hour mark, our host sits down to conduct a brief round-table discussion of the UFO phenomenon. William Moore, Frank Stranges, Vicki Cooper, Richard Haines, and Ed Conroy (names familiar to 'UFO' enthusiasts like myself) comprise the five guest panelists. This segment lasts for approximately ten minutes but one wonders why it was even included, as it's not all that insightful and feels inserted as if for the sole purpose of padding a far too short running time.
ENCOUNTERS OF THE FOURTH KIND also includes a brief behind-the-scenes peek at the making of "Communion" (1989), a film that featured Christopher Walken in the lead role and who makes an appearance here. (I do like this movie but consider Walken to have been greatly miscast, what with the actor's unusual appearance and semi-eccentric onscreen shtick bearing little resemblance to the down-to-earth and generally conservative Strieber.)
What I liked most about this documentary was its overall informal approach when profiling Strieber. For example, there's a few shots of the writer doing mundane, domestic things around the house, like napping in a recliner and washing dishes without complaint. We are also taken inside one of the cabins Strieber owned at the time, located in a secluded spot of upstate New York; a wooded retreat where many of the mysterious encounters reportedly took place. It is interesting to note that this area of New York state was a hotspot for UFO sightings at the time (UFOs not necessarily translated to mean ET craft, it must be emphasized) and that a few of the locals and one or two of Strieber's neighbors had also witnessed anomalous activity during this time (a period known as the Hudson Valley flap).
Does one have to be a believer in 'aliens from outer space' in order to enjoy this documentary? My answer is no, a person does not. Prior to December of '85, Strieber himself would have scoffed at the whole idea of people being abducted by aliens or god knows what else. Until High Strangeness is experienced for oneself, I think it commendable that a person be highly skeptical of far-out stories of this nature. That said, once one has had his paradigm shattered and shifted in one way or another, it becomes all the more easy to be open-minded to the fantastic-sounding stories of others.
With regard to close encounters of the fourth kind, that something most strange and very likely metaphysical has been going on, at least in some cases, seems highly certain. What that is exactly remains unknown. This is what makes Strieber such a fascinatingly enigmatic penman. Whether an actual experiencer of paranormal phenomena, an unwitting victim of some covert military operation involving psychedelics and mind-altering technologies, or simply a skillful weaver of yarns, Strieber keeps you reading and guessing until the open-end and the next published installment.
