Description
Book Synopsis The alien abduction phenomenon is one of the enduring enigmas of our time. While the reality of alien abductions is a hotly debated topic among UFO researchers, scientists, skeptics and true believers alike, the phenomenon indisputably exists as an artifact of popular culture. This book analyzes more than 75 films that draw their inspiration from allegedly fact-based accounts of alien contact, from 1951''s The Man from Planet X to Contactee in 2021. These films are examined in terms of both their cinematic qualities and their exploration of thematic elements derived from abduction reports.
Abduction motifs that appear in science fiction classics such as The Day the Earth Stood Still, 2001 and Close Encounters are analyzed, as well as those in lesser-known films like The Stranger Within, Starship Invasions, Dark Skies and Proximity. Special attention is given to movies based on the famed experiences of abductees Betty and Barney
Trade Review
Meehan's research into the subjects of alien abduction and related cinema is fascinating"—Library Journal
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Introduction: Birth of an Icon: Little Gray Men
- One. Anatomy of a Phenomenon: The Abduction Enigma
- Two. Invaders from Hollywood 1951–1958
- Three. The British Invasion (and Others) of the 1960s
- Four. Close Encounters of the 1970s
- Five. The Reptilians
- Six. Case Histories
- Seven. Hybrids
- Eight. Tales from the Darkside
- Nine. The Terror That Comes in the Night
- Ten. New Dimensions
- Conclusion: "This means something!"
- Filmography
- Chapter Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
