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In The Fourth Kind, we are introduced to Dr. Abigail Tyler, a psychologist who worked in Nome, Alaska and had a number of patients who seemed to be traumatized by inexplicable events that happened to them in the middle of the night. Some of the patients claimed they had been disturbed by these events since childhood. Dr. Tyler began audio and videotaping her sessions with these patients in an effort to shed some light on what exactly was happening to the people of Nome. The Fourth Kind reenacts these events around the real footage of sessions with Dr. Tyler herself and some of her patients. There are also real audio and video recordings from police car cameras and police interrogation tapes that are vital to the story. Most of the footage that is integrated into the movie comes from incidents that happened in October of the year 2000 but there are also clips from an extensive interview between the film’s writer and director Olatunde Osunsanmi and Dr. Tyler from September 2002.

The Fourth Kind stars Milla Jovovich as Dr. Abigail Tyler. Also appearing in the movie are Elias Koteas as a colleague, friend and fellow psychologist (you may not recognize the name but you will recognize the face), Will Patton who plays the town’s sheriff and Hakeem Kae-Kazim as a scholar and student of ancient languages. No offense to the actors and actresses, but none of that really matters. What matters and what this movie is all about is the real footage from the interview with Dr. Tyler, her recordings from her various case studies and the police recordings from their involvement in the investigation. Once you witness all this on the big screen, if you don’t believe that there are aliens somewhere out there and that they have visited Nome, Alaska on a number of occasions, then you probably won’t believe the sky is blue. I saw this movie about three hours ago and I am still rattled by it all.

I have to admit, The Fourth Kind starts out kind of slow. A pale, sickly-looking Dr. Tyler is talking to Mr. Osunsanmi. We do get to see some video of what Dr. Tyler looked like in October 2000, before her interview with the director. Her deterioration is quite dramatic, disturbing and when all is said and done, quite understandable. She takes us back to the time when she was questioning a number of patients who claimed they had trouble sleeping at night and had a white owl sitting outside their bedroom window and staring at them. The patients are hypnotized and, in many cases, hysterically recount the events. It’s a bit shocking but nothing that didn’t convince me that they were not a bunch of kooks telling tales of aliens walking into their bedrooms.

Then about 30 minutes into the movie, all that changes — at least when looking at the movie from the perspective that what we are seeing is all a bunch of poppycock. There’s audio that was recorded that includes some screaming and a deep voice speaking a language that hasn’t been used on this planet in more than two thousand years. It sent chills up and down my spine. From this point onwards, some of the authentic footage we get to see includes a bed-ridden man levitating, a hypnotized woman screaming with her mouth so wide open it does not seem like it’s humanly possible and some audio and video of a police officer witnessing an alien abduction. This is all real footage we get to watch. To say it is shocking would be an understatement. It’s unlike anything I have ever seen in my entire life.

I’m not going to get into too many other details about The Fourth Kind because it’s probably better that you go into this movie with an open mind or at least not any exaggerated expectations. All I can say, for myself, is that The Fourth Kind scared me like no movie has in a long, long time. It’s more terrifying than The Exorcist, more chilling than Paranormal Activity and more shocking than the last ten minutes of Se7en. The movie begins and ends with a brief commentary from Milla Jovovich and Olatunde Osunsanmi and a footnote telling us we should develop our own conclusions from what we see in this movie.

I’m not really sure if I was ever a believer or a disbeliever when it came to the existence of extraterrestrial life. It’s something that’s always been in the back of my mind, but it never seemed there was concrete evidence that aliens have visited our planet. I can assure you of one thing – The Fourth Kind has made me a believer. I don’t think there’s any other explanation for what we are shown in this movie. I read one theory online that suggests that the abnormal number of suicides and disappearances in Nome, Alaska since the 1960’s are related to alcoholism and the harsh landscape and environment. I don’t know about you but I’ve never seen a drunk person levitate. I’ve never seen a harsh environment make someone speak a three thousand year-old language. Nor have I ever seen bad weather make someone open their mouth so wide that they could probably swallo a basketball. It’s all pretty surreal if you ask me.