The alien invasion subgenre of science fiction and horror films is a tough one to master. Not every movie can be as powerful or thought-provoking as Invasion of the Body Snatchers or Signs. Too often, viewers hoping for a creepy alien watch end up with something like The Fourth Kind or The Invasion and it just doesn't hit the right marks.
There aren't too many new alien invasion horror movies coming out these days, perhaps because it seems so difficult to make something good and so easy to produce a flop. It's also very possible that they just might not be as trendy anymore after a bit of a boom in the 1990s and 2000s. Alien invasion is a subgenre that people would surely love to be brought back into the spotlight if it's done well.
A good alien invasion horror movie has to be creepy. It has to have tension and it has to be a little confusing and twisty to be effective and suck people in. Bonus points if it seems realistic, as an alien invasion is something that a lot of people are actually very scared of. Viewers looking for that kind of vibe should check out an underrated subtle film from the early 2010s that captures all of these aspects.
In 2013 director Scott Stewart released his own alien invasion horror flick entitled Dark Skies. It stars Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton as a couple with two sons who start to notice some strange things around their home and family. After doing some research they start to suspect that they're victims of an alien invasion and have to come up with a plan to save their family from potential harm or even abduction. Though critically this was not a huge success, its user score remains moderately high at a 6.3/10 on IMDB and there's good reason for that.
Dark Skies is a creepy slow burn with a lot of twists and turns. It's very reminiscent of haunting movies at the time because of how its plot progresses, but the fact that it's alien invasion themed as opposed to a ghost story does make it stand out. Perhaps taking some clues from Signs, this film gives a lot of clues to its ending. Small disturbing events happen throughout, building up to a grand explanation and an explosive ending.
These little clues are played out really well. The film does make good use of jump scares, but most of them are actually pretty effective and none come off as particularly cheap. Whether it's the entire flock of birds flying into the window, or the main characters suddenly finding themselves in zombie-like trances, these scares are genuinely frightening. One might also think that because this movie is almost 10 years old, it could look really ugly in terms of special effects. Dark Skies is actually made in such a minimalistic way with only simple special effects, it doesn't look bad at all.
As Dark Skies features two children in main roles, it might be easy to think that the quality of performances may suffer. Children in horror just can be very annoying, depending on how they're written and acted. The child actors in this film however completely hold their own. Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton as the leaders of the film are also really well acted and convincing. Given there's a fair amount of physical work here, that's impressive. There is also a big standout in this film, with J.K. Simmons appearing as a minor character. As usual, he is phenomenal and in many ways steals the show.
The ending is a very controversial part of this film. It's either loved and makes a decent movie good, or it's too cheesy and makes a decent movie bad. Personal taste will come into play as there are cases for both arguments, but no one can deny how explosive it is. When there are so many subtle moments throughout the rest of the film, this was begging for an explosive ending and that's what audiences were given. It's exciting and twisty, and every little clue that was dropped throughout the movie comes into play for a grand reveal to happen. Some will call it predictable, but some will be knocked off their feet.
Before a big resurgence in the late 2010s, horror was largely written off as a genre, to begin with, because the quality of film isn't always there. Because of that and how minimal it is, it's no surprise that this one hasn't gone down as a huge success. Perhaps given it's been a few years and it could be seen by some fresh eyes, there's a chance for Dark Skies to find a new fanbase who will appreciate it.