Sci-Fi B-Movie Fans Call a Perfect 'Twilight Zone Revival' is Now on Prime

Summary

• The classic seasons of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits are still some of the best shows today, conveying a realistic fear of the unknown.
• In 2019, a B-movie premiered that wowed critics with its witty take on classic television, built around conspiracy theories.
• The movie is now available on Prime Video.

UFO hysteria was one of the most pervasive conspiracy theories of the 20th century, and indeed continues to interest many people around the world today. Unfortunately, some evidence suggests that many reports of encounters with extraterrestrial life forms or technology, including the infamous Roswell myths, are actually the result of mass psychosis and unconscious collective hoaxes that have developed as a result of hype in pop culture, as well as radio and newspaper news stories. But we can never know for sure whether or not a particular case was a real one or not, can we?

It is the mass of overlapping data, conflicting facts, mysterious government silence, and slowly declassified documents from the last century that make us incredibly uncomfortable and even terrified, but at the same time the awe makes us turn to these mysteries again.

It's these feelings that are played out in the movie The Vast of Night, which is released in 2020 (yes, the very time when, after Covid, we were almost certain that aliens were finally coming to Earth). In addition to its retro setting, the film utilizes the narrative and stylistic devices of classic sci-fi horror series such as The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits.

So why not give The Vast of Night a try, considering it's available for streaming on Prime Video?

What Is This Sci-Fi Mystery Movie About?

The story is inspired by many mid-20th century conspiracy theories about aliens, as well as resembles the plots of the The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits: the action takes place in the small town of Cayuga, New Mexico sometime in the 1950s. The story follows two teenage friends, Fay Crocker (Sierra McCormick), who works as a switchboard operator, and Everett (Jake Horowitz), a DJ at the local radio station.

While working, Fay stumbles upon a mysterious audio signal that interrupts Everett's broadcast as well as phone conversations. Broadcasting the signal on the radio, Everett is contacted by people who claim to know the source of the signal, and it is probably related to both mysterious government activity and something more mysterious and terrifying.

Why the Movie Will Definitely Appeal to Fans of the Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, like many other representatives of science fiction, explored technology and science and their effect on human nature. In many ways, though, the appeal of both TV projects comes from the eerie sense of encountering something that can turn all human knowledge on its head. And, naturally, the fear of the unknown is one of the most powerful.

However, the series did not hesitate to go much deeper, as the 'fiction' umbrella often conceals allusions to the sinister deeds of the federal government. As such, in The Vast of Night, there is a strong emphasis on the fact that the US government exploited people of color to keep the white public from listening to their arguments while also hiding the study of extraterrestrial life. In addition, the film introduces a character who sees the causes of all the ills of American society not in socio-economic problems, but in the influence of extraterrestrial forces.

All in all, The Vast of Night offers a witty story that is both a nostalgic ode to the love of ufology and the conspiratorial mythos of the 20th century. It is also a sober examination of why we humans tend to blame everything on aliens.