The Fourth Kind is actually the oldest kind of exploitation in the book: Break the fourth wall by having actors like chipper Milla Jovovich stare directly into the lens, self-identify like newscasters and testify for the shaky video footage of Alaskan alien possession you’re about to see. Unfortunately, none of the subsequent noise is all that scary, and the striving for Paranormal Activity’s buzz is shameless. (A true horror: The actors playing the “real” people in the videos are never identified in credits.) And why is it always “abduction,” and not, say, a game of Parcheesi? Sounds like some people need hugs.—Joshua Rothkopf
Now playing.
Watch the trailer