Has a wave of missing persons occurred in your area? Have you noticed any unidentifiable objects flying in the sky above? Have you seen any odd creatures you have never seen before (or even look strangely like your loved one) recently?
Chances are, you could living in an alien invasion movie, which means the end could be near for you and everyone else living in your world. Luckily, having seen enough great sci-fi movies and plenty of classic horror movies, we may able to help you survive (or at least get through it all in a calm manner) by giving you a scoop on what to expect.
The Crazy Conspiracy Theorist Is The One Who Is Right
When irrefutable evidence of the alien invasion comes to light, you may find yourself thinking, Maybe I should have listened to the local “kook’s” warnings about the impending Martian attack. To be clear, in reality, we don’t like to give conspiracy theories much credence, but one of the genre’s most common tropes is seeing those kinds of people getting the validation they hoped for, like Independence Day cast member Judd Hirsch’s character, Julius Levinson.
Your Pet Might Detect Something Is Strange Before You Do
If no “local kook” in your area notices the invasion first, it might not even be a human who does. If you have a dog or a cat, have you caught them acting odd lately? You might want to pay close attention to whatever they could be reacting to.
You See Crop Circles, You’re In Trouble
Maybe you will end up being the first to notice that there is something otherworldly going on and the evidence might appear right outside your door, especially if you live on a farm. If you do and you find any distinct symbol appearing in your crops like in the 2002 M. Night Shyamalan movie, Signs, you should, indeed, take it as a sign.
Don’t Take Radio Interference Lightly
A surefire sign that outsiders are among us (in the movies, at least) is when your radio picks up a sound that defies explanation. This occurs during Roy Neary’s (Richard Dreyfuss) first close encounter in 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and is the way Everett (Jake Horowitz) and Fay (Sierra McCormick) first realize that they may not be alone in one of the best sci-fi movies of 2020, The Vast of Night.
Beware Of Flying Saucers
If a flying saucer appears above your head, run out of its way immediately because you do not want to get caught in its beam of light. That is how you get abducted and become the visitors’ experimental subject. Take it from Travis Walton, whose alleged experience inspired the 1993 movie, Fire in the Sky.
They Might Not Be From Space, But Another Dimension
Who says that our invaders always have to be extra-terrestrial? Instead of another planet, these creatures very likely could have originated from another corner of the Multiverse, much like the bugs from Frank Darabont’s 2007 adaptation of Stephen King’s The Mist.
Your Loved Ones Might Start Acting Out Of Character
The first sign of an invasion might be something that only you would have been able to notice, such as if your family member or best friend does not seem to be acting themselves. In fact, it might not even be themselves at all, but a perfect duplicate with an alien personality, like in the Invasion of the Body Snatchers movies.
The Invasion May Come In The Form Of A Parasitic/Bacterial Infection
If your loved one does begin acting like they are from another planet, it could be a symptom of a more non-violent and covert plan than lethal flying saucers. To bring up The Body Snatchers once again, the invasion in Jack Finney’s novel is brought on by an extra-terrestrial bacteria that latches on to human hosts and develops clones of them overnight.
The Infection May Cause A Horrifying Transformation
Extra-terrestrial bacteria can begat symptoms that go way beyond psychological manipulation, such as in Slither. In writer and director James Gunn’s feature-length debut, Grant Grant (Michael Rooker) transforms into a grotesque mutant creature who creates a zombie-like outbreak.
Your Loved One Might Be The Alien In Disguise
You may actually find it impossible to detect if someone you know has been possessed or replaced by an extra-terrestrial, just like the research crew from John Carpenter’s The Thing from 1982. Not only can the shape-shifting organism create a perfect visual imitation of those it consumes, but its keen sense of observation allows it to replicate human emotion convincingly.
The Aliens May Take On A Very Attractive Disguise
There have actually been numerous cases in pop culture of an alien disguise that is not just meant to deceive, but to entice and prey on humans’ natural hormones. In fact, “aliens disguised as attractive people” has basically become its own subgenre with notable examples that include 1995’s Species with Natasha Henstridge and 2013’s Under the Skin with Scarlett Johansson.
The Aliens May Take On A Disguise With A Culturally Relevant Theme
Your alien enemy’s disguise might not be very effectively secretive and, in fact, is more of a stylistic choice. For instance, in 1988’s hilarious creature feature, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, the invaders adopt a wacky, circus-like aesthetic to their ship and their appearance that we suppose they found scary.
The Aliens May Have Already Been Here For A While
Whenever the invaders actually make themselves known, there is a chance that this will not actually be their first visit. For instance, in director Steven Spielberg’s War of the Worlds, instead of the typical descent from the sky, the aliens’ killer tripod machines burst out from underground, meaning they had to be placed there before. In fact, it is possible that they have actually been hiding among us in plain sight for years.
The Aliens Could Be Kept Under Wraps By A Secret Organization
Perhaps, not only is this invasion Earth’s first publicly acknowledged visit by aliens, but previous visits have actually been regulated and closely monitored by a top-secret group that not even the government is aware of. How do we know that the stuff that goes on in the Men in Black movies is not actually happening right now?
They May Claim They Come In Peace
It’s natural for the human race to be alarmed by the appearance of visitors from another planet, but it might not actually be the disaster we expect. For instance, the aliens from Close Encounters meant no harm and, as the ending of 2016’s Arrival reveals, the Heptapods were actually trying to help prevent tragedy.
They Might Have Lied About Coming In Peace
While pop culture has shown us some exceptions, it might be ill-advised to immediately give in to a plea for civility from an extraterrestrial. There are even more pop culture examples — such as Mars Attacks! or the cult favorite V franchise — that prove they have an insidious hidden agenda.
Your Neighborhood Could Become A Warzone
When the invasion starts, get out of town as fast as you can. It probably will take no time at all before your home is no longer homely and serves as the site of conflict between our military and our new enemy. It’s not like they can negotiate a safe place to battle with creatures who have no interest in negotiating.
You Can Expect A Lot Of Traffic
Getting to a safe place might take longer than you may have hoped. With countless civilians seeking sanctuary at the same time, the roads are going to be overflowing with cars, making any potential seem even farther out of reach. Furthermore, this is only assuming that the aliens have not done something to make your vehicle immobile, like when they render all electricity obsolete in War of the Worlds.
The Aliens’ Plan Could Be Psychological
Maybe the visitors have no intention of hurting anybody and violence is beneath them. Perhaps their M.O. is creating a sense of paranoia that begins to consume the human race from the inside, like in one of the best The Twilight Zone episodes, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.”
The Aliens May Be Manipulating You Subliminally
Paranoia is not the only psychological tool that extra-terrestrials may have at their disposal. In fact, they might have even managed to control you by planting hidden messages in the mass media you comfortably consume on a daily basis. Roddy Piper’s Nada makes that discovery with help from a special pair of glasses in John Carpenter’s They Live.
Humans Might Start Turning Against Each Other
Whether or not the aliens are intentionally trying to manipulate the human race, their presence could very likely have some damaging effects on our mental health. It becomes impossible for us to trust another stranger or even our own loved ones, fearing what nefarious agenda or reptilian features may be lurking underneath.
You May Become Obsessed With The Mystery Behind The Visitors
The psychological effects of the invasion could become a more personal matter. What if they really do come in peace, but you find yourself unable to accept that as the truth, causing you to lose yourself in your obsession with the visitors while the rest of the world lives in unprecedented harmony?
Your Obsession With The Visitors Will Cost You A Few Relationships
Whatever the true intentions of the aliens are (or whether or not their presence is even confirmed fact), if you find yourself obsessed with them for one reason or another, it could still have drastic effects on your life. For instance, in Close Encounters, Roy Neary’s wife, Ronnie (Teri Garr), and two sons leave him out of fear that he is dangerously unstable.
You Might Meet At Least One Friendly Visitor
Even if it is clear that the visitors, indeed, do not come in peace, that does not mean all of them are evil. The V franchise actually includes one of the most classic examples of an alien who defies its race’s oppressive plans and opts to help human beings resist — namely Robert Englund giving one of his best performances as Willie.
The Friendly Visitor Might Just Be Lost
Maybe you are not facing an invasion after all, but the strange activity you have encountered is due to just one harmless alien who merely lost their way. All the titular creature from 1982’s E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial wants to do is “phone home” and Vin Diesel’s role in 1999’s The Iron Giant is kind of like a little kid in a huge robot’s body.
The Visitor May Form A Bond With A Child
You may discover that all these aliens really need is a friend and no one is better at making friends than children, whether it turns out to be your own or someone else’s. To bring up E.T. and The Iron Giant once again, the central otherworldly characters from both of those classic family movies prove they have some humanity in them when they make a connection with a young human.
You Or Someone You Know Could Find Love With A Visitor
Perhaps it is not just a friendly connection that these creatures are seeking, but a romantic connection, and they could happen to find it with a human, whether they suspect it or not. Interspecies romance is actually a theme of several sci-fi films, both earnest (such as Starman) or comedic (Earth Girls Are Easy or My Stepmother is an Alien).
The Key To Defeating Them Might Be Robots
If they originate from another planet or dimension, we can probably count kaiju as aliens. In the case that they are the invading creature, what better way is there to stop them than by attacking with a gargantuan beast of our own design, just like the “monsters vs. robots” action of Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim?
The Aliens Might Be Robots
Not all extra-terrestrials are made of organic matter, as the warring natives of Cybertron from the Transformers movies have certainly proven. All we can say about that is we hope there is one group of alien robots on your side to defeat the evil side of that war. Otherwise, we hope you can get your hands on a Jaeger from Pacific Rim.
The Key To Defeating Them Might Be Harnessing Their Power
Sometimes, when attempting to figure out how to stop the aliens, the best question to ask is what they are capable of and how it can be used against them. In all honesty, you might need to discover that on accident, much like how Tom Cruise’s character in Edge of Tomorrow becomes imbued with his alien enemies’ ability to relive the same day on repeat.
It Might Prompt A Superhero Team-Up
Hopefully, you won’t need to be the one who takes matters into your own hands to save the planet because there may already exist a group of powerful individuals who just need a reason to come together. When Loki (Tom Hiddleston) caused an invasion of the Chitauri’s attack on New York, it essentially created the MCU’s interpretation of The Avengers.
The Key To Defeating The Aliens Might Be Ridiculously Simple
Do you, by any chance, have a copy of Slim Whitman’s “Indian Love Call”? If so, we recommend playing the song on the loudest speaker possible and seeing if that makes a difference, because that is all it took to defeat the invaders from 1996’s Mars Attacks! If that does not work, maybe just wait a few more days and see how the aliens’ health looks because, as newcomers to this planet, they may not have immunity to even our most common germs and could succumb to a mere cold pretty quickly, just like in War of the Worlds.
If none of these tips prove effective in your war against another world, well, good luck.
