The Aliens Are Here : Extraterrestrial Visitors in American Cinema and Television

Aliens: They have taken the form of immigrants, invaders, lovers, heroes, cute creatures that want our candy or monsters that want our flesh. For more than a century, movies and television shows have speculated about the form and motives of alien life forms. Movies first dipped their toe into the genre in the 1940s with Superman cartoons and the big screen's first story of alien invasion (1945's The Purple Monster Strikes ). More aliens landed in the 1950s science fiction movie boom, followed by more television appearances ( The Invaders, My Favorite Martian ) in the 1960s. Extraterrestrials have been on-screen mainstays ever since. This book examines various types of the on-screen alien visitor story, featuring a liberal array of alien types, designs and motives. Each chapter spotlights a specific film or TV series, offering comparative analyses and detailing the tropes, themes and cliches and how they have evolved over time. Highlighted subjects include Eternals, War of the Worlds, The X-Files , John Carpenter's The Thing and Attack of the 50-Foot Woman . "They have taken the form of immigrants, invaders, lovers, heroes, cute creatures that want our candy or monsters that want our flesh. For more than a century, movies and television shows have speculated about the form and motives of alien life forms. Movies first dipped their toe into the genre in the 1940s with Superman cartoons and the big screen's first story of alien invasion (1945's The Purple Monster Strikes). More aliens landed in the 1950s science fiction movie boom, followed by more television appearances (The Invaders, My Favorite Martian) in the 1960s. Extraterrestrials have been on-screen mainstays ever since. This book examines various types of the on-screen alien visitor story, featuring a liberal array of alien types, designs and motives. Each chapter spotlights a specific film or TV series, offering comparative analyses and detailing the tropes, themes and cliches and how they have evolved over time. Highlighted subjects include The Eternals, War of the Worlds, The X-Files, John Carpenter's The Thing and Attack of the 50-Foot Woman"-- Provided by publisher Dedication Acknowledgments Table of Contents Introduction One. They Came from Beyond: A Short History of the UFO Phenomenon Two. The Biggest Story That Could Ever Happen to Our World: Alien Invasion Films Three. They Come in Peace: Friendly Alien Visitors Four. Now and Then We All Are Aliens: ET Infiltrators and Body Snatchers Five. Might for Right, Not Might Makes Right: Alien Superheroes Six. The Invasion Has Already Happened: UFO Abductions Seven. Strangers in a Strange Land: The Alien Immigrant Eight. Cuckoos from Space: Spacemen, Rape and Human/Alien Hybrids Nine. When Ancient Astronauts Attack: Gods from Outer Space on Screen Ten. Destroy All Monsters Before They Destroy Us: Monsters from Space Eleven. Loving the Alien: Interplanetary Love Stories Twelve. Little Aliens Everywhere: Children, Teenagers and Spacemen Thirteen. Laugh, Spaceman, Laugh: Alien Visitor Comedies Fourteen. Government Denies Knowledge: UFO Cover-Ups and the Men in Black Fifteen. Another Kind of Alien Hybrid: The Genre Mashup Notes Bibliography Index