Extraterrestrial horror is one subgenre I wish I would see more of. Sometimes they can be silly, while others can be downright sinister. Anthony Columbus’ Alice and the Little Green Men is a short of the second kind. The 25 minutes of this film were jaw-dropping and at times, horrific, to say the least.
A research psychologist attempts to make sense of a woman’s claims of alien abduction through a sit-down interview and overnight observation.
As the description says, Dr. Joan Weaver visits the home of Alice and William Bell to observe Alice in her sleep. She was said to have experienced over 100 alien abductions — called instances of “contact” by her religious group — and was searching for answers. Dr. Weaver sets the scene: after a brief discussion with the Bells and a cup of tea, she instructs Alice on a headwear device that records brainwaves and video, all sent right to Alice’s phone. A simple set-up. But as Alice falls asleep, the dread sets in.
I will not go into specifics, but I will say a few things that can go into semi-spoiler territory. While Alice and the Little Green Men leads us to think we’re seeing an alien abduction story, it turns into cult mystery, then rape revenge. And let me tell you — I physically moved my hand to cover my mouth at the realization of what was actually going on. The shock! The horror! The utter genius! We are shown what is happening before we even see any graphic scenes.
And then the third act: Columbus made sure to keep the thrill and anticipation going until the very end. My mouth still ajar, I tuned in even more to watch the story unfold. The payoff comes when we hear a notification come in to Alice’s phone. It is succinct and terrifying and disgusting and unbelievable — the mark of a great storyteller.
Half an hour. Four characters. Piles and piles of extremely well-thought-out plot. Each character played their role to a tee and were super believable, likeable, and hate-able. The setting was small, only contained to one house, but each scene was lit and styled to perfection. Alice and the Little Green Men felt like a feature length movie in the best way. And funnily enough, I almost feel like this was a real story.
Nominated for Best Thriller at HollyShorts and winning the Audience Choice Award for Best Short at the Playhouse West Festival, Alice and the Little Green Men deserves praise for a gut-punch of a story in such a short time. I’d also like to point out the double meaning of the title — our main character being studied is named Alice (played by Ashley BeLoat), but our Dr. Weaver character is played by actress Alice Skok; two Alices haunted by little green men. Brilliant.
Visit Alice and the Little Green Men on Instagram for news and updates, and follow writer/director Anthony Columbus there too.
