A 1989 Sci-Fi Horror film directed by Philippe Mora adapted from Whitley Strieber's memoir of the same name.
Well-to-do horror author Whitley Strieber (Christopher Walken) and his family (Lindsay Crouse and Joel Carlson) having an alien encounter while on a drive. Strieber finds himself haunted by visions of strange creatures, leading him to seek psychiatric help.
The movie also stars Frances Sternhagen, Andreas Katsulas, Terri Hanauer, John Dennis Johnston, Dee Dee Rescher, and Holly Fields.
For the 1977 film, see Alice, Sweet Alice.
Tropes for the film:
- Alien Abduction: The story is about Strieber having to come to terms with being abducted by aliens who probed him. It's treated like rape, and he even has to see a psychiatrist who specializes in rape victims.
- Anal Probing: Strieber reports this having happened to him.
- Catapult Nightmare: Strieber does this after having dreams about his alien abduction.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Whitley Strieber is a weird, eccentric man even before the abductions start.
- The Greys: While not actually grey in colour, the cover of the original book is what helped popularize the general image in the public eye. The movie adaptation interestingly subverts this somewhat, by implying that the Greys are a “mask” the true entities are hiding behind.
- Historical Hero Upgrade: Whitley Strieber's lie of having been present at the Charles Whitman shooting which he repeated many times prior to publishing Communion is omitted, making him come across as (somewhat) more credible. Strieber for his part claimed it was an implanted memory by the visitors.
- I'll Kill You!: While being anal probed by the aliens, Strieber coldly observes one of them and calmly growls, "I'll kill you."
- Large Ham: Strieber.
- More than Meets the Eye: Masks are a recurring motif throughout the movie, with the heavy implication being that the “aliens” that Strieber sees look so generic and rubbery because they are wearing disguises (similar to Fire in the Sky). After he removes one of their masks, something that seems to be a starfish alien is revealed, but this appears to be another layer of illusion.
- The Film of the Book: Based on Whitley Strieber's book of the same name, in which he says the events really happened to him.
- Nothing Is Scarier: It's never clarified if the aliens even are aliens, or what they even want. Strieber eventually realizes he's never going to get a clear answer as to what they are.
- One-Word Title: Communion.
- Real-Person Cameo: Author Whitley Strieber appears as a museum patron near the end of the film.
- Pop-Star Composer: Eric Clapton, ladies and gentlemen.
- Sanity Slippage: Whitley goes increasingly unhinged from the abductions.
- Vertigo Effect: The movie uses this effect to intensify the state of hypnotization and confusion in Strieber.
- Writer's Block: Strieber suffers from it but eventually overcomes the blockade.
