Whitley Strieber's fascinating novel about his experiences came to film in 1988 and has remained a gem of a story. While the theme suggests a unbelievable encounter, to Strieber it was very real and this film, intelligently leaves it up to the viewer to decide.

Whitley Strieber is a novelist (played with finesse by Christopher Walken) and while searching for new ideas for a book, he and his family and another couple go to their mountain cabin for the weekend. That night, Strieber and guests all experience bright lights and for Strieiber, something else. The next morning, they discuss what happened and Whitley's guests insist on returning to the city, as they feel something strange has happened which makes them very uneasy. Later, the Strieber family (Lindsay Crouse as his wife) experience dreams involving small blue men and larger thin beings of alien origin. Whitley dismisses these as just bad dreams but slowly starts to show a tendency toward paranoia, which leads him to a psychiatrist. Through hypnosis, Strieber remembers his experience vividly, as he is taken aboard a ship and examined by the aliens. It is not a pleasant experience. The film demonstrates the ability of director More to recreate the surreal atmosphere of Strieber's experiences while leaving plenty to think about as to what was real and what could have been part of Strieber's unconscious mind. The viewer is left with questions, which is good from the filmmakers point of view. It bears many repeat viewings looking for answers to these questions and is a high class production all round. Interestingly, no computer or CGI was used in the production of this film, with the director using costumes, puppets, masks, sounds and light to show the unworldly parts to the screenplay. Walken, Crouse and the entire cast are excellent in this film, and Walken was given a chance to ad-lib both lines and motion during the filming.

The disc comes loaded with extras. In addition to the digital transfer and 5.1 sound remix, there is audio commentary from More and William J. Birnes (publisher of UFO magazine). There are 20 minutes of outtakes, also narrated by More, describing the scenes in great detail; in production technique and Walken's scenes of extended ad-libbing, along with behind the scenes and promotional footage.. There are many still photos of the cast and scenes, and storyboards of the original screenplay. Most unusual is a five minute video, taken from "According To Occam's Razor", which, according to director Mora, is the taping of an actual removal of an alien implant from a person's arm.

This disc is one to enjoy again and again as it leaves many questions unanswered and leaves you looking for them in subsequent viewings. The director clearly set out to do that with his production and succeeds brilliantly. It is a modern day classic and well worth the price. Whether you believe or not, this film will be enjoyable as the actors are totally believable in there parts, led by Walken and Crouse. Elite Entertainment gets high marks for the quality of this DVD release.