The Fourth Kind

The Fourth Kind is a 2009 science fiction horror thriller film written and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and starring Milla Jovovich, Elias Koteas, Corey Johnson, Will Patton, Charlotte Milchard, Mia McKenna-Bruce, Julian Vergov, and Osunsanmi. The title is derived from the expansion of J. Allen Hynek's classification of close encounters with aliens, in which the fourth kind denotes alien abductions. The film is a pseudodocumentary, purporting to be a dramatic re-enactment of true events that occurred in Nome, Alaska, in which a psychologist uses hypnosis to uncover memories of alien abduction from her patients and finds evidence suggesting that she may have been abducted as well. At the beginning of the film, Jovovich informs the audience this entire movie is actually real, that she will be playing a character based on a real person named Abigail Tyler, and that the film will feature archival footage of the real Tyler. The "Abigail Tyler" seen in the archival footage is played by Milchard, and at various points throughout the film, the archival footage scenes and accompanying dramatic re-enactments are presented side by side. Director Osunsanmi appears in the film himself as the interviewer of the "real" Tyler. The Fourth Kind premiered at the Screamfest Horror Film Festival on October 24, 2009, before opening theatrically in the United States and United Kingdom on November 6, 2009. The film's marketing campaign, which featured fake news articles attributed to real Alaskan news outlets, drew notable controversy and resulted in the studio being sued, ending with a $20,000 settlement paid to the Alaska Press Club. The film received unfavorable reviews from critics but was a modest box-office success, grossing $49.5 million worldwide. The film has gone on to attain a cult following in the years since its release.