Communion (1989)

Christopher Walken gets an anal probe in this alien abduction movie. This movie (and the original book) is actually the origin of that bit of alien lore. The film is not that good. It kind of has the opposite problem of Fire in the Sky. There are a lot of scenes with the aliens, but they're quite poorly done. The aliens look like crap. The big skinny ones (the grays) look like balloons (like Fire in the Sky, it's suggested that these are actually aliens wearing space suits) and the short, stumpy ones look like rejected costumes from a Star Wars rip-off (one of them always has its lips pursed, because, you know, that's the way the animatronic mask was made). The alien scene at the end also gets pretty silly, with the aliens dancing with Walken and high fiving him. Walken himself is pretty good. Definitely Walken at his hammiest, but I think the film would have been unbearably boring if he hadn't gone that way.

A family (and another couple) spend a night at their country house, where they all get spooked by unknown night-time events. Back for Christmas and more spookiness ensues for the family; especially for husband and father Whitley (Christopher Walken's character) ... what could be going on?If you saw the cover art you already have a pretty clear idea about what this film is about, but it takes its excruciating time to get to the lacklustre punchline. After undergoing hypnotherapy and sitting in on a support group for probing victims, Whitelty finds a way to high-five the aliens and turn the experience from sinister to light-hearted. Christopher Walken tries so very hard to be this lovable zany hipster, but his performance ends up as irretrievably irritating. He gets even more grating as slowly, slowly the audience is let in on the old ET probe story. Walken comes across as a demented Groucho Marx, but the real comedy starts with the woeful special effects.Bright lights are about as good as the special effects get. The phallic 'probe' that slides through the wall is almost hilarious, and the "aliens" were so fake-looking it is very hard to take them seriously.Overall the film comes off as an amateur production, and I'd advise anyone to avoid it like the plague ... unless you want to laugh out loud at the pathetic "aliens" or the massive phallic probe. Whitley Strieber (the main character) was apparently trying to write the "great American novel" as these events unfurled. Funny that. I just don't buy his formulaic story or this lame duck of a movie. Avoid both.

Whitley Strieber is a writer who goes off with his family and couple of friends to his holiday home in the woods. During their first night there they experience a strange sensation involving a blinding light and they all had the same startling experience. Whitley shrugs it off as a dream, but then he starts hallucinating and seeing unearthly figures. Is he going mad or was he abducted? So, he sees a psychiatrist to go under hypnosis to see what really did happen to him.How strangely surreal can this get! I was simply bug-eyed to what the hell was going on and Christopher Walken's spontaneously intense performance just kept you guessing and totally riveted. The story is supposedly based on true facts and lifted from Whitley Strieber's novel, which also did the screenplay for the film. This touchy subject matter will have a lot of its sceptics, but this piece I found to be an engrossing format that builds an authentically sincere approach to its controversial nature, even despite its very outlandish, quite silly and largely dreamy nature. But anyway, that's surrealism for ya! The story is emotionally moody and that can be attributed a lot Walken's erratic character - who rambles on until the cows come home about whatever he's thinking and cracking out rather humorous jokes. At times I didn't have a clue what he was going on about! But Walken is simply ace in a role that's fits him perfectly.The first half of the film is actually creepy with its atmospheric lighting, bone rattling sound effects and stinging score. This side of the story is psychologically powering as we watch the realistic deterioration, traumatic stress and the denial of Whitley. When we get our first (and vastly memorable) glimpse of our out-of-town visitors too- it's visually surreal and eerily unnerving. It gave me the shivers! But that very feel changes course in the second half of the film were it becomes uneven and we get a break down on Whitely coming to terms and accepting his fate. But there's one thing that hits you and that this whole joint feels like one large dream with it's change in moods, bizarre hallucinations, blurry intentions and that you'll forget about large chunks of it after experiencing it. Yeah, it's rather forgettable with only a couple of scenes that stick with you and that's basically the whack-out sequences. I don't know, but I was expecting a little more to come out of the layout and it does clock off with some meandering scenes, but if Walken was on screen it was hard not to be compelled. The script can get a bit self-indulgent and distant, while the sweeping guitar riffs are terribly dated. Although it's a low-budgeted flick the special effects are well implemented and the rubbery alien designs are adeptly crafted. Philippe Mora who brought us such films like "The Howling 2 and 3" adds his distinguishable style and generates some extremely haunting and effective build-ups. His confidence in the production and that in Walken makes his direction one of the film's standing assets. The rest of the cast pale in comparison to Walken, but Lindsey Crouse as Whitley's on-edge wife and Frances Sternhagen as Dr. Janet Duffy work off him greatly. I got to say that the best time to watch this one - is late night… I guarantee.It's not totally successful, but it's an interestingly odd project with capable direction by Mora and a sensational central performance from Walken.

I have read the book and seen the movie and wasn't disappointed by either. I am a Strieber fan so appreciated what risks he took to write this autobiographical novel. It's true the book does have a different feel to the movie. This is mostly due, I believe to, the director Philippe Mora and Christopher Walken's quirky yet memorable acting presence.This film is very eerie, frightening, surreal and disturbing. It's not a feel-good movie but is definitely thought-provoking, just like the novel.This is definitely one of Walken's best movies. I was impressed! Also Joel Carlson does a great job as Strieber's son, Andrew. The scenes involving his son and the other dream sequences are perhaps the most disturbing.I felt empathy for Strieber in Walken's very convincing performance. I felt drawn to the character and his family.I find myself watching this film every few years and as I do it is more rewarding each time. There are some very memorable lines in this movie that will stay with you long afterwards.If you like thought-provoking, eerie, movies involving alien abduction then this may be well worth your while.