This episode's subject is a touching story of an immigrant family overcoming adversity, prejudice, and persecution while trying to assimilate and pursue the American Dream. That's right, we're talking about the Saturday Night Live sketch adaptation Coneheads from 1993, directed by Steve Barron and starring Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin as the titular extraterrestrials.

Frequent guest Jen Albright of Have You Seen This? joins me to talk about the spotty track record of SNL films, the paranormal obsessions of Dan Aykroyd, narfling garthoks, and more!

We touch on Anderson’s oft-misunderstood ouvre and continuing influence, navigate the film’s labyrinthine meta-commentary on the creative process, marvel at the ridiculously stacked cast, enjoy alien-themed hoedowns, and much more! 

Our movie this week is the 1995 made-for-television film Visitors of the Night. Directed by Jorge Montesi, it stars Markie Post and Candace Cameron. Joining me to discuss this shockingly-not-a-Lifetime-movie offering is the ever-delightful Mandee from the podcast Fake Movies.

Welcome to Saucer Cinema, the podcast about UFOs, aliens, and otherworldly phenomena in film, tv, and other media. 

For this inaugural episode I am joined by Erik Thybony of the podcast Illogical Contraption: Nights After Dark to discuss the 1989 film adaptation of Whitley Strieber’s alien abduction classic Communion, directed by Philippe Mora and starring Christopher Walken.

We go into the allegedly true story behind the book and movie, speculate about the interior design tastes of extraterrestrials, and marvel at Christopher Walken’s performance which, like Strieber’s alien visitors, has to be seen to be believed.

Enjoy!

We also delve into the film’s unusual development and chaotic production as well a strange and somewhat tenuous connection to UFO lore (hey, we have to justify covering this one somehow!!)

We discuss the film's struggle to find a proper release, its subsequent rediscovery and championing by critics, the stacked all-star country western soundtrack that contributed to the film being unavailable on home video, the allure of the desert for filmmakers and would-be prophets alike, the American fusion of entertainment and religion, and more!

Virtual reality, laser jail, alien trickster babes, lunkheaded space cons, a surprising connection to a beloved 90's CBS family drama...there's lots to unpack here!

We also take a deep dive into the wild filmography of PM Entertainment Group, the production company behind the film.

We touch upon the UFO lore that (loosely) inspired the movie, contemplate Darren McGavin’s eyebrows, explore alternate endings, appreciate alien font design and creepy robot voices, vibe with unexpectedly gnarly gore scenes, and more!

(Note: somehow the Megadeth classic “Hangar 18” and its memorable video did not come up in conversation, which I consider a grave oversight on my part. I apologize and promise to do better in the future.)

We talk about the special’s dubious origins, media hoaxes and credulity, hugging celebrities, Klingon/goth kid encounters, unexpected trading card crossovers, Poppin' Fresh the Pilsbury Doughboy, and more!

We discuss the fascinating-if-checkered career trajectories of the movie’s director and controversial star, the power of quiet and minimalism in building suspense, aliens as metaphorical (and possibly literal) demons, downloading pre-release bootlegs in the early days of internet file sharing, and much, much more!

We discuss childhood fears, B-Movie ingenuity,  the persistence of clown-related horror, Ancient Clown Astronauts, Juggalo journalists, the Nickelodeon-to-delinquent pipeline, and much, much more! 

We compare and contrast the film's harrowing depiction of Travis Walton's purported 1975 UFO abduction with Walton's own account of the incident, catch up with recent controversies, contemplate being healed by Swedish pop gods, and discover President Joe Biden's sinister secret.

Plus: Erik recounts his tour of the alleged Walton abduction site in the mountains of Arizona.

Mandee from Fake Movies Podcast returns to talk about magic typewriters, lipstick laser guns, deadly dolls, killer soda machines and other (literal) plot devices in this not-so-subtle sci-fi addiction allegory. 

To quote a writer known for Christmas cheer:

"The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little; but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age."

Happy Holidays!

Among the topics discussed: the timeliness of the film’s commentary on climate change, its relationship to another Twohy-associated project (1995’s Waterworld), just how surprisingly well the visual effects hold up, the strange resemblance of the film’s aliens to a certain deceased politician, and more!

Masochistic nurses, melting starship captains, cannibal sharks-there's something for everyone here!

We examine the film's depiction of British mores and sexual repression, delve into the fascinating career of British polymath Colin Wilson (author of the film's 1976 source novel, The Space Vampires), talk British comedy and horror cinema, and dissect the British media's penchant for transphobia. All in all, a lot of talk about and making fun of the British in this episode! 

Plus: space tiddies.

We talk about the use of compact discs as alien death weapons, yuppie drug gangs, jittery scientists, cop movie clichés, the oh-so-brief moment when Brian Benben was at the heart of the zeitgeist, and much more!

Note/disclaimer: the audio quality of this episode is a bit uneven due to some technical issues on my end. Blame the chaotic symbiote energy from the movie 🤪

We explore the film's fascinating blend of (allegedly) real-life UFO lore and B-movie silliness, the strange use of suicide as a plot device, alien food pills, gender roles, the general awesomeness of Sir Christopher Lee, and more!

PLUS: an "explosive" surprise cameo 

Along the way we delve into the film’s fun-but-uneven soundtrack, dish out spicy takes on celebrities, and explain how the 80s were all about Devo and phone booths.

RIP Dusty Hill of ZZ Top

We discuss how Intruders influenced subsequent portrayals of alien abductions, cast a hypothetical Netflix-era remake, look into the alleged properties of alien implants, and more! 

We unpack the dubious legacy of the book and film, ponder the status of fast food mascots as celestial beings, tease the romantic and sexual exploits of space gods, and explore Karella’s visit to Erich Von Daniken’s ancient aliens theme park in Switzerland. This episode is a trip…in more ways than one!

We explore the film’s charming 70s crackpot aesthetics, Jen’s own real life encounter with the UFO crowd, Uri Gellar, psychic dolphins, internet culture, cosmic ray-induced idiocy, the secret origin of Minions, and other tangents. Most importantly we delve into the life of the documentary’s producer and host/narrator, W. Gordon Allen, who proves to be a rather colorful and fascinating figure.

For this inaugural episode I am joined by Erik Thybony of the podcast Illogical Contraption: Nights After Dark to discuss the 1989 film adaptation of Whitley Strieber’s alien abduction classic, Communion, directed by Philippe Mora and starring Christopher Walken.

We go into the allegedly true story behind the book and movie, speculate about the interior design tastes of extraterrestrials, and marvel at Christopher Walken’s performance which, like Strieber’s alien visitors, has to be seen to be believed.

Enjoy!