"Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying." Arthur C. Clarke's quote is the first thing we see in this spare new thriller from writer/director Scott Stewart (Legion), so it comes as little shock when a "Grey" appears, even if the superbly off-kilter sound design adds effective juice to that first scream-inducing moment. Nothing coming after quite tops it in a film that borrows liberally from Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Poltergeist, Paranormal Activity, Signs, and even The Birds. What it lacks in originality, it almost makes up for with strong performances from the Family Under Siege: Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton as Lacy and Daniel Barrett, recession-battered parents of Jesse (Dakota Goyo) and Sam (Kadan Rockett). J.K. Simmons as a resigned E.T. expert is just gravy. The paranoia driving Daniel to a gun shop before the Fourth of July–set finale adds a welcome dose of social satire.
