British sci-fi author Sir Arthur C. Clarke once said, "Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the universe, or we are not. Both are equally terrifying." For untold years, humans have looked to the heavens and believed that there is something, or someone, out there.
Beyond myths, it was a Roman, Lucretius, in 50 BC who wrote that other worlds must have "other breeds of men." Then the subject was dropped for over a thousand years in the western world as the idea of aliens went against church doctrine. In late 16th century Italy, Giordano Bruno proclaimed that other worlds must have intelligent life. He was subsequently hanged upside down and burned at the stake. It wasn't until the 19th century, when a handful of scientists argued the canals that they saw on Mars were artificially made, that the modern era of aliens was born.
It began three years after astronomer Percival Lowell (founder of the Lowell Observatory in Arizona) wrote his scientific findings in "Mars." Just before the dawn of the 20th century, H.G. Wells wrote about Martian invaders in "The War of the Worlds." The movie industry would soon begin to use the idea of aliens in films that would continue through the present day.
In 1902, Georges Méliès created "A Trip to the Moon" (Le voyage dans la lune) that, while based on books by Jules Verne, deviated from the source material to add moon-dwelling aliens into the story. Hollywood didn't embrace aliens on film in earnest until two events occurred: the radio dramatization of "The War of the Worlds" by Orson Welles in 1938 (where it is claimed many believed there was a Martian invasion happening in real time) and the alien incidents in 1947 at both Mount Rainier in Washington, and Roswell, New Mexico. Over the next two decades, there were more than 12,000 "sightings" in the United States.
It's no surprise that Hollywood reflected this alien scare throughout the 1950s in films such as "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1956). (There were also fears of communism and McCarthyism prevalent in many of these films.) By the 1960s, fears had somewhat waned, and a wave of camp and comedy overtook horror, and many movies and shows that had any aliens at all were more focused on "space" as the main subject. All that changed in the late 1970s.
Stephen Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and George Lucas' "Star Wars"" were both release in 1977. These films are arguably responsible for a major shift in Hollywood in many ways, but one thing it did for certain was to bring aliens back from camp and comedy to being something serious and popular. In "Alien" (1979), extraterrestrials as objects of horror were brought back to the height of pop culture. The three sub-genres of alien films, family friendly films, comedic, and horror films, have been the most popular alien movies.
Since this period, alien films have been made in every movie genre. There have been comedic alien films, ("Killer Klowns from Outer Space" (1988), and "Mars Attacks! (1996)), action alien films ("Predator" (1987) and "Independence Day" (1996)), family alien films (E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" (1982) and "Lilo & Stitch" (2002)), horror alien films ("The Thing" (1982) and "A Quiet Place" (2018)), and even alien westerns ("Cowboys & Aliens" (2011)).
There still isn't a consensus on whether or not there is intelligent life in outer space. As recently as last year, a former Air Force officer claimed to have not only seen UFOs but also claimed to have recovered "non-human" biologics. Because of this uncertainty of the existence of aliens, it becomes more real to us when we watch aliens portrayed on film because something like that could be out there. This is why they will continue to be popular for years to come. "Alien: Romulus" (2024) is in theaters now, and there are new "Avatar" and "Predator" films in the works. Even the next Disney/Pixar movie "Elio" (2025) is about aliens! We don't know if there's a home for aliens out there amongst the stars, but they'll always have a place amongst the stars in Hollywood.
Beyond myths, it was a Roman, Lucretius, in 50 BC who wrote that other worlds must have "other breeds of men." Then the subject was dropped for over a thousand years in the western world as the idea of aliens went against church doctrine. In late 16th century Italy, Giordano Bruno proclaimed that other worlds must have intelligent life. He was subsequently hanged upside down and burned at the stake. It wasn't until the 19th century, when a handful of scientists argued the canals that they saw on Mars were artificially made, that the modern era of aliens was born.
It began three years after astronomer Percival Lowell (founder of the Lowell Observatory in Arizona) wrote his scientific findings in "Mars." Just before the dawn of the 20th century, H.G. Wells wrote about Martian invaders in "The War of the Worlds." The movie industry would soon begin to use the idea of aliens in films that would continue through the present day.
In 1902, Georges Méliès created "A Trip to the Moon" (Le voyage dans la lune) that, while based on books by Jules Verne, deviated from the source material to add moon-dwelling aliens into the story. Hollywood didn't embrace aliens on film in earnest until two events occurred: the radio dramatization of "The War of the Worlds" by Orson Welles in 1938 (where it is claimed many believed there was a Martian invasion happening in real time) and the alien incidents in 1947 at both Mount Rainier in Washington, and Roswell, New Mexico. Over the next two decades, there were more than 12,000 "sightings" in the United States.
It's no surprise that Hollywood reflected this alien scare throughout the 1950s in films such as "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (1956). (There were also fears of communism and McCarthyism prevalent in many of these films.) By the 1960s, fears had somewhat waned, and a wave of camp and comedy overtook horror, and many movies and shows that had any aliens at all were more focused on "space" as the main subject. All that changed in the late 1970s.
Stephen Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" and George Lucas' "Star Wars"" were both release in 1977. These films are arguably responsible for a major shift in Hollywood in many ways, but one thing it did for certain was to bring aliens back from camp and comedy to being something serious and popular. In "Alien" (1979), extraterrestrials as objects of horror were brought back to the height of pop culture. The three sub-genres of alien films, family friendly films, comedic, and horror films, have been the most popular alien movies.
Since this period, alien films have been made in every movie genre. There have been comedic alien films, ("Killer Klowns from Outer Space" (1988), and "Mars Attacks! (1996)), action alien films ("Predator" (1987) and "Independence Day" (1996)), family alien films (E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" (1982) and "Lilo & Stitch" (2002)), horror alien films ("The Thing" (1982) and "A Quiet Place" (2018)), and even alien westerns ("Cowboys & Aliens" (2011)).
There still isn't a consensus on whether or not there is intelligent life in outer space. As recently as last year, a former Air Force officer claimed to have not only seen UFOs but also claimed to have recovered "non-human" biologics. Because of this uncertainty of the existence of aliens, it becomes more real to us when we watch aliens portrayed on film because something like that could be out there. This is why they will continue to be popular for years to come. "Alien: Romulus" (2024) is in theaters now, and there are new "Avatar" and "Predator" films in the works. Even the next Disney/Pixar movie "Elio" (2025) is about aliens! We don't know if there's a home for aliens out there amongst the stars, but they'll always have a place amongst the stars in Hollywood.