Die Besucher

Director Philippe Mora has made some bizarre movies in his time, and 'Communion' is one of the strangest. Christopher Walken plays writer Whitley Strieber who finds his life going in a very odd direction. Strieber isn't the most grounded guy in the first place - his writing technique seems to consist of putting on funny hats and pretending to be a wolf - but even his broadminded wife Anne (Mamet regular Lindsay Crouse) draws the line at freaking out at Halloween masks, pulling a gun on imaginary owls or intruders or whatever it was, and generally nutso behaviour. She convinces Whit to see a doctor, and then a psychiatrist. Under hypnosis Strieber finds out more than he is prepared for. At least he's not insane... I think.

This is one of Walken's greatest "out there" performances, as memorable as 'The Deerhunter', 'The King Of New York' and 'Wild Side'. He mumbles, grimaces, laughs, dances, twitches, stares, freaks out, charms, irritates and scares. I don't think his "Whitley Strieber" has anything to do with the real life one, but it's a sensational performance nonetheless. Walken has few rivals in screen psychos - only Dennis Hopper during his 70s excesses, or vintage Timothy Carey can rival him. Freakin' weird role in a freakin' weird movie! A must see for lovers of movie strangeness.

Ever read 'The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe'? Remember that scene where Peter and Susan talk to the professor because they're worried about Lucy? Lucy claims that she visited another world by stepping inside a wardrobe. The professor responds by stating quite logically, "either she is lying, she is mad, or she is telling the truth. Lucy is quite a truthful person, and one only needs to look at her to see that she is not mad. Therefore for now we must assume that she is telling the truth."

That statement perfectly describes Whitley Strieber's very strange case. If he is lying, then why has he passed numerous lie detector tests? If he is crazy, then why have numerous doctors failed to diagnose him with schizophrenia, temporal lobe epilepsy, etc. And why have numerous people had strange experiences at his cabin? As Arthur Conan Doyle once said, "Once you rule out the impossible..."

I would highly recommend people watch this very scary film. The scenes at Strieber's cabin and while he is hypnotized were really creepy. They left a lasting impression on me. Christopher Walken gives a compelling performance as Whitley Strieber (Strieber probably isn't this eccentric in real life).

I wish I could say this film was perfect but this was not so. The scenes in between the 'abduction' sequences were less compelling, and the film drags on at least ten minutes past when it should have ended. Still the film is a good introduction to the alien abduction phenomenon and to Strieber's book. It may make you leave the lights on at night.

Christopher Walken gives a distractingly bizarre performance in this trippy alien abduction movie. At times, he is bizarre and manic, going from a Dad joke making fuddy dud, to a somewhat menacing dangerous character (such as when he shoots up his home, and receives a muted reaction from his wife). He seems unfocused and indecisive, as he is both convinced of his alien abduction but on the fence about receiving therapy. This kind of day to day indecision may be common in real life, but it is odd to see a character change his mind with each scene in a movie. As in Fire in the Sky, the characters' positive traits are overemphasized so as to make them seem like everyday Americans and not alien abduction kooks. This is somewhat undone by the strange nature of Walken's performance. The director also throws in seeming Easter eggs to cast doubts on the story, throwing in references to alcohol and making the dream sequences ridiculous, campy and trippy. We also know the lead character is a writer, and that this would make a compelling book. At one point, when Walken is journeying to the cabin to perhaps commune with the aliens again, he is passed by a Miller Lite truck. The dream sequences are some of the most bizarre I've seen committed to film. They are trippier than David Lynch, and various camp musicals like The Apple. There are costumed gorilla aliens and dancing slim aliens that invite Walken to an orgy replete with anal probing, all while Walken recites lyrics from The Beatles. This makes it rather hard to believe. I have heard the author feels that the movie was not entirely accurate to his story, but his name is all over it, so he could have exercised greater control. I can only recommend this as a camp film. I will say it is far more entertaining than Fire in the Sky, but the one alien scene we get in Fire in the Sky is more frightening than the alien activity we see here.

The film depicts the personal and professional crises a writer experiences after a series of encounters with non-human beings.

The film strongly benefits from the performances of Christopher Walken and Lindsay Crouse. Walken (always engaging) manages the challenging task of making Whitley Strieber a compelling character; you care about him even if you don't necessarily like him 100% of the time. Crouse succeeds as Whitley's wife; the two together are immediately believable as a married couple.

The film is arguably the most intelligent film about the alien abduction/ visitor phenomenon. Unlike countless cheap, made-for-TV films, where the emphasis is on the sensationalistic, "shocking" aspects of the subject, COMMUNION focuses on the psychological and emotional harm the experience does. We see Strieber describe his experiences to his medical doctor, and then to a psychiatrist. Once his own mental health has been established, then (and only then) does he begin to consider the possibility that the creatures he has seen are actually real.

After questioning everyone from medical professionals to fellow abductees, Whitley realizes the only ones with the answers are the visitors themselves. At the film's climax, he willingly presents himself to the visitors. This is what makes COMMUNION transcend every other film about the phenomenon.

Director Phillipe Mora successfully creates a "you-are-there" atmosphere, letting the actors improvise a lot of their dialogue. There are two distinct moods: one, where things are brightly lit, secure, and normal; and secondly, the dark, unsettling world Strieber inhabits only with himself and with the visitors. Mora's direction is subtle, with cues in both the dialogue and a detailed, occasionally wry visual style.

Another plus is Eric Clapton's opening and closing theme music.

This is a seriously underrated film.

The director's cut (with commentary by Mora) is recommended.

First off, let me say that I'm a tad biased, as I have never failed to enjoy Christopher Walken's film roles. His characters are always quirky but always Walken...in much the same way every character Cary Grant or John Wayne played was always Cary Grant or John Wayne. He has a personality that is difficult to hide behind another persona, but which always adds a little something to it.

This is a suitably creepy film, but is very realistically and believably handled, given the fantastic story matter. The visitors in this movie aren't quite the sadistic neo-vivisectionists of Fire in the Sky, but they are still unsettling. The blue men almost remind one of something out of Star Wars, but the presence of the willowy aliens keep that impression well in the background.

Walken carries the film, especially in his sojourns aboard the aliens' craft. One is never quite sure what is really happening...oft times it is like something out of an early David Lynch movie...lying on the borderline between funny and nightmarish.

The film does make you think about all angles of the situation, especially when you consider the point of views and personalities of the people at the abduction support group that Walken's character goes to, and his reaction to it.

The special effects are excellent...not gaudy, but quite realistic (for lack of a better term).

I've seen the real Whitley Strieber on television and read a few of his novels. Walken is definitely not Strieber, but I think he is the only actor who could've made this movie work.