Since the alien craze of the 1950s and beyond, when interest in the possibility of aliens coming to Earth became mainstream, film and television writers have had a fascination with exploring these concepts in their work. This has led to a steady stream of alien invasion movies, a subgenre that persists to this day.
As with all science fiction, there are quite a few familiar figures of speech that can be used in these stories, whether they are on film, TV, or even books or comics. Alternate universes, simulations (such as the premise of the Matrix franchise), the moral duality of aliens and humans causing their own self-destruction (often because of their own questionable morals) are all prime examples of common storylines within this genre. There’s also the alien invasion trope, of course, which arguably made for some of the most interesting science fiction stories ever created.
One of the most influential shows of all time, let alone in the science fiction genre, is the original version of the twilight zone. Created by Rod Serling, the twilight zone tapped into post-World War II fears and played with themes such as the threat of nuclear war, advancing technology, and political and social isolationism. It’s a show that’s been relaunched a few times since then, but never with the same charm or x-factor of the original. The first run of the series had numerous episodes that focused on aliens, and many related to the topic of their coming to Earth.
However, one of these alien invasion tales stands out above the rest in the form of “The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street.” Considered by many to be one of television’s greatest episodes of all time, this season one episode kicks off when technology unexpectedly shuts down on a typical 1950s suburban street, sparking fear across the block. This soon turns into hysteria, with the residents of this small town turning against each other when they hear reports of a possible alien invasion. They become paranoid that one of them is an alien and turn against each other, a development that eventually leads to riots and complete chaos.
As with most episodes of the twilight zone, there is a twist in the form of an alien spaceship lurking in the clouds above, with the inhabitants simply manipulating the power as they know, turning the people against each other and leading to hysteria. That gives them their moment to invade the city. It’s something they do with similar places all over the Earth, taking the planet one by one.
What makes this episode unique is ultimately the twist, but also the theme of people neglecting each other and jumping to conclusions so quickly. This is a theme that appears in almost all alien invasion stories, but is perhaps presented at its best here twilight zone episode. Humans’ downfall was self-inflicted, as it was their overreaction to losing power that caused and enabled the alien invasion. Human nature, something so crucial in most of the stories of this incredible series, was the downfall of the inhabitants of this small town.
There are some more straightforward examples of alien invasions, and a few that are more modern. there is the clover field franchise, Charactersand A quiet place, for example. The latter focuses on a family forced into hiding after an alien race comes to Earth and begins to hunt humans. As the public will recall, these aliens have extremely sensitive hearing, so any small noise could be enough to warn them. Many of the typical alien invasion elements are present in these two films, directed and starring John Krasinski. The alien invasion has already happened and the world has been largely destroyed from the start.
There’s also an obvious inspiration from that episode of the twilight zone too, especially in the second outing. The character of Cillian Murphy does not trust the family he meets, even though he knew them for years before the invasion. This lack of trust threatens to have them all killed by the aliens, but unlike the residents of Maple Street, they eventually come together and form a bond.
A slightly different alien invasion story can be seen in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a film that takes a more subtle approach to the story and the horror that follows. It’s not as open as A quiet place, despite the presence of aliens from the beginning, as the world is normal – or so they think. Alien pods coming to Earth replicate nearby humans sleeping, meaning aliens essentially replace these humans. Again, this is a more subtle approach than something like A quiet place, and capitalizes on the paranoia aspect that writer Rod Serling loved so much in his science fiction stories. The main caveat of these alien replicas of humans is that they are devoid of any emotion, a shadow of the person they imitate. This only adds to the horror aspect as they feel terrifyingly lifeless.
Alien invasions have been a major theme in science fiction stories for decades, and the presence of newer films such as A quiet place show that they have no signs of slowing down.
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