'The Fourth Kind' hit movie screens on November 6th 2009, after many months of hype and chilling trailers. It could perhaps be noted as the Science Fiction of the year with the trailer and supporting information stating the movie is based on actual events. The movie has sparked speculation across the internet, questioning the authenticity of the production directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi and starring 'Resident Evil' actress Milla Jovovich.

The movie is set in Nome, Alaska which is said to be the scene of a number of strange disappearances and deaths since the 1960's. The town of just over 3,500 inhabitants, one of which was apparently a psychologist, by the name of Dr. Abigail Tyler. In 2000 Tyler was reportedly providing therapy to a number of Nome residents experiencing sleeping difficulties. It is eventually thought, after regression hypnosis with the residents, that Tyler's patients may be experiencing contact and abduction by alien visitors. Tyler apparently kept video records of all hypnosis sessions with all the victims of the horrifying alien encounters. At the start of the film Jovovich appears out of character on screen informing the audience that everything we are about to see is based on archived footage. The footage has allegedly been obtained from Abigail Tyler and displays the actual alien abductees. This archive footage appears alongside the reconstructed footage in which Jovovich portrays Dr. Abigail Tyler.

Dr. Abigail Tyler is the only named, alleged witness to the Nome abductions. No other witnesses are named at any point during the film, the witnesses are instead given an alias and when names are actually mentioned during the archive footage, the name is blanked out. In addition to archive video footage, we also hear audio recordings, recovered from the records of Abigail Tyler. At some stages footage from police car video cameras are also featured, one of which displays a possible UFO leaving the vicinity of a house after abduction has occurred. One piece of police footage even shows one of the abduction victims gone completely insane shooting his wife, two children and then himself.

The main question with regards to this production by Universal is how real the actual events detailed are. It is the main question which has sparked debate ever since this movie was announced. The archived footage really shocked me, I got a huge scare from the reconstructed footage, but the actual archived footage was one of a kind. I was literally stuck to my seat in complete disbelief at the power the archived footage presented. The fear displayed in the eyes of those abductees did not seem fabricated; it looked and felt like the emotion being relayed by those people was genuine. I remember at one stage my jaw literally dropped in shock due to some of the intense reactions the victims have whilst under hypnosis. But with that said the fact of authenticity can't be left down to that entirely. The archived footage may seem emotionally intense, but we have been tricked by well done video footage in the past. Many appear to be hunting for records of Dr. Abigail Tyler, but so far no information confirming the existence of Tyler has surfaced. Which raises the question of why did the director not reveal evidence of Tyler's existence if in fact she was a real psychiatrist practicing in Nome. A basic document such as Tyler's certificate showing her qualifications would probably be enough to end accusations of fabrication.

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