DVD review: Dark Skies

Ratings: 3.5/5

Who knew aliens could be just as scary as ghosts? We're not talking monster-type Alien aliens, but the stretched-out grey men that are usually just above the bug-eyed dudes from Mars Attacks! in terms of their horror factor.

In Dark Skies, though, they are at first creepy, then downright evil. Lacy (Keri Russell) and Daniel (Josh Hamilton) are parents to two sons, worrying about how to pay the bills while Daniel tries to get a new job.

They quickly find out they've got something bigger to worry about, a mysterious home intruder who's going through their fridge, rearranging the stuff in their kitchen and stealing family photos from frames.

Initially, it's the younger son, Sammy, who seems like the aliens' prime target - Lacy spots a tall dark figure hovering over him and he starts sleepwalking and screaming for no reason.

But everyone in the family eventually gets a shot at being victimised by these alien jerks - Lacy finds herself knocking her head into a glass window repeatedly, Daniel suffers a severe nosebleed and teenager Jesse blacks out.

You'll care what happens to these people - strong acting and a tightly edited back story makes you want to empathise with these characters and see everyone get through the horrors intact.

The ending, though clever, is a little brisk and unemotional, though I appreciated the fact that I didn't have to sit through any drawn out wailing and chest-beating.

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