Mesmirising lo-fi sci-fi.

Whether they’re coming in peace or coming for the entire planet, cinema’s history of extra-terrestrial encounters has been a long and storied one. From sci-fi’s 50s heyday – a decade that saw the dawn of the real-world space age and the growing threat of global nuclear war – to the huge franchise blockbusters we see today, cinema has been obsessed with the idea of alien invasions for some time, offering both a reflection of contemporary issues and an escape from it all.

From the classic Cold War-era paranoia of Invasion of the Body Snatchers to the 80s shlock of Critters to Spielberg’s Close Encounters/E.T. double whammy, small town America in particular has been ripe for alien invasions since the very beginning. In fact, this alien invasion sub-genre has been so popular that it constantly teeters on self-parody.

Indeed, alien encounters have had such a presence in cinema through the decades that the struggle to stay relevant has been a perpetual one. So, 60 years on from the genre’s peak, do these movies still have relevance?

With everyone else in their small New Mexico town at the big high school basketball game, young switchboard operator Fay (Sierra McCormick) and charismatic radio DJ Everett (Jake Horowitz) intercept a mysterious frequency from an unknown source. Over the course of one fateful night, the two teenagers are drawn deeper and deeper into a murky conspiracy as they investigate the origin of a noise that looks set to alter their town and their future forever.

With such a familiar setup, it was always important that The Vast of Night brought something fresh to the table to avoid becoming background noise amidst the raucous streaming ether, and despite the simplicities of the story, it’s voice comes through loud and clear. True, the small-town-teens-make-inadvertent-alien-contact plot doesn’t offer anything particularly new on the surface, however, the film’s approach to its well-worn story is stuffed full of enough swagger and style that it’s never less than engaging from the off.

Coming out swinging, director Andrew Patterson offers impressive filmmaking flair in what is, astonishingly, his debut feature. Laying it all on the line, Patterson throws everything he’s got at the film, working smartly within the film’s obvious budget limitations to craft a hypnotic, atmospheric indie sci-fi tour de force.

Despite its 50s setting, there’s more than a little 70s energy to Patterson’s directing approach as he pulls out several intriguing filmmaking techniques ripped straight from the pages of the New Hollywood playbook. Clearly aware of his story’s limitations, Patterson utilises everything from dolly shots (lots of dolly shots) to spectacular low-flying drone sequences to a dazzling combination of fast cuts and incredibly long takes to inject ample energy into a relatively low-key tale.

In lesser hands, there’s every chance The Vast of Night would become a B-movie bore, yet Patterson’s filmmaking swagger, despite his newbie status, makes for a thoroughly enthralling watch. Sure, in throwing all his filmmaking spaghetti at the wall, some of Patterson’s directorial decisions fail to stick – the frequent extended cuts to black are unnecessarily jarring and will have you scrabbling around for your TV settings – yet the very fact that they are being attempted at all is to be celebrated.

Of course, this is Andrew Patterson’s first dalliance with movie direction, so he can be forgiven for being a tad overeager at times. Often coming across like an excitable film school project, The Vast of Night sees its director perhaps overstretch himself on occasion as the bewildering level of filmmaking tricks and ticks on display can be somewhat distracting.

As Patterson throws it all at the screen, it can be a lot to process, yet the mere fact that he’s actually taken the leap, on his directorial debut no less, is incredibly admirable. Dipping in and out of the film like your having issues tuning into an episode of The Twilight Zone on your bulky 50s TV set, Patterson does a fantastic job of immersing us in the period.

Exuding pulpy B-movie charm, The Vast of Night wears its influences on its sleeve, as sci-fi classics like The War of the Worlds (it’s certainly no coincident the town radio station is called WOTW), The Day the Earth Stood Still, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers all receive their fair share of nods. Working wonders within a restricted budget, the film lures us into a very specific time and place as editing, camerawork, costume, and score combine to evoke an unnerving, dreamlike picture of 50s small town America.

Underpinned by Erick Alexander and Jared Bulmer’s rhythmic, otherworldly score, The Vast of Night feels like a lucid dream, as we slip in and out of the story with its mysteries gradually unravelling over the course of one crazy night. As a viewing experience, it’s certainly an engrossing one that transcends its period trappings to set itself apart from the sci-fi crowd.

While initially baggy, the film’s plot gradually tightens as it progresses. With long, unbroken conversational shots that would make Tarantino blush, The Vast of Night’s early scenes dedicate their energy to slowly but surely building the mystery of the extra-terrestrial noise, while the film’s back half sees the plot thicken and come together in particularly satisfying ways.

The result is a simple but well told narrative and a film that enthusiastically pulls elements and plot points from several different alien invasion classics. With fear, paranoia, and the unknown around every corner, The Vast of Night does a fantastic job of tapping into timeless genre traits while having the guts to do its own thing with them.

Topped off by the charming central pairing of relative unknowns Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz, who manage to hold their own and hold your attention even in the longest of uncut takes, The Vast of Night conveys a lot within its relatively confined runtime and scope, feeling both vintage and fresh in the same breath.

Suggesting big things in the future for first time director Andrew Patterson, The Vast of Night is an ambitious, high-concept effort that may sometimes lack originality, yet teems with energy and visual flair. Making the most with the film’s limited budget, Patterson weaves a dreamlike sci-fi tale that evokes its period setting while offering something utterly new in what has become a saturated genre. Not all the visual tricks pay off, but when they do, they combine to whisk you away on an eerie, endlessly compelling, and thoroughly engrossing ride that looks destined to be a future cult sci-fi classic.

The Vast of Night is available to stream on Amazon Prime now.