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THE ALIEN AGENDA: OUT OF THE DARKNESS
Written, Directed, Edited, and Produced by Kevin Lindenmuth and Mick McCleeryBecky - Sasha Graham
Survivor - Mick McCleery
Sam - Scooter McCrea
Dr. David Lodge - John Collins
Father - Joel WynkoopTHE ALIEN AGENDA series was one of the first Shot on Video productions to receive any true mainstream success. Back in the late 1990's, I remember seeing the various entries in many of the big name video rental chains. Hell, during my video-jockey tenor at Blockbuster, I even pushed the series on a few regulars. Okay, so 9 times out of 10 they were back the next day asking for a refund. Oh well, you can't please everyone…
OUT OF THE DARKNESS is the first entry in THE ALIEN AGENDA trilogy, and the most successful on many levels. Lindenmuth breaks the film down into three unique stories, each leaping around in time and separated from the others with its own distinctive look. They combine to tell the intriguing history of Earth's invasion from space, eventually leading to our world's servitude.
First up is the wraparound device. Mick McCleery is a post-invasion survivor trying to stay one step ahead of the alien yoke. Residing in an abandoned farmhouse, Mick uses an alien-device to stay peer back into the past and see the other stories as they happen. The most visually stunning of the stories, the environment takes center stage to the action.
The second story feels as out of place as a round-eye in China town, but it's also the best of the bunch. In this Fugitive-inspired piece, John Collins is a doctor framed for murder, searching the country to find the true killer. Gorgeous black and white photography re-enforces the theme that things aren't always as cut and dry as they seem. The segment initially seems like a piece from another film, having nothing to do with the invasion. That's quickly remedied when the third chapter roles.
Finally, the beautiful Sasha Graham and SHATTER DEAD director Scooter McCrea are two, young, psychos in love. In the character driven story, Sasha is a recently released mental patient still hearing the voices echoing "Kill, kill." Scooter is an alien living on Earth, feeding off humans. He teaches her how to kill remorselessly and distance herself from the voices. Scooter is hysterical as the alien Sam whose eloquence borders on prissiness.
The stories in OUT OF THE DARKNESS are better written and more abstract than the subsequent series entries, there's a Twilight-Zone-meets-X-Files feel you won't find anywhere else. The films take on the daunting task of outlining an epic history in detailed vignettes of those affected the most. They could have easily been a reoccurring series on the Sci-fi Channel.
With the response to THE ALIEN AGENDA series over the years, I'm surprised Kevin hasn't released these on DVD. It would be nice to hear his commentary on a fun and fascinating series.