Science-fiction horrorsusually evoke campy drive-throughs showingB-movie popcorn flicksor fast-paced thrillers with xenomorphs, body snatchers, and spaceships that accidentally go to Hell.Kevin McManusandMatthew McNaus’ 2020The Block Island Soundtakes a different approach toalien abductions. Rather than focusing on the aliens,The Block Island Soundis interested in the psychological horror of being stalked by an extraterrestrial force. Tracking one family’s experience, the effect of the aliens communicating with humans presents itself as neural damage or hereditary mental illness. The family’s patriarch, Tom (Neville Archambault), and his son, Harry (Chris Sheffield), are the two members of the family most sensitive to communication, while Harry’s sister Audry (Michaela McManus) believes them to be suffering from alcoholic blackouts or an illness.The Block Island Sounduses this unusual depiction of alien contact to create a slow-burn, trippy horror movie primarily concerned with unnerving its audience rather than shocking them with explicit imagery.
‘The Block Island Sound’ Is Not Your Average Sci-Fi Flick
All the horror inThe Block Island Soundstems from the aliens; yet, the film never shows these aliens or their mode of transportation. Instead, we seethe horrific side effects of these attempted interactions. By narrowing the scope of intrigue down to Harry’s experience, first as an observer of his father’s communication and then as the direct subject, the film is able to sidestep traditional horror staples like gore or jump scares. Harry’s genuine panic at not understanding what’s happening to his father or himself is guttural and raw. He falls into the same pattern as his father. He blacks out and wakes up on open water; he’s covered in mysterious scratches and the neighbor’s dog is missing. Is he just hallucinating or something more sinister at play?
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The Block Island Soundteases the possibility of Harry and Tomsuffering from alcoholism, and then from a rare neural disorder. Audry’s belief that her father and brother are sick creates tension between the family. As she pushes for a scientific explanation, Harry only gets worse. The audience can’t help but wonder with Audry if this is some disease. After a time, it is clear these symptoms are supernatural, with the static screech every time the aliens get close and the fish falling from the sky. The film deliberately frames Harry’sfeelings of smallness and helplessnesscaused by the aliens as similar to those one might experience when facing sudden onset mental illness. The total lack of control, regardless of whether the root cause is aliens or illness, is what makesThe Block Island Soundso frightening. It is akin toLovecraftian horror, where humans find themselves insignificant in the face of such enormity.
How ‘The Block Island Sound’ Curates a Trippy Aesthetic
To help the viewer embody Harry’s experience with the aliens,the aesthetics and techniquesofThe Block Island Soundare all tailored to simulate depression, blackouts, and hallucinations.The color palette of the film is all cold blues and grays, establishing a generalatmosphere of dreariness.Despite taking place primarily on an island, the warmth has been color-graded out of most shots to generate a visceral hostility. Audry begins the film by returning to Block Island, the place where she grew up, but this is not a comfortable or friendly environment for her, or the viewer. Her despair at returning to Block Island rubs off on the audience and is only emphasized by the dour coloring.
The editing works hand-in-hand with the visual aesthetic of the film. A heavy, synth reverb rings throughout the film. The droning is overpowering and, when combined with the long, lingering camera shots,The Block Island Soundcan effectively convey the experience of blackouts and lost time. This becomes a shorthand for signaling to the viewer whenever Harry falls into his trance-like state. Byincorporating these techniquesinto the film,Harry and Tom are not the only ones subjected to the horror of the aliens — the audience is, too.As Harry wakes up and has to grapple with the insane acts he’s committed while functionally sleepwalking, the audience must cope alongside him. They have suffered the same chunks of lost time and confusion.
The Block Island Soundslipped under the radar when it was first released. It is not a splashy or traditional sci-fi horror, and its quiet nature likely has much to do with its lack of recognition. The McManus siblings focused their efforts on slowly revealing the existential terror of intelligent alien life by unsettling their audience. Rather than presenting this story as a bombastic, stylized sci-fi,The Block Island Soundis more of apsychological horror. Despite this,the film is undeniably science-fiction, perhaps best categorized as an offshoot of thecosmic horror genre.
The Block Island Soundis available to stream on Netflix.
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The Block Island Sound
