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Night Skies is an unproduced science fiction horror film that was in development in the late 1970s. Steven Spielberg conceived the idea after Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Instead, material developed at the time was used in Poltergeist, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial [1][2][3] and Gremlins.
Jun 12, 2019 · Surrounded by the chaos and explosions of the rapid-fire filming of Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Spielberg began to have doubts about his Night Skies concept. “I might have taken leave of my senses...
Aug 12, 2016 · Spielberg ultimately settled on Night Skies as the title. To create the menacing little aliens for the film, Spielberg went to Rick Baker, who was currently working with John Landis creating the groundbreaking effects for An American Werewolf in London.
- What Is Night Skies?
- What Happens in Night Skies?
- How Did Night Skies Influence E.T.?
- How Did Night Skies Influence Poltergeist and Gremlins?
Steven Spielberg was a fan of Jaws spoof Piranha, so he hired the writer of that movie – John Sayles – to work on his horror idea, which was now called Night Skies due to rights issues. The plan was for Texas Chainsaw Massacre helmer Tobe Hooper to direct, while Rick Baker – who was then working on An American Werewolf in London – was hired to desi...
Sayles’ script cuts the number of E.T.s down from 11 to five, while the story itself centres on a group of tough teens living in farm country, and a 10-year-old boy called Jaybird who has learning difficulties. Before we meet the aliens, we see the cattle they mutilate, suggesting that these extra-terrestrials don’t come in peace. However, while th...
Having spent the best part of a year killing Nazis on Raiders of the Lost Ark, Steven Spielberg wanted to make something less violent and more spiritual than Night Skies. When he spoke to screenwriter Melissa Matheson about his plans, she loved the bond between alien and boy in the Sayles script, and so E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial was born. The alie...
The concept of a family under siege in their own home is straight out of Poltergeist, as is the electrics playing up and their appliances melting. Early in proceedings, a character utters the iconic Poltergeist line, “They’re here.” Plus the films share a director, with Tobe Hopper supposed to helm Night Skies, and ultimately directing Poltergeist....
- Chris Tilly
- TV & Movies Editor
How Steven Spielberg's Night Skies Became E.T. Having scored a phenomenal hit with Jaws in 1975, director Steven Spielberg used his considerable industry clout to make Close Encounters Of The Third Kind - a science fiction fairytale for the UFO age.
Oct 13, 2019 · Why Steven Spielberg Changed The Concept Of Night Skies. During the production of the first Indiana Jones film, Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Steven Spielberg was growing weary of the action-adventure...
Feb 28, 2022 · After "Watch the Skies" was renamed "Night Skies" because someone owned the rights to the phrase, Spielberg wrangled genre legend John Sayles, who had just written "Piranha" for director...
