This Prime Video Sci-fi Movie Will Keep You Glued to Your Screen

Have you ever watched a movie that wasn’t the flashiest, the scariest, or even the best acted film you’ve ever seen, but there was just something about it that kept you glued to your seat? The Vast of Night is exactly that type of film. It’s the kind of movie that captures your attention and simply never lets go, but even more impressive is that it doesn’t need a show-stopping budget or mind-melting special effects. With its intelligent and creative story and sharp and efficient pacing, The Vast of Night makes the most out of a limited production and a cast of relatively unknown actors, so it’s about time to shine a light on it.

The Vast of Night is set in the 1950s in the small fictional town of Cayuga, New Mexico. The story unfolds in (nearly) real-time as a young switchboard operator, Fay (Sierra McCormick), and a charismatic radio DJ, Everett (Jake Horowitz), stumble upon a strange audio frequency that points toward an extraterrestrial origin. As the pair investigate, they quickly find themselves in over their heads. Written by Andrew Patterson and Craig W. Sanger, The Vast of Night is a fast-paced and underrated sci-fi thriller that’ll have you looking up at the stars just a little differently.

The Vast of Night Remixes UFO Lore

The setting of The Vast of Night closely resembles the location of the infamous Roswell Incident in New Mexico. However, its script has a closer connection to two somewhat lesser known mysterious that have confounded people for decades. The film is heavily inspired by Kecksburg UFO incident in which a large “acorn-shaped” device dropped out of the sky in an impressive fireball, leading to a local DJ receiving dozens of calls from concerned locals. Despite several eye-witness accounts, authorities never confirmed the presence of the device.

Additionally, the Foss Lake disappearances, in which three people mysteriously vanished without a trace in Oklahoma in 1969, also left an impression on the filmmakers. According to Patterson, the movie was conceived from a small note that he scribbled down in his list of film ideas that he collected years earlier. “1950s black and white. New Mexico, UFO landing,” the note reads. Although he eventually discarded the idea of filming in black and white, the bulk of his story grew over time.

Similar to the Kecksburg UFO incident, The Vast of Night follows the perspective of Everett, a radio station DJ who is compelled to investigate bizarre occurrences after a pair of listeners call in and paint a grim picture involving classified projects, alien spacecraft, and sporadic disappearances. With Fay at his side, the pair venture outside in search of definitive answers that they might not be ready to discover, all while the rest of the town’s population is invested in a high stakes game of high school basketball.

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The Vast of Night Does A Lot With A Little

As a sci-fi mystery, The Vast of Night channels the spirit of TV shows such as The Twilight Zone and The X-Files. The film does an excellent job of blending nostalgia, eerie suspense, and a slow-burn mystery as the two protagonists chase down clues such as old recordings, eyewitness accounts, and crackly radio signals. The storytelling relies on long, immersive takes, hushed conversations, and a creeping sense that something is looming just beyond our understanding.

Everett and Fay are determined to uncover a sprawling mystery that goes well beyond their pay grade. But that doesn’t stop them from seeing their impromptu investigation all the way to the end, no matter the result. Their partnership works extremely well, almost like a buddy cop movie. Each character has their strengths and their weaknesses. And the further we explore those strengths and weaknesses, the more compelling the movie becomes.

Since The Vast of Night was filmed with a $700,000 budget, you won’t see explosive action set pieces or special effects that rival the most expensive blockbusters. But the movie doesn’t need all that to keep you interested. Like Everett and Fay, you will find yourself locked into this mystery and eager to see how it all unfolds. The Vast of Night is one of the most under-the-radar sci-fi gems currently on Prime Video.

You can get lost in The Vast of Night on Prime Video.