Jason Eisner’s Kids vs Aliens marks his second feature, released 12 years after his debut with Hobo with a Shotgun in 2011. Like its predecessor, this film expands on one of Eisner’s short films, specifically his segment “Slumber Party Alien Abduction” from the 2013 anthology V/H/S/2.
The film centers on Gary (Dominic Mariche) and his friends Jack (Asher Grayson Percival) and Miles (Ben Tector), who create wrestling-themed science fiction movies in Gary’s barn, aided by his teenage sister Samantha (Phoebe Rex).
A Halloween party takes a terrifying turn as aliens invade (Photo: Kids vs Aliens/RLJE Films and Shudder)However, tension arises between Gary and Samantha when Billy (Calem MacDonald) begins pursuing her. With his friends Dallas (Isaiah Fortune) and Trish (Emma Vickers), Billy bullies Gary and his friends.
Initially, Billy’s interest in Samantha appears to be a ruse to gain permission for hosting a Halloween party at her house, which eventually becomes the scene of an alien invasion.
Where Do the Aliens Come From?
In the film’s opening, it is established that the aliens originate from the lake surrounding Gary and Samantha’s home. The first half of the film provides only subtle hints of their existence, featuring loud noises and flashes of light from outside, as well as brief sightings of the aliens.
Ironically, these occurrences deepen the rift between Samantha and Gary, as she misinterprets them as part of a prank by Gary, whom she believes is acting out due to her newfound attention to Billy.
During the Halloween party, Samantha realizes that Billy is not a good person and has been using her for access to her house. However, before she can confront him, the alien invasion intensifies, capturing Gary, his friends, Billy, and his companions. After discovering that those taken were dragged underwater, Samantha bravely dives in to locate the downed ship at the bottom of the lake.
Why Is the Sword Sam Finds So Important?
When Samantha boards the alien vessel to save Gary and her friends, she discovers a sword near an unidentified corpse. Surprisingly adept with the weapon, she uses it to defeat numerous aliens.
This moment serves as a callback to the film’s beginning, where Gary tells Samantha, who is forced to wield a gun in their collaborative movie, that girls do not use swords.
Why Do the Aliens Need Trish’s Skin?
The film’s first major gory moment occurs when Trish is chained up and subjected to a corrosive pink liquid. The substance eats away at her skin, leaving only her skeleton.
After Samantha rescues Gary and their friends, and they manage to find shelter, Gary theorizes that the aliens were harvesting human skin to fuel their damaged spaceship, which rises ominously from the water during the climax.
How Does Dallas Become The Beast Alien?
Betrayed by Billy, who pushes him toward the aliens, Dallas finds himself chained and wearing bladed gloves, drenched in green alien vomit. The liquid transforms him into The Beast Alien (Jonni Shreve), becoming the principal antagonist for the remainder of the film.
From backyard films to real-life aliens, the stakes have never been higher (Photo: Kids vs Aliens/RLJE Films and Shudder)What Happens to Jack in Kids Vs Aliens?
Among the three young protagonists in Kids vs Aliens, Jack is the most vulnerable, particularly in comparison to the more assertive Gary and the outspoken Miles. He narrowly escapes drowning during their flight from the alien ship.
However, Jack’s luck runs out in the climactic moments when Billy seizes Samantha’s sword and fatally stabs him. Although Jack helps Miles destroy the alien ship, he finally succumbs to his injuries.
Does Billy Ever Get What’s Coming to Him?
Initially depicted as a cool character, Billy quickly reveals his abusive nature. Following the alien abduction, he becomes a cowardly figure, often hiding from The Beast Alien, who turns out to be his former best friend Dallas. The tension reaches a peak when the group finds Billy hiding in the barn.
Despite his attempt to take the sword from Samantha and fatally injure Jack, the arrival of The Beast Alien allows the others to escape. During the chaos, Samantha strikes Billy, breaking his nose. As the group retreats to the barn’s attic, Billy is left behind and meets a gruesome fate when The Beast Alien bites into his neck.
How Is the Beast Alien Defeated & The Ship Destroyed?
In the attic, Samantha battles The Beast Alien with her sword but struggles to defeat the formidable creature. Recalling their wrestling training, Gary crouches behind The Beast Alien and calls for Samantha to deliver a dropkick. She successfully executes the move, causing the alien to trip over Gary and crash through the barn’s roof.
As the alien ship engages its tractor beam, Gary and Samantha cling on for dear life. Meanwhile, a dying Jack instructs Miles to unleash The Grand Finale, an ATV decorated with fireworks.
Miles ignites the fireworks while declaring the film’s tagline, “F*ck Space,” before sending the ATV into the tractor beam, resulting in a dramatic explosion of the ship.
Who Takes the Kids at the End of Kids vs Aliens? (& What It Really Means)
The celebrations in Kids vs Aliens are short-lived, as Samantha, Gary, and Miles quickly find themselves surrounded by the remaining alien monsters. Suddenly, a truck arrives, and a group of armed men emerges, opening fire on the aliens.
The leader instructs his men, “The kids, bag ’em,” as they wrap plastic bags around the heads of the protagonists. The children, including Jack, are placed in stasis within the truck alongside the alien bodies, while Samantha’s sword is carefully stored in a box.
Earlier in the film, soldiers are briefly seen cleaning up the remains of fishermen killed by the aliens. Consequently, it is likely that Samantha and the kids are being taken for quarantine or cover-up purposes, which sets the stage for a potential sequel to Kids vs Aliens.
How Is Kids Vs Aliens’ Ending Different From V/H/S/2?
Kids vs Aliens draws inspiration from “Slumber Party Alien Abduction,” the concluding segment of the found-footage anthology V/H/S/2. The primary distinction between the two is the perspective from which the original segment is told, relying on a camera strapped to a dog.
This perspective shapes the segment’s darker conclusion, as Gary (Rylan Logan) is successfully pulled up into the alien ship’s tractor beam, inadvertently leaving his dog behind. The final scene reveals the dog’s bloody body as it falls to the ground, marking a stark contrast to the more upbeat ending of Kids vs Aliens.
