Movies
There Was an Alien Invasion Subplot in Internet Thriller ‘Searching’ That You Probably Didn’t Notice
Director Aneesh Chaganty’s critically acclaimed Searching centers on a father (John Cho) who is, well, searching for his missing daughter, using her computer to uncover clues about her disappearance. Like Unfriended before it, Searching plays out entirely across actual computer screens, and as it turns out, an entire subplot is hidden within those screens.
Searching was released for digital purchase this week (it hits DVD & Blu-ray on November 27), and the filmmakers have revealed the fascinating “hidden” subplot to io9 today.
“Like most amazing ideas, it started off entirely as a joke,” co-writer/producer Sev Ohanian explained to the site. “[The] joke was the idea that since we had to write a bunch of stuff [for the faux website articles throughout] anyway, maybe we could use the background of our movie to tell a completely separate plot from the main story. Maybe something REALLY crazy, ‘like aliens, how funny would that be?’ Aneesh laughed at the idea. After a beat, I said, ‘No, but seriously Aneesh, what if we did it for real?’ And then Aneesh laughed even harder. And then I said, ‘Yeah I think we should definitely do an alien plot in the background of Searching.’ And then Aneesh stopped laughing. I don’t think he’s laughed since.”
Essentially, Ohanian explains, he and Chaganty created “a massive Hollywood-style alien story using only snippets of news articles, or Facebook comments, or hashtags,” all of it playing out in the background of the actual story being told by the film. Only if you’re paying close attention to these Easter eggs, in other words, would you even notice the subplot.
Head over to io9 for the full story and watch a special features snippet on the topic below.
The killer tomatoes are back in Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence, and the offiical poster for the brand new movie has been unleashed tonight.
Additionally, we’ve learned that the film’s theatrical release is set for this August, with a panel set for San Diego Comic-Con this month featuring the world premiere of the trailer.
While you wait, check out the official poster down below.
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence will be released in select cities across the US beginning August 7th in major cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Diego, and others, and expanding to further locations throughout the month.
The fifth installment in the horror-comedy franchise pits the eternal power of nature against AI’s best and brightest.
In Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: Organic Intelligence, a young biotech prodigy develops a revolutionary genetically engineered vegetable designed to solve humanity’s problems. But when the experiment spirals out of control, it unleashes a new generation of killer tomatoes, setting the stage for another outrageous chapter in the long-running cult franchise.
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes co-creators Costa Dillon and J. Stephen Peace return to write and executive produce. David Ferino directs.
The film features an ensemble cast led by franchise icon John Astin (The Addams Family), reprising his role as Professor Gangreen, comedy legend David Koechner (Anchorman), Academy Award nominee Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight), horror favorite Catherine Corcoran (Terrifier), comedy veteran Dan Bakkedahl (Veep), Myrna Velasco (Star Wars Resistance), Vernée Watson (Shrinking, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), and Paul Bates (Coming to America).
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes launched in 1979, followed by 1988’s Return of the Killer Tomatoes, 1991’s Killer Tomatoes Strike Back, and 1992’s Killer Tomatoes Eat France.
The franchise also spawned an animated series in 1990.
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