The Vast of Night

The movie begins with an intro to the 'Paradox Theater,' establishing the story as an episode within this mysterious show. It takes place in the 1950s in Cayuga, New Mexico, where school preparations for a basketball game are underway, setting a rural, period background. Radio DJ Everett Sloan is called to fix an issue under the bleachers, hinting at the strange events to come.

Fay Crocker and Everett Sloan rehearse with a recorder, testing Fay’s ability to project her voice before heading out for interviews around the school’s parking lot. They discuss science experiments and share anecdotes, showcasing their daily routines and prep for capturing local stories. This scene introduces their camaraderie and the setting of a rural school campus.

Fay manages the switchboard when she hears a distorted, static-like noise over the radio, which distorts the usual broadcast. She takes calls from locals describing seeing unusual large figures near the canyon, but the calls get disconnected, heightening the mystery. Fay contacts Everett for help as the interference intensifies.

Billy, a caller, describes being taken to an unknown desert location with other soldiers, where they saw something massive in a hole. He reports that they heard the same strange noise over the radio and fell sick afterward. Billy suspects that the military experimented on them and hints at racial discrimination affecting their treatment.

Billy reveals that the military sent signal tapes from Walker Base, containing the mysterious noise. He mentions a tape given to a deceased man whose wife later donated tapes to the local library. Fay and Everett plan to locate these tapes to uncover more about the strange sound.

Everett plays back the signal tapes at the library and finds the same mysterious noise. As they broadcast the sound on the radio, the power suddenly goes out, causing chaos and panic. Fay feels frightened and hurries back to the station, highlighting the increasing danger and supernatural intrusion.

Fay receives multiple calls from locals claiming to see strange objects or lights in the sky. Among these is Mabel Blanche, who recounts her son Hollis’s disappearance and her belief that he was abducted by the phenomenon. The scene deepens the mystery and personalizes the alien encounter mythos.

Fay and Everett travel to Mabel’s house to hear her story of her missing son and her theories about the sky phenomenon. Mabel desperately asks them to take her to see the spaceship, indicating her personal connection to the strange events. She emphasizes her hope of reuniting with her son.

Fay checks on her sister Maddy and cousin Ethel, discovering Maddy is safe but Ethel has vanished after seeing the sky phenomenon with her boyfriend. Fay and Everett regroup and are joined by others fleeing the area, all witnessing the strange lights and presence overhead, heightening the tension.

Fay, Everett, and their new acquaintances Bertsie and Gerald drive out of town to investigate the source of the mysterious object. They play a recorded foreign language message and experience near-accidents, with Gerald nearly crashing the car. The group’s curiosity pushes them closer to the unknown.

The group reaches a clearing where they find the ground burnt and hear a faint humming. The enormous UFO approaches, and despite their fear, Everett walks closer to observe it. The craft reveals itself to be as gigantic as described, enveloping them in a gust of wind, signaling the climax of their encounter.

After the experience, the scene returns to the empty radio station with power restored and the game ended. Only a tape recorder remains, left behind in a pile of dust, suggesting the event was an otherworldly phenomenon that leaves behind artifacts of its visit. The story closes with a sense of mystery lingering.