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Cat People
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budget copycat of Alien, Deep Space provides an ex- Napier discovers, like some misplaced basketball, the
cellent opportunity to compare the effect of tone and head of a security guard. As he backs away from the
pacing on startle affectivity. sight, Ray contracts the frame to a medium close-up,
Deep Space is set not in space, but in a large Amer- an unmotivated red light illuminating the actor. Napier
ican city, where character actor Charles Napier plays continues to back up as the monster moves forward
a tough cop out to stop a military-industrial weapon into the background of the shot (an obvious homage to
set loose on an unsuspecting populace. The weapon Ripley's hallway meeting with the alien on the Nos-
turns out to be a toothy, tentacle-hurling, low-budget tromo). Throughout, the electronic music meanders in
variation of H.R. Giger's alien design. It is this daunt- the background with little sense of rhythm or dramatic
ing beast that Napier must confront in a dark and de- tempo. With Napier in the foreground and the toothy
serted warehouse. Carrying a combat shotgun, a one in the background, the monster gives a feeble roar
bandoleer of shells slung across his chest, and two pis- and Napier an equally feeble reaction of horror: the
tols wedged between his belt, Napier enters the ware- fight is on.
house alone and is quickly startled by a band of lovely Obviously Ray is sending up the genre and Alien,
white pigeons, one of which perches on his shoulder but Deep Space does include other scenes with vigor-
until he carefully brushes it off. It is about this time ous startles. Since threat scenes are scene-level con-
that the viewer notes how well a fog-machine can dra- structions, they can powerfully and quickly establish a
matize the space of an enclosed warehouse. Continu- predominant tone of horror or comedy independent
ing his search in the foggy moor of the warehouse, of a narrative's overarching emotional tenor.15 The
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