In the desert, no one can hear you scream…

By Talia Kornzweig

The desert is an enchanting place. Some deserts are expansive wastelands, others the thriving home to persistent life forms- deserts never cease to amaze me with their deadly, unforgiving terrains! In film, the desert seems to mirror the mysterious nature of outer space. Movies set in the desert, even those completely removed from science fiction, are capable of conveying the same sense of isolation and mystery as sci-fi movies set in outer space. A desert setting removes characters depicted in movies from reality as we know it- These plots seem to exist in their own isolated, Martian environment. Although some of these movies are not remotely sci-fi, I find that these desert-set films have an otherworldly mood reinforced by their desert surroundings… Consider them when you crave something extraterrestrial!