Preview

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

78072

Title

Preview

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

In a movie theater, critic Mr. Scanlon insists on a film preview featuring actress Stella, promising a 'superseding experience' that strips away mundane reality. As the screen displays a Western scene, the film's realism curdles into cosmic horror: the landscape shifts, the actress transforms into a tentacled monster, and the critic vanishes instantly. The story concludes with an alien landing that wipes the audience's memory of the event, leaving only the chilling realization that they were never truly alone.

Summary up to 500 words

In Frank Belknap Long's chilling tale "Preview," a group of discerning critics gathers for a special screening orchestrated by Mr. Scanlon. Scanlon promises an experience that transcends the mundane, offering a "superior vision of reality" through the performance of Stella, a "stripped" actress devoid of romantic tinsel or makeup. The lights dim, and the screen initially displays a historically realistic Western set in the Black Hills, featuring Robert Mitchum and a pristine Stella. The critics are captivated, praising the production's perfection as they scribble notes. Suddenly, the film's reality fractures. The peaceful landscape is replaced by a pulsing darkness, revealing a shape with tentacles rather than a horse. The audience gasps as Stella transforms, flapping over the hills on eight blue-green appendages. The setting itself warps; the Black Hills cease to exist. In a moment of confusion, Mr. Scanlon, who had been leaning forward alert and smiling, simply vanishes, dwindling into nothingness like an unstable isotope. The narrative leaves the audience in a state of bewildered silence, with no explanation for the critic's disappearance or the bizarre transformation on screen. The story concludes with a revelation occurring exactly one week later: flat, saucer-like ships land in numbers. These visitors meticulously strip from the minds of men all proudly treasured knowledge of the many-splendored things of Earth. They ensure that no one remembers the tragedy of the preview or the fate of Mr. Scanlon. The text ends on an unsettling note: no narrative is complete without explanation, yet none is possible when the witnesses themselves are erased. The story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of seeking experiences that blot out the familiar, suggesting that the flying saucer folk may be watching, ready to erase humanity's history and memory.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78072.epub.noimages

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data/epubs/pg78072.epub

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Categories

• Short Stories
• Science Fiction
• Motion Pictures