Nick Groff Investigates… ID4, Independence Day & Aliens

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Nick Groff is one of the most respected names in television and beyond when it comes to the paranormal. He has had incredible experiences in some of the most haunted locations in the world. As a friend to Arrow in the Head, we’ve shared some very exciting experiences with Nick including a couple of wild and spooky moments that we’ve managed to capture on camera. Thus, we’ve decided to work with the television host and producer extraordinaire so he can share his knowledge and insight on all things that go bump in the night. With this bi-monthly column, we plan to delve into everything from urban legends to ghostly apparitions, to his take on some of the coolest genre flicks ever. This is Nick Groff Investigates…!

ID4, INDEPENDENCE DAY & ALIENS!

This past weekend we once again celebrated the Fourth of July. And as a movie fan, I always love how many folks want to sit down and watch a cool genre flick. My favorite movie to watch with fireworks and hot dogs is Steven Spielberg's 1975 masterpiece JAWS. This is a perfect film on every level. However, there are many of you out there that had another type of baddie in mind when enjoying in the festivities. You all remember that time Will Smith saved the world from a bunch of aliens, along with  Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell and of course the great Bill Pullman! If for some reason you aren't aware, I'm speaking of the Roland Emmerich smash hit INDEPENDENCE DAY. While not all critics fell in love with this big screen buffet of action, explosions, and effects, fans certainly had an amazing time. I'm not sure if you've had the pleasure of watching this one with an audience today, but let me tell you from experience that people are still having an amazing time with this – I caught it around the time the less than stellar sequel came out in 2016 and fans were way more excited about the original.

Recently, I checked in with Mr. Nick Groff about what we should discuss for this week's column. And once I mentioned that we could perhaps do something with July 4th, he immediately came back with the Will Smith blockbuster. While it may not seem like the usual subject for Nick, there is much to talk about when it comes to the belief in extraterrestrials, and just what is out there beyond the stars. With this, I asked Nick about his own thoughts when it came to aliens and the possibility of these strange and unknown creatures visiting Earth. If you look at what Hollywood has offered, you can find the scary with ALIEN, FIRE IN THE SKY, XTRO (for the hardcore 80's fans) or SPECIES. And then there's the action with movies like ALIENS (yeah it's horror, but the action is awesome, as are the characters) and INDEPENDENCE DAY. Hell, even the young ones have E.T.: THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL or MAC AND ME. Feel free to share some of your favorite "When Aliens Attack" movies in the comments section below – as well as your own personal UFO stories.

With that, Mr. Groff offered his own take on the power of INDEPENDENCE DAY, as well as his own experiences and ideas on the existence of alien life forms that may be lurking out there in the darkness of space. It's a fascinating subject, and I'm sure many of you have had their own exciting occurrences on the subject. Perhaps while traveling to Area-51 or maybe just becoming witness to strange lights in the sky. Either way, whether you are a fan of ID4, The X-Files, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS or even MY STEPMOTHER IS AN ALIEN, perhaps you have a few tales to tell that we'd love to hear. Keep your eyes on the sky, and hope Mr. Smith is ready for when the the aliens do eventually arrive.

"UFO’s and extraterrestrials have fascinated me since childhood. I’ve always wondered what other life form is out there in space when looking up at the stars. The great thing about movies is we can dream and think big through sight and sound. In 1996 “Independence Day” was a blockbuster hit in the theaters! I remember going to experience Will Smith kick some bad alien ass to protect Earth. I liked seeing the different theories about Area 51 that the filmmakers threw into the film. 

The reality is there is definitely something going on at most secret facility bases, but we will probably never know the full story. So all we can do is wonder about the mysteries. That is exactly why more movies keep being made because people are interested.

I believe there is some other life out in space with a higher intelligence. There’s multiple ideas of different species that could come to Earth and overthrow us. Do we pose a threat to them or do they need resources we have on Earth? I think Earth has been visited for a very long time by other explorers traveling through space. I’ve had experiences with seeing UFO’s. One was at the Kentucky Octagon Hall Museum when I was filming NGI. My cousin Justin, myself and one other person were standing out front of the building and spotted a transparent sphere appear in the sky. It was sunny and clear outside. We watched as it slowly moved through the sky, low enough to where birds started flying away from it. We all looked at each other to make sure this was really happening. The UFO slowly hovered for a few more seconds. We were trying to get our drone camera up into the sky to film the location right before this happened. I said “Justin turn the camera on, let me film it with the drone, hurry.” As I started the drone we watched as the UFO suddenly zipped away in the opposite direction and disappeared! It was mind blowing. 

Everything comes from experiences in life. That UFO encounter brought my mind one step closer to a higher intelligence being. Sometimes that is all you need, an experience to open your mind up. We will never have all the answers in this vast universe but what we can do is dream big. Movies help create new ideas to other possibilities from what we theorize about. All of the unknown crosses over as some might just be connected to the other. Several films I personally enjoyed to watch are The Fourth Kind, Fire in the Sky, ID4, Alien, Aliens, Prometheus, Contact, interstellar, The Thing, Predator, The Fifth Element, Total Recall, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Star Wars and so on. Look up into the night sky. What do you think? Are we alone?"