E.T was almost... much scarier. For 80’s and 90’s kids, E.T: The Extra Terrestrial was a real family classic. Often on the telly, this cosy sci-fi adventure was the perfect mix of comforting and a little scary. However, originally, our little alien pal was supposed to be much, much scarier. In fact, it actually was originally supposed to be an alien invasion film called Night Skies. In this story, a family is terrorised by hostile aliens on a Kentucky farm in the 1950’s, according to Screen Rant. How E.T: The Extra Terrestrial was created As Steven Spielberg and special effects legend Rick Baker got to work on creating the alien, Spielberg was unsure whether this spooky path was one that he wanted to continue on. Slash Film explains that screenwriter John Sayles’ script, “depicted a small group of malicious aliens — Squirt, Skar, Klud and Hoodoo — that threaten a rural family and brutally kill livestock with one touch of their long, bony finger, which emits an eerie light (this device is used in “E.T.” in a very different way). “The kind-hearted alien Budde befriends the family’s autistic son Jaybird, and their sweet, playful scenes are moments of respite from the overall terror.” As time went on, Spielberg realised that this sub-plot was what he wanted to explore, feeling himself pulled towards the ‘gentle’ story. In the book The Films of Steven Spielberg by Neil Sinyard, Spielberg admits that he was growing weary of dark stories around this time saying: “I might have taken leave of my senses. Throughout [the production of] Raiders [of the Lost Ark], I was in between killing Nazis and blowing up flying wings and having Harrison Ford in all this high serialised adventure. “I was sitting there in the middle of Tunisia, scratching my head and saying, ‘I’ve got to get back to the tranquillity, or at least the spirituality, of Close Encounters.’” That he did. E.T: The Extra Terrestrial is available to stream on Disney Plus. Related... Steven Spielberg Points Out The Big Mistake In E.T. That He Really Regrets Harrison Ford's Reaction To Jimmy Kimmel's Sex Question Leaves Host Howling Stephen Spielberg Just Confirmed What E.T. Felt Like, And It's Gross