Movie connections for
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) More at IMDbPro »

Remake of

Firelight (1964)

References

Metropolis (1927)
 -  The India sequence features a close shot of hands pointing at the sky, which closely echoes a shot in the 'Babel' sequence of Metropolis.
Pinocchio (1940)
The Searchers (1956)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
 -  The children of Richard Dreyfuss' character refer to and watch The Ten Commandments on television.
North by Northwest (1959)
 -  Dreyfuss and Dillon climbing the rock with Dreyfuss slipping, arms stretched out, hands touching
"CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite" (1962)
"Star Trek" (1966)
 -  Models of the original Enterprise and Klingon Battle Cruiser are hanging over Roy's model train where he built his replica of Devil's Tower.
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Duel (1971) (TV)
Jaws (1975)
Star Wars (1977)

Referenced in

"Future Fantastic: Alien (#1.1)" (????)
 -  Movie mentioned in discussion of what aliens look like.
"Saturday Night Live: Ray Charles (#3.5)" (1977)
 -  Reviewed by Bill Murray on Weekend Update
"Saturday Night Live: Mary Kay Place/Willie Nelson (#3.7)" (1977)
 -  Referenced in optical as Luncheon Counters of the third kind
Science Fiction Film Awards (1978) (TV)
 -  Referenced throught out the event.
Sensual Encounters of Every Kind (1978)
 -  The title of Sensual Encounters is a take-off on Close Encounters of the Third Kind.
"Alice: Close Encounters of the Worst Kind (#2.13)" (1978)
 -  title reference
"Saturday Night Live: Jill Clayburgh/Eddie Money (#3.14)" (1978)
 -  Ronnie is taking Connie Conehead to see Close Encounters at a drive-in
"Saturday Night Live: Christopher Lee/Meat Loaf (#3.15)" (1978)
 -  Mentioned on Weekend Update
"Saturday Night Live: Buck Henry/Sun Ra (#3.20)" (1978)
 -  The Nerd's prom is called Close Encounters of the Prom Kind
Ils sont fous ces sorciers (1978)
 -  Poster visible in Picard's apartment with french title "Rencontres du troisième type".
Dizengoff 99 (1979)
 -  Poster
Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979)
Fyre (1979)
 -  An advertisement is visible outside of a theater.
Summer Camp (1979/I)
Moonraker (1979)
 -  The music for when the alien spaceship is landing is used as the music for the code to open a door
"Saturday Night Live: Martin Sheen/David Bowie (#5.7)" (1979)
 -  Referenced by Bill Murray on Weekend Update
El erótico enmascarado (1980)
 -  The film is mentioned in a conversation
Mo deng tian shi (1981)
Time Bandits (1981)
Poltergeist (1982)
"Benson: Close Encounters on the Third Hole (#4.13)" (1983)
 -  title reference
V (1983) (TV)
 -  "For those of us accustomed to the likes of Close Encounters and Darth Vader's Star Destroyer..."
A Christmas Story (1983)
 -  In both movies, Melinda Dillon is a Mom who prepares a meal for her family and in each case, a member of her family uses her mashed potatoes to make a structure of some kind
Ghost Busters (1984)
Gremlins (1984)
Joyeuses Pâques (1984)
 -  In the cake shop, Stéphane holds a huge chocolate Easter chicken. He says : I've never seen such a hen ! A science fiction hen ... Close encounter of the third hen !
"Muppet Babies: Close Encounters of the Frog Kind (#1.9)" (1984)
 -  The title of the episode is a take on this movie.
Fright Show (1985)
 -  In the Thing in the Basement segment, the five notes from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) are played.
Morons from Outer Space (1985)
 -  Communication with the aliens is first attempted with lights and music like in Close Encounters.
The Stuff (1985)
Return to Oz (1985)
"St. Elsewhere: Close Encounters (#4.7)" (1985)
 -  Title reference
Joey (1985)
Combat Shock (1986)
Aliens (1986)
Star Tours (1987)
 -  The Star Tours five-note jingle is based off five notes from the Close Encounters theme, which was conducted by John Williams, the same conductor of the Star Tours music (actually Star Wars themes, but mixed by Disney to fit the attraction).
"No 73: Demolition (#7.45)" (1987)
 -  Mentioned during a game of charades
Mac and Me (1988)
The Abyss (1989)
"Saved by the Bell: The Gift (#1.3)" (1989)
 -  Zack says, "Like Richard Dreyfuss in 'Close Encounters.'"
The Wizard (1989)
 -  The sounds made by Lucas' Power Glove as he punches its keys are the famous five tones from Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).
Blobermouth (1990)
"Saved by the Bell: Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind (#2.12)" (1990)
 -  title reference
"Wings: Plane Nine from Nantucket (#2.16)" (1991)
 -  Helen says its her favorite movie.
Gojira vs. Kingu Gidorâ (1991)
Arise! The SubGenius Video (1992) (V)
Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind (1993) (VG)
 -  Full title is "Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind"
"Step by Step: Close Encounters of the Marital Kind (#3.12)" (1993)
 -  title reference
Lunar: Eternal Blue (1994) (VG)
Roswell (1994) (TV)
"Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Creeping Terror (#7.6)" (1994)
 -  Servo: Oh, it's a Clothes encounter of the third kind.
"Heartbeat: Gone Tomorrow (#5.8)" (1995)
 -  The famous five notes from "Encounters" are heard in the background at one time, and a few minutes later PC Ventress is sculpturing his food like the Roy Neary character does it in "Encounters"
The Making of 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial' (1996) (V)
 -  E.T. was always a sequal to this film in Stevens mind
"Are You Afraid of the Dark?: The Tale of the Unexpected Visitor (#5.8)" (1996)
 -  Alien contact through musical notes.
Doctor Who (1996) (TV)
The Making of '1941' (1996) (V)
 -  references it
Independence Day (1996)
 -  mentioned in a line of dialogue
"3rd Rock from the Sun: Hotel Dick (#2.3)" (1996)
 -  The poster in the beginning of the episode is the poster of this film, however, the upper part has a made-up title on it.
"The Simpsons: The Springfield Files (#8.10)" (1997)
 -  Kent Brockman describes Homer's video clip of the alien as a "close encounter of the blurred kind'
Cube (1997)
Playboy: The Story of X (1998) (V)
The Mighty (1998)
The X Files (1998)
Casper Meets Wendy (1998) (TV)
Free Enterprise (1998)
"The New Addams Family: Close Encounters of the Addams Kind (#1.38)" (1999)
 -  Title is spoof of this name.
"Mystery Science Theater 3000: Girl in Gold Boots (#11.2)" (1999)
 -  Crow: 'Soon as I finish my sculpture of Devil's Tower'
Notting Hill (1999)
Muppets from Space (1999)
Stir of Echoes (1999)
Gamera 3: Iris kakusei (1999)
"Spaced: Gatherings (#1.2)" (1999)
 -  While Tim is on the phone with Mike he is making a mashed potatoe mountain with his fork similar to the one the Richard Dreyfus' character made in Close Enounters.
"Dawson's Creek: First Encounters of the Close Kind (#3.10)" (1999)
 -  title reference
The Fly Papers: The Buzz on Hollywood's Scariest Insect (2000) (TV)
 -  mentioned once
"The X Files: Closure (#7.11)" (2000)
 -  Mentioned by name.
"That '70s Show: Kitty and Eric's Night Out (#2.18)" (2000)
 -  Eric asks Kitty if she wants to go to this movie next time they go out.
On the Edge of 'Blade Runner' (2000) (TV)
 -  Referenced by name
"Mysterious Ways: The Ties That Bind (#1.8)" (2000)
 -  Referenced in episode.
"That '70s Show: Who Wants It More? (#3.11)" (2001)
 -  Hyde makes a model of the Devil's Tower out of mashed potatoes, and says that it means something
Shrek (2001)
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (2001) (V)
 -  They continously refer to this movie.
Artificial Intelligence: AI (2001)
50 Years of NBC Late Night (2001) (TV)
Alien Evolution (2001) (TV)
Leva livet (2001)
 -  doorbell plays the alien melody
The Music of 'A.I.' (2002) (V)
 -  Mentioned by John Williams
Creating A.I. (2002) (V)
 -  mentioned twice
Disappearance (2002) (TV)
"Even Stevens: Close Encounters of the Beans Kind (#3.8)" (2002)
 -  title reference
Dead Man's Dream (2002)
Signs (2002)
The Ring (2002)
"Taken" (2002)
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: 20th Anniversary Celebration (2002) (V)
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002) (VG)
 -  At one point in the game, a film poster can be seen on a wall called ''Close Encounters'', referencing Spielberg's science-fiction classic.
The 'Alien' Saga (2002) (TV)
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (2003)
 -  referenced as part of the documentary
Day for Night: Truffaut in the USA (2003) (V)
 -  mentioned once
"Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles" (2003)
 -  The "communication melody" from CEotTK is played in one episode.
29th Telluride Film Festival Aug. 30 - Sept. 2, 2002: Terry Gilliam Interviewed by Salman Rushdie (2003) (V)
Conversations with the Ancestors: 'The Color Purple' from Book to Screen (2003) (V)
Koi... Mil Gaya (2003)
 -  The communication with space aliens through music comes from this film.
Gothika (2003)
 -  Halle Berry manages to stop the car just before the road ends. After a brief pause, the car suddenly starts up again, causing her to scream in shock.
The Beast Within: The Making of 'Alien' (2003) (V)
Very Close Encounters of the Small Kind (2004)
 -  The title
"That's So Raven: Close Encounters of the Nerd Kind (#2.7)" (2004)
 -  title reference
"Red vs. Blue: The Blood Gulch Chronicles: K.I.T. B.F.F. (#2.19)" (2004)
 -  Robot Number 2's first line starts with the first four of the five-note alien tonal signal.
'Duel': A Conversation with Director Steven Spielberg (2004) (V)
 -  mentioned once
War of the Worlds (2005)
 -  shots of the pickup truck and Dakota before the aliens pick her up, camera shots appear to be modelled after the 1977 movie.
Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us (2005) (TV)
 -  Title mentioned by Steven Spielberg
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Gilda Radner (2005) (V)
 -  Referenced in The Nerds' Prom Night
Películas para no dormir: Cuento de navidad (2005) (TV)
 -  Tito whistle the five notes used to communicate with the aliens
'War of the Worlds': Previsualization (2005) (V)
 -  mentioned once
'War of the Worlds': Production Diaries, West Coast - War (2005) (V)
 -  mentioned once
'War of the Worlds': Revisiting the Invasion (2005) (V)
 -  mentioned once
Scoring 'War of the Worlds' (2005) (V)
 -  mentioned once
We Are Not Alone (2005) (V)
 -  mentioned once
Hooked (2006/I)
 -  Scotty has memorabilia from the film on display in his cubicle.
Final Days of Planet Earth (2006) (TV)
 -  Nick says: This is a "Close encounter of the weird kind"
The Making of 'Event Horizon' (2006) (V)
 -  mentioned once
Munich: Editing, Sound and Music (2006) (V)
 -  mentioned once
Munich: The Experience (2006) (V)
 -  mentioned once
Silence Is Golden (2006)
 -  Billy Fletcher has fantasy about Close Encounters
Lifted (2006)
 -  Farm shots
Recon 2022: The Mezzo Incident (2007)
 -  "Come on E.T., I got a close encounter right here for you."
The Simpsons Movie (2007)
 -  Homer looking down from the mountain with helicopters circling above
Our World (2007) (V)
 -  mentioned once
The Visions of Stanley Kubrick (2007) (V)
 -  mentioned once
Vision of a Future Passed: The Prophecy of 2001 (2007) (V)
 -  mentioned once
Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner (2007) (V)
 -  Mentioned once.
Cinematic Titanic: The Oozing Skull (2007) (V)
 -  Frank: "Close Encounters..." Trace: "... of the Turd Kind."
Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind (2007) (TV)
 -  title reference
Labou (2008) (V)
 -  "Close encounters of the bizarro kind"
"Doctor Who: Partners in Crime (#4.1)" (2008)
 -  The spaceship that picks up the Adipose.
"South Park: Over Logging (#12.6)" (2008)
 -  Organ keynotes to communidate with the Internet
"The O'Reilly Factor: (2008-08-28)" (2008)
 -  Bill references this film when talking about Richard Dreyfuss.
Eagle Eye (2008)
 -  dvd cover shown as part of Jerry's life while at Circuit City
Indiana Jones 4: The Return of a Legend (2008) (V)
 -  Mentioned by Spielberg.
Kevin Smith: Sold Out - A Threevening with Kevin Smith (2008) (V)
 -  Referenced in Kevin's speech during the credits
Monsters vs Aliens (2009)
 -  The famous five-notes are played
"South Park: Pinewood Derby (#13.6)" (2009)
 -  The space police make reference to 'mathematical semi-tonal' communication.
District 9 (2009)
 -  When the spaceship first begins moving it blasts out a loud tone that causes window panes to crash.
Hunting Grounds (2009)
 -  What seems at first to be a UFO is actually proven to be a truck. In Close Encounters of the Third Kind, what seems to be a truck's headlights are actually the lights from a UFO.

Features

Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
"Days of Our Lives" (1965)
"The Road Runner Show" (1966)
 -  Some of the intro is seen on TV.

Featured in

The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (1977) (TV)
Science Fiction Film Awards (1978) (TV)
 -  Clips of the film are shown.
The 50th Annual Academy Awards (1978) (TV)
Star Wars: Music by John Williams (1980) (TV)
 -  Example of John Williams Music
SPFX: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (TV)
 -  special effect scenes from this film are featured in this special
E.T. and Friends: Magical Movie Visitors (1982) (TV)
 -  Clips from the film is showed during the show
Precious Images (1986)
Making Close Encounters (1990) (V)
Hero (1992/I)
 -  Before Hoffman's character is going to jail he's calling his son, who is watching "Close Encounters..." on TV.
100 Years at the Movies (1994) (TV)
Monster Mania (1997) (TV)
 -  Film clips included
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies (1998) (TV)
 -  This film is #64 on the list.
The Lady with the Torch (1999)
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' (2001) (V)
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Thrills: America's Most Heart-Pounding Movies (2001) (TV)
 -  This film is #31 on the list.
Reflections of Evil (2002)
Interstate 60: Episodes of the Road (2002)
"I Love the '70s" (2003)
The Ultimate Film (2004) (TV)
 -  number 81
"Troldspejlet: (#33.13)" (2005)
 -  DVD release reviewed + footage used
Boffo! Tinseltown's Bombs and Blockbusters (2006)
 -  clips
AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers (2006) (TV)
 -  This film is #58 on the list.
Spielberg on Spielberg (2007) (TV)
 -  clips shown
"De wereld draait door: (#4.35)" (2008)
 -  A fragment is shown.
The 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2009) (TV)
 -  Clips shown during Steven Spielberg tribute.

Spoofs

Jaws (1975)

Spoofed in

Superwoman (1977)
 -  Actor Mike Horner states, "Boy, was that a close encounter!" regarding a sexual encounter with aliens.
Incontri molto ravvicinati del quarto tipo (1978)
"Saturday Night Live: Richard Dreyfuss/Jimmy Buffett, Gary Tigerman (#3.19)" (1978)
 -  Spoofed as 'Cone Encounters of the third kind'
Closet Cases of the Nerd Kind (1980)
"Danger Mouse: Close Encounters of the Absurd Kind (#2.2)" (1982)
 -  Title reference, variaton on theme is heard
Young Doctors in Love (1982)
 -  Spoofed in the last scene (surgery room)
"The Young Ones: Boring (#1.3)" (1982)
 -  Just before the end credits, a space ship is hovering over the house playing music similar to the space ship in this film.
The Creature Wasn't Nice (1983)
Strange Invaders (1983)
Morons from Outer Space (1985)
¡Qué tía la C.I.A.! (1985)
UHF (1989)
 -  George carves a Devil's Tower out of Mashed Potatoes at Teri's home and says "this means something"
"The Simpsons: Homer's Night Out (#1.10)" (1990)
 -  "Close Encounters Of The Mud Kind"--the subtitle for Mud City, a strip joint in Springfield--is a play on the film.
Canadian Bacon (1995)
"The Simpsons: Homie the Clown (#6.15)" (1995)
 -  Homer builds a circus tent out of mashed potato spoofing the scene where the man builds a mountain with it at the dinner table in this film.
Toy Story (1995)
Spice World (1997)
Antz (1998)
Muppets from Space (1999)
"Spaced: Gatherings (#1.2)" (1999)
 -  The blinding light and music heard when Daisy opens the door spoof that of the spaceship from this film.
Poloiset ja paranormaali (2000)
 -  The short film spoofs the end of Spielberg's film.
The Bunk Witch Project (2000)
D4G (2001) (V)
 -  the mash pottatos scene
Imaginary Heroes (2004)
 -  When the Travis family is eating dinner, Tim can be seen making a sculpture of Devil's Tower in his mashed potatoes. Richard Dreyfuss does the same thing in "Close Encounters of a Third Kind".
"Robot Chicken: Gold Dust Gasoline (#1.3)" (2005)
 -  a sketch titled 'Close Encounter of the Pantsed Kind'
Destroy All Humans! (2005) (VG)
 -  A Majestic agent is overheard saying "This is a close encounter of the UGLY kind."
Tropic Thunder (2008)
 -  the pile of heroin was molded exactly in the shape of the Devil's Tower mashed potatoes
Beethoven's Big Break (2008) (V)
 -  crazy credits: poster "Close Encounters of the Third K9"
The Prototypes (2009) (TV)
 -  a spaceship hits Devil's Tower
Monsters vs Aliens (2009)
 -  The President plays the 5-note "alien communication" theme on a keyboard for the alien robot.
"Eureka: What Goes Around, Comes Around (#3.18)" (2009)
 -  The movements of the mailboxes and stop sign by Jo's car.

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