Apollo 18 is a 2011 found-footage science fiction horror film[3] written by Brian Miller, directed by Gonzalo López-Gallego, and co-produced by Timur Bekmambetov and Michele Wolkoff.

Commander Nathan Walker, Lieutenant Colonel John Grey, and Captain Ben Anderson are launched in secret to place an early warning detector on the Moon for ICBM attacks from the USSR.

After returning to Liberty, they hear noises outside and the motion sensor camera captures a small rock moving nearby.

During their ICBM detector set-up, Anderson discovers footprints that lead them to a bloodstained and abandoned (but still functional) Soviet LK lander.

Walker finds their shredded flag nearby; the motion sensor camera is also missing, and the rover tipped on its side.

They find themselves unable to contact Houston or Grey due to increased levels of interference from an unknown source.

Anderson speculates that the true purpose of the "ICBM warning device" is to monitor the aliens, and that it is the source of the interference.

Walker becomes agitated, believing he should not leave the Moon because of the risk of spreading the infection to Earth and causes the rover to crash.

Anderson gives chase, but he is confronted by the aliens and flees to the Soviet LK and uses its radio to contact USSR Mission Control who connect him to the Department of Defense.

The Deputy Secretary informs Anderson that they cannot allow him to return to Earth, admitting they are aware of the situation and incorrectly believe he is also infected.

Anderson prepares the lander for launch when Walker suddenly arrives, revealing that he survived the alien encounter and demanding to be let in.

Grey warns Anderson that he is approaching too fast, and the footage ends abruptly, implying that the LK and Freedom collided.

The film concludes with a statement giving the "official" fate of the astronauts, describing them as having been killed in various jet accidents that left their bodies unrecoverable.

[citation needed] Another alternate scene shows Anderson leaving a picture of his family on the surface as he swears that he will get home.

[citation needed] In another deleted scene, Grey survives the ordeal and argues with a DoD official back on Earth, who reveals that the astronauts were sent to the Moon to get infected and return to Earth so the United States could use the alien venom as a Bioweapon against the Soviet Union, which is conducting human experiments with the venom.

[citation needed] In the second ending, Anderson is talking with DoD in the LK and sees the veins in his arms turning black, showing he is infected.

The infection overtakes him, and he begins to smash the control panel in rage before breaking the camera, leaving his fate unknown.

"[23] At the end of its run in 2011, Apollo 18 had earned $17,687,709 domestically, plus $8,548,444 overseas for a worldwide gross of $26,236,153 against a $5 million budget, becoming a financial success.