Considered the first found footage home video, it offers alien scares, a realistic set up and smart camera work to create a very original film way ahead of its time. 

• Entertainment factor: ★★★★★
• Scare factor: ★★☆☆☆
• Originality factor: ★★★★★
• Alien factor: ★★★★★
• How shaky is the camera? Not so bad. 

U.F.O Abduction is one of the first found footage horror films that gave the impression it really happened. With realistic reactions, and the feel that it was shot in one single take all add to the realistic vibe of the film. With a simple plot and set up this film had a great effect. This truly was a very original and unique film at the time, while now it might feel a bit outdated. However it does feel nostalgic. If you love this sub-genre (it’s one of my favorite genres) this is a classic and a must-see. It stars Tommy Giavocchini, Patrick Kelly, Shirley McCalla, Stacey Shulman, Christine Staples, Laura Tomas. Directed and written by Dean Alioto. 

Duration: 1h 6m

Plot

Michelle has turned five and she is celebrating her birthday at her grandmother’s house with her parents Eric and Jamie, her uncle Jason and his girlfriend Renee and her other uncle Michael who is filming everything. After they have brought out the birthday cake suddenly the lights go out. Eric, Jason and Michael go outside to take a look at the fuse box, with no results. 

When they head back they see a red light between the trees and decide to take a look. They stumble upon a U.F.O. and three aliens. They can’t believe what they are seeing. When one of the aliens looks their way, they flee in panic. Back at home they out the shotguns and try to tell the others what they have seen. They start to panic and when the red light is right there in their yard, things really get unnerving. 

Continue reading below this announcement.

Short Review

U.F.O. Abduction is also known as The McPherson Tape, which is actually the incorrect name. There isn’t even a person named that way in the film. The family is called Van Heese. According to IMDb the master tape was destroyed during a fire in a warehouse where it was stored. Director Dean Alitio began to sell VHS copies and from 2022 DVD copies and digital downloads. Because there was also a remake made in 1998 called Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County, by Dean Alitio himself, with did star a family called McPherson and was first called The McPherson Tape. However the two films often got mixed up and when this film was released on Blu-Ray they chose to call it The McPherson Tape. It’s a strange story, but also an example of how a film nearly got destroyed. Luckily it was saved and we can enjoy one the actual first found footage home videos way before the sub-genre took flight. 

It wasn’t until ten years later that the remake was made and 11 years later that The Blair Witch Project (1999) stirred the theaters with some efficient and smart marketing, making the audience think it was all real. With no internet, social media and just theaters to watch films and video stores to rent a movie, U.F.O. Abduction was also mistakenly thought of as real. Especially with the words in the introduction that said:

“From 1948 to 1969, the United States government conducted investigations into reports of UFO and extraterrestrial sightings. The code name for these investigations was “Project Blue Book.” Since the termination of “Project Blue Book” all data from these investigations and reports thereafter have been made public under the freedom information act. The uncut video footage you are about to see contains the most important evidence yet made public regarding the UFO abduction phenomenon. This footage is from the North Woods UFO Case 77. On the evening of October 8th, 1983, a young man videotaped his niece’s fifth birthday party. As the night’s strange occurrences too place, he kept his camera running, recording the entire event.” 

And it really does feel like a real home video. Ma Van Heese, her son Eric and his wife Jamie, and their daughter Michelle, her other son Jason with his girlfriend Renee and youngest son Michael are celebrating Michelle’s fifth birthday at Ma’s house. Michael has a new videocamera and films the whole evening. It starts when they are having dinner and everyone is talking to each other and most of it is inaudible and what can be heard is talk about what’s going on in their lives, or other people’s lives, it’s gossip and small talk and just the normal chaotic talk at the dinner table. 

After the blackout the three sons go outside to check the fuse box and they talk a bit about Ma who is drinking a lot, lives quite isolated and talk about Jason and his girlfriend and Michael and his school. It all feels very normal, maybe even boring. Until they see a red light. Then the evening turns around and panic and chaos ensues. That panic also feels very realistic. They are scared, in shock and shouting at each other, not knowing what to do. This reaction feel very realistic and you can feel how scared they are but also confused about what to do. 

When they get under attack, things get really dire and it’s the start of their disappearance. I think the ending is very smartly done. When they try to distract themselves, the three aliens sneak in and the footage goes all distorted. In the moment of seeming calmness, when they are not paying attention, they are done for. 

The whole evening feels like it is shot in one single take. I think it is very well done and you can’t see the editing and therefore makes it even more realistic. The camera work is also very smartly done, it feels very natural, but the camera is also used in a smart way at some specific moments. Sometimes even not minding at all where the camera is aiming at, giving it a more amateurish feel. When the power goes out it stays out the rest of the film and they only have candles and flashlights to see. The dark makes it even more scarier, knowing they don’t even have close neighbors and are completely isolated with the eerie aliens at their door. 

It thought is was very funny when they brought the dead alien inside after they shot it. I kept thinking if that was what I should do, bringing it inside not knowing even if it actually died. But it adds to the panic impulsive actions that enhance the chaotic situation. The aliens were played by three kids in suits and at the end credits they have their masks off and are seen smiling in a picture. The whole film radiates the love for film and shows passionate and creative filmmaking.

U.F.O. Abduction is a very well done film that was way ahead of its time and created a realistic and scary event with aliens that is even believable. Some alien enthusiasts certainly did back then.