U.F.O. Abduction

Ah, the infamous "real" McPherson Tape. Hugely controversial among the alien abduction enthusiasts, hundreds of people still think that this the real deal. Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but it isn't. Still, this is probably the most believable found footage movie I've ever seen, as it really does feel as if you're watching an actual VHS camcorder home video of a real Midwestern family in the early 1980s. The alien abductions themselves are not really the focus here. The focus seems to be the tension that this family feels while being scared out of their wits. I prefer this original version over the 1997 made-for-television remake, Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County, which screamed "fake" right from the get go: awful acting, no chemistry between the actors/characters, overblown effects and laughable "documentary interviews" interspersed to insult the viewer's intelligence. Even though this original version is bare bones and lacking in alien action, it still manages to be taught, atmospheric, well acted, and most of all, believable. This has been next to impossible to find for decades, but thankfully someone has uploaded a pirated copy on the internet recently. If you are a fan of the remake, aliens/UFOs, found footage or just underground cinema in general, do yourself a favor and check it out. But just remember, its only a movie! There is no REAL "McPherson Tape" floating around out there. The name of the family in this original version isn't even McPherson, its Van Heese.

Painful to watch, painful to listen to. Way too much dialogue, these people don't shut up the entire movie. I was rooting for the Aliens.

The McPherson Tape (also known as UFO Abduction) follows an average family recording a little girls birthday party when all of a sudden a spacecraft lands near their remote Connecticut mountain house. This film has both pros and cons, but more cons for sure.

What it does right:

This movie is extremely cozy and nostalgic, as it really feels like an average 80s home video. Obviously it's clear to see that it's fake, but watching it on yours grandmothers TV set in 1989 could absolutely freak somebody out.

What it misses on:

This film is extremely slow, even with a 63 minute runtime, and tends to kill its tension almost instantly. Almost every time something "scary" happens (like seeing an alien outside the window) you can't actually see anything so you're just looking at nothing. Also, it's way too dark at times and an awfully shaky camera, but it's an 80s FF so who can really gripe at that.

Overall, it's cozy and entertaining enough for one watch, but loses most of its audience quickly.

This movie is a great example of a story that commits itself to the found footage format. It seems real, unscripted and is internally consistent. We don't know anything more than the person filming. The setting is great and I can feel the emotions of the actors.

All that said, it is as dull as watching your neighbor's home movies of their trip to Denver. That makes sense, because the film is real and the aliens are mostly felt, but not seen. It is mercifully only one hour long.

I think when watching this you must be prepared to realise it is done on a micro budget so taking less notice of the somewhat shoddy alien costumes and special effects. Appreciate what was done with what they had. And onto this, what they did was create a piece that is edgy, creepy and realistic and the low budget approach actually aids the ending result. If made using state of the art camera, special effects and a big budget this film would lose its charm and character which is essential in this sort of film.

And for the people downgrading as they say its clearly fake footage.... yes it is..... WOW!