"Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County" Movie Review

    I have always been interested in the subject matter of the paranormal even as a kid.  I found the stories interesting and frightening all at the same time, especially if the subject matter involved aliens.  Just seeing pictures of aliens used to scare me but for some reason, I felt drawn to the subject matter.  I read about incidents both famous and not so well known and watched countless shows and documentaries.

    One such special aired on the now defunct UPN channel.  The special was called “Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County”.  The special is also known as “Alien Abduction: The McPherson Tape” since the family in the video was supposedly the McPherson family.  As I later found out, it was a remake of a video known as “The McPherson Tape”.

    The film focuses on the McPherson family as they enjoy a family gathering (a Birthday party).  Things quickly turn topsy turvy as members of the family explore the woods outside and find a UFO complete with alien occupants.  The family than had to fight off the aliens as they try to abduct the family.

    The film was presented on UPN as genuine footage (even though they clearly knew it wasn’t real).  This misrepresentation caused a great deal of controversy.  I remember seeing this and thinking it might be real as a kid.  I won’t lie, it scared the heck out of me. This was a time before the internet was widely available so fact checking footage like this was difficult.  Interestingly enough, one of the actors later appeared in “Battlestar Galactica” during the Pegasus episodes.

    The film remains scary to this day due to the fact that it feels real.  It is a found footage film in the vain of “The Blair Witch Project” but with aliens.  During the night, watching this in the dark, it’s hard not to be frightened and the film still holds up as a result.

Grade: B