The McPherson Tape (1989)

To me, this movie is perfection.

the audience applauded

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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.

this film is a bout a family who supposedly got abducted by aliens. I've looked around on the internet and people said its actors in it! IT IS ACTORS BUT ITS A FILM BASED ON THE ACTUALL TAPE!!!! The people who were in the tape (the tape that was found in the mcpherson house) are all missing.SO HA!Great Film XDDuring the film it stops and people who know all about aliens talk about the tape. The director even speaks half way through the film to say the film gives him the creeps. He dosn't think its a hoax. I don't know if its real or a hoax, but its pretty convincing.

I LOVED THE MOVIE and I'm looking desperately to BUY IT.. if anyone has a copy they would like to sell please contact me! It's about a family who gets abducted by aliens, and at the end of it they give a list of all the family members. I'm not sure if it's real, but the whole story is very scary and well done.

If you ever need a good fright, definatly try and get a hold of the McPherson tapes. Very Blair Witch style in direction etc (and it was made before BWP). This is basically about a group of americans having thanksgiving dinner when Aliens attack the house. It's amazing. The acting is very amateur, but very real feeling, u can actually feel their fear. Definatly 10/10!