Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County
Encyclopedia
Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County (Alien Abduction: The McPherson Tape in Australia) is a re-enactment of a supposedly genuine home video of an alien abduction of a family in Montana that was shown on the UPN
network in January,1998.
, and directed by Dean Alioto, the film portrays a family named the McPhersons being abducted
by extra-terrestrials in Lake County, Montana
. It is a recreation of The McPherson Tape
, a home video that was claimed to depict an alien abduction. The fact that it is a recreation of another tape has led to confusion over which was the original tape. The entire incident was filmed on a home video camera by the actor who played the McPhearson's youngest 15-year old son. This was to appear as though it was a film of actual events.
' War of the Worlds radio broadcast
. Very much like the Orson Welles' broadcast, the Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County aired on UPN
immediately following Real Vampires: Exposed!, which offered a tabloid-like investigation of vampires", leading some viewers to believe that Alien Abduction was also portraying real events. Another way in which this film misled its viewers was the way in which the movie was filmed. This film style would soon emerge again in The Blair Witch Project
. Genuine UFO researchers, including Stanton Friedman, were not informed of the nature of the show by the program's producers, and controversy and confusion also centered on the lack of disclaimers making this fact clear to the audience.
Debate over the hoax
nature of the program occurred on Internet
chat room
s and bulletin boards
, where the program's status as fiction was exposed thanks to the character of Tommy McPherson being linked to actor Kristian Ayre. The program was also determined to be a hoax when an interview with the Lake County Sheriff's department stated that no one named McPherson had lived in Lake County for almost two years. Some viewers continued to insist that portions of the program were fabricated but that the McPhersons' experience itself was real, and others that the program itself was evidence of a conspiracy. The program was subsequently broadcast in New Zealand
on TVNZ, with a disclaimer that the question over the program's authenticity was still a topic of dispute in the United States
. TVNZ nevertheless cut the show's final credits
, "prevent[ing] New Zealand audiences from noting that the McPhersons were played by actors."
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
network in January,1998.
Production
Created by Dick Clark ProductionsDick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions is an entertainment production company founded by entertainer Dick Clark...
, and directed by Dean Alioto, the film portrays a family named the McPhersons being abducted
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
by extra-terrestrials in Lake County, Montana
Lake County, Montana
-National protected areas:*Flathead National Forest *National Bison Range *Ninepipe National Wildlife Refuge*Pablo National Wildlife Refuge*Swan River National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
. It is a recreation of The McPherson Tape
The McPherson Tape
The McPherson Tape is a docudrama originally directed by Dean Alioto, and later re-made with a larger budget into Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County. Both videos purport to show the final recordings and last known whereabouts of a family just before they are abducted by aliens.Dean Alioto...
, a home video that was claimed to depict an alien abduction. The fact that it is a recreation of another tape has led to confusion over which was the original tape. The entire incident was filmed on a home video camera by the actor who played the McPhearson's youngest 15-year old son. This was to appear as though it was a film of actual events.
Controversy
The program caused a level of confusion and controversy upon its initial telecast that echoed earlier reality-muddying incidents such as Orson WellesOrson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
' War of the Worlds radio broadcast
The War of the Worlds (radio)
The War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was performed as a Halloween episode of the series on October 30, 1938, and aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. Directed and narrated by actor and future filmmaker...
. Very much like the Orson Welles' broadcast, the Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County aired on UPN
UPN
United Paramount Network was a television network that was broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States from 1995 to 2006. UPN was originally owned by Viacom/Paramount and Chris-Craft Industries, the former of which, through the Paramount Television Group, produced most of the network's...
immediately following Real Vampires: Exposed!, which offered a tabloid-like investigation of vampires", leading some viewers to believe that Alien Abduction was also portraying real events. Another way in which this film misled its viewers was the way in which the movie was filmed. This film style would soon emerge again in The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project
The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
. Genuine UFO researchers, including Stanton Friedman, were not informed of the nature of the show by the program's producers, and controversy and confusion also centered on the lack of disclaimers making this fact clear to the audience.
Debate over the hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
nature of the program occurred on Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
chat room
Chat room
The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...
s and bulletin boards
Bulletin board system
A Bulletin Board System, or BBS, is a computer system running software that allows users to connect and log in to the system using a terminal program. Once logged in, a user can perform functions such as uploading and downloading software and data, reading news and bulletins, and exchanging...
, where the program's status as fiction was exposed thanks to the character of Tommy McPherson being linked to actor Kristian Ayre. The program was also determined to be a hoax when an interview with the Lake County Sheriff's department stated that no one named McPherson had lived in Lake County for almost two years. Some viewers continued to insist that portions of the program were fabricated but that the McPhersons' experience itself was real, and others that the program itself was evidence of a conspiracy. The program was subsequently broadcast in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
on TVNZ, with a disclaimer that the question over the program's authenticity was still a topic of dispute in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. TVNZ nevertheless cut the show's final credits
Closing credits
Closing credits or end credits are added at the end of a motion picture, television program, or video game to list the cast and crew involved in the production. They usually appear as a list of names in small type, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or move smoothly across the...
, "prevent[ing] New Zealand audiences from noting that the McPhersons were played by actors."