UFOs, Aliens, and Hollywood

Perhaps more than any other subject, the notion of UFOs, aliens, and government conspiracies are rife in Hollywood blockbusters and television series. And what’s more, they have been, arguably, since the invention of the television and its rollout into homes around the world in the fifties and sixties.

Furthermore, ideas of visitors from other planets coming to Earth, or even residing deep within the Earth had been occupying pages of science-fiction books going back (at least) hundreds and hundreds of years, and most likely, in various forms, to the beginnings of storytelling, which essentially takes us back to the beginnings of civilization.

Why is it that we as a collective have been seemingly obsessed with entities from other realms – entities that in (relatively) recent times since the beginning of the modern UFO era following the Roswell incident, has taken the form of extraterrestrials from elsewhere in the universe. Most often, when we think of the word alien or extraterrestrial, chances are a “Grey Alien” will come to mind. Is this because of how the movies have told us they look? Or are the movies themselves merely reflections of real-life encounters?

And perhaps most interesting, especially when we consider the connections the intelligence agencies have to Hollywood and the messages they put out, why do so many films, television series, and books use the notion of extraterrestrials coming to Earth as a central theme? Might it be to test our collective response to such alien ideas? Might it be to transfer snippets of information and fact hidden within the fiction? Or might such ideas be complete nonsense and such movies are “just fiction” and nothing more? We might suspect that the answer is a messy, blurred, and intertwined combination of all of these possibilities.

Are The Movies Really “Drip-Feeding” Us Information On UFOs And Aliens?

Perhaps the best place to start when we look at the increasingly blurred lines between the fantasy and fiction of Hollywood blockbuster movies and popular culture television shows and the realities of the UFO and alien question would be with the conviction in many quarters that there is a desire from the intelligence agencies to “acclimatize” the world’s populace to an alien presence on Earth or, at the very least, the threat thereof.

The main reason for these charges, aside from the connections of the intelligence agencies and the influence they seemingly have in Hollywood, is the equally dubious “advisory role” of the United States military. And what’s more, this influence and involvement, particularly in science-fiction films that involve “alien invasion” where a battered and pieced together “world military” (led, of course, by the United States Armed Forces) most often battles it out with a much more advanced alien species to defeat them as humanity itself is on the brink of absolute annihilation.

Central to this theory is that many of the industry’s most well-known directors and producers are fully aware of the “secrets” of the shadow government. And what’s more, they are pushing the narratives that the shadow government wishes them to.

If there is any truth to such rumors, it is highly unlikely that such directors and producers are privy to such behemoth-like secrets. Perhaps, however, such military and intelligence “consultancy advice” to such movies might be where the real drip-fed information resides. Indeed, if only to resonate with the general publics’ subconscious without them even realizing it.

We will examine some science-fiction films that do indeed have, as speculative as it is, underlying snippets of truth and genuine information discreetly contained within them shortly.

The Reagan-Spielberg Comments

We have touched on previously some of the UFO conspiracies surrounding Ronald Reagan. Specifically to this article here, is an alleged conversation between the one-time President of the United States and veteran film director Steven Spielberg, who had produced such epic blockbusters as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and ET – both of which we will look at shortly.

According to the legend – and that might be exactly all it is – Reagan is said to have leaned over to Spielberg during a guest screening of ET at the White House during his first term as president in 1982, and made a comment of “how surprised” people would be if they realized “how true this really is”.

We might be able to dismiss these comments as misunderstood or even outright false. If, that is, it wasn’t for the wealth of other comments and claims that surround him. These include at least two UFO incidents involving Reagan (before he became president), one of which had significant suggestions of alien abduction.

And furthermore, Spielberg would confirm the comment following the release of his film, Super 8, during a promotional interview for the movie. He would claim that Reagan had, in fact, said that “there are a number of people in this room who know that everything on that screen is absolutely true”. While Spielberg claimed to take the comment as a joke by the one-time actor, he also noted that Reagan was not laughing or even smiling when he said it.

And perhaps more importantly to the subject we are discussing here, comments in his diary about a hint toward some kind of “secret space force” are also intriguing. As we will examine shortly, another Steven Spielberg production has connections to such a conspiracy.

Does Fiction Alter “Facts” Or Do Facts Influence Fiction?

While we will touch on this again toward the end of our article when we have examined some examples from the silver screen and indeed our television sets, the simple answer to the above question is, we don’t know. No one person can claim to be able to provide a satisfactory answer to the above question. And the simple reason is that there are too many variables in terms of data that would need to be collected (in most cases re-collected) and then examined alongside any number of windows of time where a “big” science-fiction movie being released or a new season of The X-Files (for example) was upcoming.

Nick Pope makes a great case for this when he points out that, although many don’t realize it, when they are reading articles on UFOs, particularly in mainstream newspapers and media platforms, they are, in fact, reading a press release for such an upcoming movie or television show. As Pope writes, “the information is real enough” but such articles are most often the result of a marketing campaign designed to promote “X” to an audience that would perhaps not necessarily read about such matters.

Pope also notes how this is compounded further by local newspapers and internet sites who will often ask their readers if they have seen a UFO, urging them to get in touch. This quite often results in an increase of reports to the respective newspapers, for several reasons. Firstly, having read such articles many people will indeed perhaps take an extra look skyward when going about their business. Perhaps they might even see something strange themselves and so report it.

Most Have More To Lose Than Gain By Reporting UFO Sightings

This last detail is perhaps the real kicker in terms of its discreet importance in attempting to untangle the connections of the film industry and UFO sightings and which one influences the other.

For example, many people who have seen UFOs in the past will often feel “safer” and less vulnerable to mocking attacks during these increases in press and media coverage of such releases. As Pope states “UFO sightings are notoriously and massively underreported”, generally due to fears on the part of the respective witnesses that they will not be believed or, even worse, considered mentally unstable and not of sound mind. Indeed, and dependent on many factors, generally speaking, people reporting UFO sightings have a lot more to lose than to gain.

Perhaps even more interesting, and as pointed out by Pope, is that it would be also impossible to state just which particular films might influence an audience. And when that influence might occur. For example, there are often several science-fiction films released in any given year, certainly in recent times with a vast array of media platforms to show such releases on, and not being reliant solely on the cinema “box office”.

And then, just to complicate matters even further are the multiple releases on DVD, Blue-Ray, and instant media (downloads). Often, with the number of extras and giveaways associated with them, these secondary releases give such films a second wind of popularity, often more so than when they first appeared in the cinemas.

In short, as Pope writes, “sci-fi movies may influence ufology”. However, he also states that there is no “meaningful, scientific way” for us to measure this.

A Self-Perpetuating, Tangled Cycle

So is it a case, then, that the realities of UFO sightings and encounters with alien creatures are actually influencing the films that then, in turn, help to encourage those with real sightings to come forward to report them after press releases disguised as regular articles and news stories creates a feeling of inclusivity, understanding, and even acceptance. And then whose reports eventually influence the next generation of movies and “fictional” accounts, and so on, and so on?

It is easy to see how the situation can become a self-perpetuating, tangled, cycle.

The fact is, and what is the most likely outcome should we be able to suddenly see into the heart of the truth of the UFO and alien question is that such a grey, murky environment is most likely what would await us. A sickly but perhaps necessary combination of both worlds, each requiring the other.

We have mentioned the idea of “drip-feeding” of information – generally seen as a build-up to disclosure of an alien presence, possibly one that is already here but very much benevolent. However, as we also touched upon, the wave after wave of alien invasion movies shows these extraterrestrial visitors as anything but friendly.

This idea, often referred to as the “indoctrination theory”, suggests that the real drip-feeding of information is to essentially prepare us for the day when such an idea becomes reality. This, of course, would suggest shadow government knowledge of an impending attack, or at least the possibility of one, and perhaps even the suggestion that such a malevolent extraterrestrial force is already here.

The Disturbing, If Outrageous, Alien False Flag Attack Theory

Perhaps one of the most intriguing reasons for indoctrinating the population of the world to believe, even in the possible existence of extraterrestrial life, can be found in one of the most intriguing if grim conspiracies with connections to the UFO community. The false flag alien invasion.

According to such theories, the shadow governments of the world are behind the UFO sightings of the past decades, as well as the many claims of alien abduction, even carrying out such “abductions” themselves and planting false memories. What is perhaps interesting and most certainly worth a mention here is the many reports of a “human military presence” found within the details of many alien abduction reports and hypnosis sessions.

The reasons for this shadow government involvement, at least according to the conspiracy theories that surround them, is to ultimately launch a “false flag” attack on the world, or certain parts of the world, under the pretense that alien invaders from another planet are behind such an attack. The reasons for such a course of action vary depending on whose theories you might be reading, but most revolve around the idea of asserting full and brutal totalitarian control over the majority of humanity.

Such ideas sound like outlandish nonsense to most, and perhaps that is understandable. However, such an idea is, in reality, not at all difficult for technologically savvy governments to achieve, at least in theory. And if we recall the recent television series Colony, in reality, should such a false flag be achieved, the post-invasion world displayed in the television show is perhaps eerily accurate on how life might be under these “alien oppressors”, who in reality would, in fact, be “the elite” or “the 1%”.

The short video below looks at the false flag alien invasion theory a little further.

The Television – Deliverer Of The Fairy Tale Theory?

Perhaps before we move on to the movies we should examine some of the television series that have not only captivated audiences for decades (in some cases) but have also proven to be quite prophetic, at least if we accept some of the conspiracy theories that have permeated our collective conscious, at least since the second half of the twentieth century.

Arguably one of the most intriguing of these television series was V from the early-1980s, whose central theme of reptilian aliens steering themselves into positions of power under the guise of helping humanity is extremely similar to David Icke’s later theory of reptilian overlords controlling all of us. And that is not to say that Icke has simply lifted the theme from V and built a conspiracy around it (although many are instantly dismissive of Icke’s theories, particularly the reptilian element). There are many examples throughout history of serpent gods and serpent people, as we have examined in a previous case study article looking at reptilians.

Indeed, we might argue that what Icke claims to have uncovered during his exhaustive research into the subject, including extensive interviews with Credo Mutwa, was a conspiracy that was put into fiction, whether to discredit any claims that might arise or, depending on the perspective, to issue discreet warnings to humanity at large or pass factual information hidden within fiction (the Fairy Tale Theory).

Of course, this is merely speculation on our part, and wild speculation at that. However, as we have mentioned previously also, we know that factual information was often hidden in legends and folklore in ancient times, and there are rumors that similar information was passed along in many works of fiction over the centuries. Why, then, would such ways of passing “hidden truths” change in our modern, contemporary era?

The X-Files – Ideal For The Questioning Times Of The End Of The Century!

Since the early-1990s, the television show that comes to mind for most people when the subject of aliens and the appropriate government conspiracies that come along with them is most likely The X-Files starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.

The show is very much fictional, with no episodes officially based on real-life accounts. However, several individual episodes are loosely based on true events, even if only the basic notion. For example, as well as the general overriding storyline of alien abduction and UFO secrecy, such fringe subjects of fringe subjects like the ancient astronaut theory, and even government mind control experiments are explored.

The program also examines many areas of the paranormal, again sometimes using real-life accounts as the basis for these episodes. Such notions as life after death and various creatures from the world \of cryptozoology also features (relatively) heavily within the storylines of each series.

With the arrival of the Internet in homes across the world in the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2000s, The X-Files was perhaps reaching its peak at the ideal time. And almost certainly can claim to be a major influence on the UFO and paranormal researchers that would follow in the opening decades of the twenty-first century.

Before we examine some of those shows, check out the video below. It is a clip from the eventual return of The X-Files in 2016. It suggests in the episode that there is indeed a behind-the-scenes conspiracy taking place. However, many in conspiracy circles would immediately jump on the scene as an example of a fictional television show “speaking the truth”.

A Show Ahead Of Its Time That Set The Foundations Of Contemporary Conspiracy Era!

Although there were many television shows with similar content as The X-Files, the 45-minute episodes of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully did much to lay the foundations for UFO and conspiracy researchers today, albeit most often outside of the framework of the FBI.

However, what the show truly did achieve was to have its audience look at the strangest and most bizarre of situations, even in the arena of fiction, and have them consider just the possibility that such things could be true. Many who watched and enjoyed the program would find the show clarified what had been an underlying interest in the “weird and the wonderful”. With the arrival of the Internet just around the corner – a tool seized upon almost instantly by those with secret or leaked information – the show would become, and still is, part of the popular culture of our contemporary age.

Indeed, the return of the show in 2016 and again in 2018 to “complete” the saga, not only brought it fully up to date into modern times – making good reference to the wealth of conspiracy theorists who are perhaps more concerned with money and popularity than they are with spreading the truth – but also showed how relevant the ideas and theories explored in the show remain today.

We could say safely the show was, ahead of its time. Not so much in content, but the thirst for the answers to the many grey areas that permeate our lives. To the many riddles without answers, and the many mysteries that still require an explanation.

If there is a shadow government that is intent on keeping the majority of the planet ignorant of the “real workings” of the world, it would appear their battle will be as much of an uphill struggle as ours.

Project Blue Book – A Sign Of The Growing Popularity Of UFO Conspiracies!

In more recent times, and tapping into the “classic era” of UFO accounts across the United States is the series Project Blue Book, which as the title suggests, is based on the true real-life accounts of J Allen Hynek and the Project Blue Book that claimed to investigate UFO encounters on behalf of the United States government (it would come to light that, in reality, the effort of those above Hynek was to discredit and distance themselves from such incidents).

The 10-part series would use genuine cases to base each episode around, with the idea of a government conspiracy taking place in the background central to the overriding storyline. It was very similar to The X-Files but with almost all of the main storylines representing genuine real-life UFO incidents of the Blue Book era.

Such encounters as The Fuller Dogfight or The Flatwoods Monster, for example, were examined in the first two episodes. While The Lubbock Lights and Operation Paperclip were the subjects of episodes three and four.

Not only was the show (relatively speaking) accurate in its portrayal of these UFO encounters, they were also mindful of the times, and the very real influence the Cold War and the “fear” of communism.

As of the time of writing in January 2020, the show was well-received and was due to air a second series early in the year. You can view a trailer from the show below.

Largely Forgotten But Important Shows For The Collective Subconscious

Before we move on to some of the Hollywood blockbusters, it is maybe worth mentioning one of the lesser-known series that deal with what many believe to be the truth of the UFO and alien question. In the late-1990s, very much off the back of the success of programs such as the previously mentioned X-Files, and set during a similar time as Project Blue Book, the television program Dark Skies, based during the Kennedy era of the early 1960s also used shadow government conspiracies as a central theme to the overriding storylines.

There is, however, much more artistic license deployed here than in the previously mentioned television shows, with them almost presenting an alternative, behind-the-scenes history for the viewer, using many of the conspiracies that had circulated around the UFO and conspiracy communities for some time.

We might also consider such shows as The Outer Limits, which certainly stretches the imagination into vastly different areas than some of the previous shows, but still revolves around many ideas and claims that sit very much at home in UFO and conspiracy circles.

The show first enjoyed popularity in the early 1960s, addressing genuine issues of the day. When it resurfaced in the early 1990s, it was much more updated, with a similar feel to The X-Files, but taking viewers in even more drastically mind-bending directions that even Mulder and Scully managed to each week.

These shows, and many others like them, burrowing their way into our consciousness on a weekly basis are a good demonstration of the fascination many of us have with not only space, UFOs, and extraterrestrial life, but the unknown and unsolved mysteries. And that fascination was fed, encouraged, and indeed massaged in no better place, than the silver screen.

Very Real-Life Lesser-Known Accounts On The Big Screen

Before we examine some of the potentially hidden meanings and/or messages in some of the biggest films to come out of Tinseltown over the last half a century-plus, we will examine some of the very real true-life accounts that have made it into the Hollywood studios. Many of these encounters, incidentally, we have examined in other case study articles.

Perhaps the best place to start would be with The UFO Incident which is based on the alien abduction of Betty and Barney Hill. What is interesting about the made-for-television movie is that it utilizes the original hypnosis tapes from the files of Dr. Benjamin Simon, who examined the Hill case extensively. In this respect, the film is arguably one of the most accurate portrayals of an alleged real-life alien abduction encounter.

You can check out a trailer from The UFO Incident below.

During the same year The UFO Incident was released in 1975, another apparent case of alien abduction would unfold in America, this time in the forests of Arizona when Travis Walton was taken on board a disc-shaped craft in front of his forestry crew and would disappear for five days before suddenly reappearing several miles away, naked, scared, and confused.

The incident was the central storyline to the 1993 film Fire In The Sky which told of the incident, and more specifically, the aftermath of doubt and disbelief that would surround the group following Walton’s sudden return.

You can check out a trailer from that film below.

Intruders – A Step Toward Embracing “Academic” Research And Investigation

While each of the above accounts, and consequently the films that were based on them dealt directly with the specific events of those individuals mentioned, the 1992 film, Intruders would use several accounts from the files of UFO researcher, Budd Hopkins, and specifically, the incident he investigated of Debbie Jordan-Kauble (whose encounter we have examined previously).

Although the film used artistic license in abundance with the screenplay based on Hopkins’ book of the same name (full name, Intruders: The Incredible Visitation at Copley Woods), it still used the notion of an academic taking on such a bizarre subject matter much to the critical response of his peers, which would echo the situation UFO researcher, John Mack would find himself in. Incidentally, Mack would serve as a consultant on the film along with Hopkins.

Perhaps also of interest here is that the screenplay was written by Tracy Torme, one of the producers involved with the UFO Live documentary of 1988 which featured the apparent whistleblowers “Falcon” and “Condor”, both of whom were almost certainly engaging in the spreading of UFO disinformation (although there is no suggestion that Torme was “in” on this disinformation).

The Intruders trailer can be seen below.

The “Importance” Of A Very Real-Life Account Of Alien Abduction!

Another true-life account that would become an underground hit with those in the UFO community is the film Communion based on the book of the same name by author, Whitley Strieber. We have examined Strieber’s account at length previously, needless to say, the film was certainly one that left an impression with many who watched it. Especially those who had claimed they had experienced such close contact encounters.

The film concentrates on the incidents that occurred in Strieber’s getaway cottage in the woodlands of New York during the Christmas holidays of 1985, with the screenplay for the movie not only adapted from Strieber’s book but with Strieber himself writing the screenplay.

What is also important about the Communion film and book, as UFO researcher and expert on how UFO and alien encounters are portrayed by Hollywood, Robbie Graham notes, ^[1] is that it “further popularized the image of the now-iconic Grey alien”. Indeed, the image features on the book and the movie cover and is based purely on Strieber’s accounts and descriptions of the encounter through hypnosis.

It also examines, as Graham further notes, “the more surreal aspects of the abduction phenomenon”. Like the book, the film leaves a chilling feeling within the audience, bordering on the helplessness one might feel should they find themselves in such a situation as being abducted and thrust into a situation you neither understood nor desired to.

You can check out the trailer to Communion below.

“The Biggest Cover-Up Of Them All” – Roswell

Although the subject matter is arguably the most famous UFO encounter on record, and certainly the most recognizable even to people outside UFO circles, the 1994 film Roswell, is perhaps one of the most little-known movies based on (allegedly) true events.

The movie was written by Paul Davids who made no secret that his intention was to make the general public more aware of an incident many had forgotten or dismissed. Indeed, many of the scenes, especially toward the end where the climax of the film features veteran actors, Kyle Maclachlan and Martin Sheen engaging in a rundown of how things “might” have unfolded in the summer of 1947, come across almost as a documentary with actors there merely for visual effect.

The previously mentioned Robbie Graham would speak to Davids 20 years after the release of the film in 2014. The filmmaker would state that while The X-Files deserves much of the credit for putting the Roswell crash back into the public consciousness once again, his film certainly contributed to that achievement, coming when it did when such considerations were experiencing a surge of interest and popularity.

As Davids also states, the Roswell crash, whatever the truth of the situation, is now “as much a part of any other story from the history” of the United States.

The trailer to the 1994 Roswell movie is below.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

Perhaps one of the first true blockbuster movies concerning alien visitation is the 1977 classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. And while it is certainly interesting that UFO reports did appear to increase in the years following its releases in 1978 and 1979, the same thing didn’t occur when the next really big blockbuster, ET hit the box office in 1982 (which we will examine next).

Furthermore, worldwide UFO waves had already taken place on several occasions prior to the 1977 release, most notably in 1947, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1957, 1964, 1967, and 1973. Essentially, as we highlighted earlier, it would be way too simplistic to place the reason for an increase in sightings solely at the feet of one film. For example, Star Wars was released the same year, and while not dealing with UFOs visiting the Earth, still contributed massively to the rise in science-fiction popularity.

However, of more consequence to us here, the film itself (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) did contain within it several rumors that had been known about in UFO circles for some time. Perhaps the most intriguing connection to these bizarre claims are the ones that suggest there is a reference to the alleged Project Serpo within the movie, an alleged alien-human exchange deal that is said to have taken place following the Roswell crash.

Furthermore, the secret meeting at the film’s finale is, to some, a reference to the alleged secret meeting between alien races and President Eisenhower in 1954. Spielberg, whose interest in UFOs is well-known, most likely included many such details to lend the film authenticity and credibility with those already familiar with such notions. To some, though, such inclusions are a sign to be seen.

E.T. The Extraterrestrial – Based On The “Real” Roswell Crash?

Most of us will have watched the movie ET The Extraterrestrial at some stage during our lives. The 1982 blockbuster movie is still enjoyed today.

Some rumors and claims suggest that the storyline is based upon the Roswell incident. What is perhaps interesting here is that there are several claims on record over the years that the Roswell crash did indeed lead to the recovery of several dead alien bodies as well as several such entities who survived (although these claims also state that the surviving alien crew members were quickly placed into United States custody).

The movie ET very much follows what would almost certainly happen should an extraterrestrial creature crash to Earth, as a unit of government agents spend the duration of the film attempting to track down the loose alien, forcing the heroes of the film – the children – to aid in his disguise and ultimate escape.

Of course, we should also remind ourselves of the alleged comment from Ronald Reagan to Steven Spielberg concerning this particular movie that we mentioned above. And how while the movie director/producer laughed the comment off as a joke, he had the distinct impression that the comment was not intended to be so. When we consider Reagan’s references, however vague, to an apparent secret space force, we have to wonder just what part of the film Reagan was claiming to be true. And, possibly of more intrigue, why he felt that Spielberg was “privy” to the same information he apparently was.

Just as a further point of interest, Reagan’s Vice President, George Bush (Snr) for the 8 years before he was president in his own name also made references to “knowledge of aliens” in his later years.

The trailer for ET is below.

Independence Day

Around a decade and a half after the release of ET, another blockbuster movie was released. Only this time, the aliens involved were much more aggressive than the ET figure in the 1982 movie.

The basic storyline is very similar to the War of the Worlds and sees gigantic extraterrestrial craft arrive over all the major cities of the world. What is perhaps good about the Independence Day film, despite many of the cliché pitfalls is that it demonstrates perfectly the varied reactions of the world’s populace.

While many take to their vehicles to flee the cities, others instead gather directly underneath these huge spaceships, content, and safe in the knowledge that all aliens must be peaceful, sneering at official warnings to vacate the areas.

Indeed, this is a valid point to investigate given that should such a real-life incident as that expressed in Independence Day unfold, many would very likely dismiss or not trust what their respective governments might say. And while, as we will examine shortly, it is up to us in UFO and conspiracy circles to “police ourselves” to ensure we don’t sleepwalk into complacency and allow our road to the truth of the UFO and alien question to be blocked, it is also very much the fault of the respective governments of the world for the increasing mistrust of their respective populations.

As we might imagine, all comes good in the end for Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum, who play the heroes in the nineties blockbuster, but it might make us wonder how things would pan out in reality if such an incident suddenly unfolded around the world.

You can view a trailer for Independence Day below.

Extraterrestrial – A Discreet Examination Of The UFO Conspiracy!

Although it is certainly not as well known as some of the other movies we have examined so far, the 2014 film Extraterrestrial discreetly examines several of the notions that occupy the minds of many in UFO circles. Perhaps not least, as the closing scenes of the film show to great effect, the apparent cold, calculating actions of the alleged shadow government.

The storyline revolves around a group of five 20-somethings who venture out to a cabin in order to wrap up details before it is sold. However, they end up not only witnessing a crashed UFO but one of the alien occupants ventures through the woods to their cabin. Ultimately, those who do not meet their end during the ensuing standoff with these strange and apparently aggressive alien visitors ultimately end up being caught in the strange beam of light and abducted by an apparent follow-up ship that appears to be looking for survivors of their downed craft.

Intertwined around the storyline is the local police, who despite several missing people going back several years in the area refuse to believe the occupants of the cabin, as well as a brutal twist at the end where a military “mop up” unit execute the two survivors of the group and bury and burn their remains in order that all who witnessed the strange evenings events were now “contained”. As the film ends, we can hear one of the military unit assure his supervisor that “cover stories were being prepared”.

While we mustn’t forget we are very much dealing with a piece of fiction here, the points the film raises are ones often discussed in UFO and conspiracy forums. It is also a great example of the bleeding of UFO and alien encounters into other fields of interest.

Bizarre Conspiracies And “Hidden” History!

Many sci-fi movies, while not being sold or marketed as UFO or alien movies, very much have UFO and alien encounters as the backbone of their plots. Perhaps one of the best examples is the 2013 film, Skinwalker Ranch. As we have examined before, the story itself – a found footage movie – is completely fiction. However, the basis for it is very much grounded in reality.

You can see a trailer to Skinwalker Ranch below.

The real Skinwalker Ranch is currently out of bounds to the public following the purchase of it by the controversial figure, Robert T. Bigelow in the late-1990s. Bigelow would spend years researching the many paranormal events and activities that took place at the ranch, before suddenly stopping all research and disallowing access to the property in 2004. Interestingly enough, around the same time, Bigelow would begin Bigelow Aerospace and almost instantly received seem extremely lucrative contracts from NASA.

Many are not only suspicious about the contracts that Bigelow received, and why, but also as to just what was observed taking place on the ranch. Stories of orbs, voices sounding out of nowhere, animals and cattle disappearing into thin air, as well as UFOs and other aerial vehicles that were “not consistent with covert American military aircraft” are all on record.

Furthermore, many indigenous Native American tribes who have inhabited the region for thousands of years have long believed that the land the ranch sits up is “cursed” and inhabited by “skinwakers” – strange entities who can shapeshift (change their form) into whatever it needs to.

You can see a short documentary on Skinwalker Ranch below.

Heavy Hints At The Ancient Astronaut Theory

Perhaps another big Hollywood blockbuster that is worth mentioning here is the 1994 blockbuster, Stargate. While, again, not strictly an alien or UFO movie, the story does lean toward the idea of alien visitation from another world or dimension in ancient times. What’s more, the notion that space and time were in effect one and the same thing is explored upon activated an ancient device which is essentially, a stargate to this other realm of existence.

The implications in the film are clear – that the ancient Egyptian civilization was the consequence of “alien” entities. Of course, many subscribers to the ancient astronaut theory have made similar assertions in the past.

You can see a trailer of the Stargate movie below.

In a similar way, the Alien prequel movies also lean heavily on not only the ancient astronaut theory but that the aliens in ancient times, were actually human, essentially, making us the alien species on our own planet. Again, this is a theory that many other researchers have explored and offered previously.

Is this, then, a case of the movies imitating the theories of real life? The writings of such people as Erich von Daniken, for example? Or is it confirmation of such beliefs now being released, but hidden, within the storylines of a science-fiction film? It is almost certainly the former. However, that such seemingly outrageous ideas are showing up regularly in science-fiction is an intriguing detail.

The short video below shows a trailer from the Prometheus movie, the first of the Alien prequels.

Cowboys and Aliens – A Bizarre But Accurate Reflection Of Wild West UFO Sightings

Although set in much more recent times than ancient Egypt or at the beginning of life on Earth millions of years before that, the movie Cowboys and Aliens, as bizarre as the concept might sound, reflects accurately (the huge battle scenes not included) some of the basics of reports of the late-1800s when the “wild west” was very much in a state of flux, as indeed was the United States of America, itself far from the sprawling nation of metropolises it is today.

We have examined previously the many UFO sightings of the American wild west, so we won’t go over them in detail here. However, it is quite obvious that while the basic idea may simply be a case of combining two radically different genres to see what happens, the fact is that this is a film that, in a basic way, is passing along information of UFO encounters that are not widely known of outside of UFO circles. And while this is most likely for nothing more than entertainment purposes, perhaps it is worth asking if there might indeed be more “accurate” information contained within the film that most of us pass off as pure fiction.

You can view the trailer for Cowboys and Aliens below.

The Horror-UFO-Alien Crossover

Perhaps one of the most successful genres of film is the sci-fi-UFO-horror crossover.

Event Horizon is not only one of the most underrated sci-fi films in history its central storyline of deep space leading to other dimensions is a point that has been considered by researchers before and after the film’s release in 1997.

The movie follows the deep spacecraft Event Horizon, who, on its maiden voyage in 2040 vanishes after what had been a perfect mission to Proxima Centauri. However, when it suddenly appears seven years later near Neptune, a rescue crew is assembled to investigate. What follows is a descent into literal hell, with visions and individual nightmares haunting each crew member, as well as the apparent demonic possession of the ship’s creator, who had been part of the rescue mission. Indeed, the notion is that after entering a black hole, the whole ship was somehow possessed with visions of death and suffering.

You can see the Event Horizon trailer below.

Another movie with a similar, if surreal, twist is Dark City, which suggests that a group of individuals are living out their lives under the control and manipulation of a dark force who not only control the people but their entire reality. It is a movie to be watched and appreciated, as well as exploring just what our collective and individual realities might be. As we have mentioned before, understanding such things as the nature of UFOs and such events as alien abduction could well lead us to a fuller and more comprehensive understanding of what we understand “reality” to be.

You can see a trailer from Dark City below.

Some “Down-To-Earth” Cosmic Food For Thought

Maybe a little more down-to-earth (so to speak) is the equally lesser-known movie from 1995, Screamers, which is set on one of the moons of Saturn and features the remnants of a human mining outpost colony, since divided into war and awaiting reinforcements and rescuing from their colleagues back on Earth. Needless to say, it soon becomes apparent that no help from Earth is coming, and the colony has simply been abandoned on a moon in deep space – the population of Earth unaware they are still alive.

You can view a short trailer to Screamers below.

There are several things of intrigue to examine here. Not least the notion that such mining operations on our own moon, passing asteroids and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn have been discussed as very real and potential space missions, albeit not in the near future but still some time away.

As wildly speculative as it might be, however, if we consider that the powers that be in the apparent shadow governments of the world are decades ahead of where the general public thinks they are in terms of technology, if such a mining operation was launched to a distant moon orbiting one of the gas giants, might it be possible that it would go ahead in absolute secrecy?

Not only would that widen the scope of what those in charge of the mission could achieve without public scrutiny, but should such mining missions be for valuable materials, not disclosing such materials to other nations on Earth could tip the balance of power favorably in one nation’s direction. And furthermore, there appears to be a constant, if discreet battle to reach such heavenly bodies such as the moon (again) and Mars by several different nations here on Earth.

The Fourth Kind – Controversial But Accurate?

While it was a horror crossover in a drastically different way to the previously mentioned movies, the 2009 film The Fourth Kind would prove to not only be hard-hitting and thought-provoking in terms of the realities behind alien abduction cases, but it would prove widely controversial for its claims of being based on true accounts, with the film company even providing “real” footage of abductions as promo material, as well incorporating “real” footage alongside the “movie” footage so as to perpetuate the entire story was true.

Fake newspaper articles using genuine newspaper titles and headings, as well as using the names of genuinely missing people in the area under assumption that they had been kidnapped by aliens would eventually result in the company paying out substantial damages to the town of Nome in Alaska (where the movie is set) and the fake “real” videos and newspaper articles being removed from the Internet.

While there is no doubt whatsoever that the filmmakers were not accurate and generally misleading with their promotional material, and certainly were intentionally vague as to the fact that the film was, in fact, fiction, the state of Alaska is genuinely awash with missing people reports and UFO claims. And while those two things are not at all proof that the premise of the film is more accurate than we might wish to believe, it is interesting that the filmmakers were drawn to the area in the first place.

You can view the trailer for The Fourth Kind below.

Movies On Mars – A Peek Into The (Near) Future?

If there is a cosmic body other than the moon that has obsessed humanity it is almost certainly Mars. It is not surprising, then, that several science-fiction movies use the red planet as the setting for their stories.

Staying with the horror-sci-fi crossover a moment, perhaps we should examine one of the lesser-known films in this genre, although certainly a cult classic with many, The Ghosts of Mars. A prison colony set on the red planet turns into a thought-provoking account of an “ancient evil” that had been sealed deep within the planet in antiquity and has since been released by the human presence on Mars mining for materials.

Not only is this evil presence deadly to those who encounter it – and essentially, alien – it also has heavy aspects of the paranormal and, as the title suggests, ghosts and even demonic possession.

This is extremely interesting in itself as many UFO researchers have suggested for a long time a link between UFO and alien encounters and ghostly apparitions and paranormal activity. Indeed, many who experience repeated cases of alien abduction often speak of noticing strange incidents more at home in the world of the paranormal than science-fiction.

You can see the trailer for The Ghosts Of Mars below.

Of course, the red planet is a repeat “location” for science-fiction films, with many of them such as Last Days On Mars and The Martian, revolving more around the exploration of our cosmic neighbor – something that many believe will become a reality sooner rather than later.

And perhaps most intriguing, especially considering films that lean toward the ancient astronaut theory and the idea that life existed on Mars in the distant past, how accurate might these “fictional” accounts prove to be.

An Opportunity For Discreet “Down-To-Earth” Messages

There is also the notion of underlying, although very down-to-earth messages being passed along in such otherwise otherworldly fictional movies.

For example, if we briefly examine one of the first science-fiction movies of the modern UFO era The Day The Earth Stood Still, it appears obvious, if only in retrospect, that the “alien” was really portraying the “communist threat” of the Cold War period. In more recent times during the recent remake of the same film, comparisons were made to “extreme environmentalists” who might “eliminate humanity to save the planet”. Indeed, it is a thought worth bearing in mind. Especially when, as UFO and Hollywood expert Paolo Harris stated in an interview regarding the subject, the “ultimate message that there is always hope for cosmic redemption” is often missed by those focused on the negatives of humanity and miss the simple act of “love between a mother and child”.

Perhaps one of the most famous science-fiction franchises of all-time, the Star Wars saga, has the biggest (but most obvious) underlying message of them all, with obvious comparisons to such regimes as the Nazis with the Empire, and those who oppose living under a totalitarian state forming the rebel alliance (or the Allies). And while that is where the comparisons with the last “great” conflict stop (basic though they are) that notion runs through the entire thread of the film.

So, if such science-fiction movies are passing down very down-to-earth and terrestrially minded messages to its audience (much like almost every other genre of movie), is there really a conspiracy of also passing down secret information about coming revelations?

More Than Just Sci-Fi!

We should perhaps stay with the notion of these discreet but very obvious messages in (to many people) “silly sci-fi” films. Perhaps the most obvious one – alien invasion movies aside – is that we should treat those “different” to us the same as we treat ourselves and those closest to us. And while these often work well in comedy situations (such films as Paul, for example), other films which are essentially action sci-fi action blockbusters, to quote Harris, as “ET, The Abyss, The Fifth Element, Bladerunner, Starman and especially David Bowie in The Man Who Fell To Earth” all encourage such a stance.

Perhaps one of the most recent (and possibly underrated) films, District 9, illustrates this point perfectly, with the main character suddenly understanding the prejudices the aliens (people who are different) face as he begins to morph into one of them after coming into contact with a mysterious black liquid while destroying alien settlements.

You can view the trailer to District 9 below.

Further than the obvious message of togetherness and discreet anti-racist tones, the wealth of UFO and alien encounters, particularly those dealing with alien abductions, is that as audiences begin to understand the subject matter a little more, although they will still most likely treat such incidents as fiction, they are perhaps a little more understanding of a person who might make such claims in “real life” – even if they aren’t prepared to believe them fully.

This is most definitely a positive of the wealth of films that treat the UFO and alien question with respect and seriousness. As well as those that use real-life incidents, showing the very real price those who come forward with such claims often pay, in private and away from the world. This creation of empathy further contributes to the increasingly open-mindedness of many.

“It’s Not A Conspiracy! It’s Common Sense!”

If we return to the theories and direct experience of the previously mentioned Nick Pope for a moment, he suggests that any influence by the United States’ government and/or military is nothing more, at least to the best of his knowledge than a reasonable trade-off for use of locations and authentic (replica) military equipment and vehicles, in return for painting the military and inner-workings of the government in as favorable a light as possible.

After all, the United States military, like most around the world are on an almost perpetual recruitment drive. Having them cast in a “good light” would certainly not hurt such drives. As Pope points out, “it’s not a conspiracy – it’s common sense”.

On the one hand, it is hard to argue with Pope’s logic (and indeed his direct experience in such matters). Some, however, will not be deterred from their preconceptions, or what they simply believe, through their own research to be the truth.

This is where we stray into truly grey territory, where one can easily understand and see all sides of such arguments. And why, at least in the case of those on the “conspiracy” side of things, why such positions are taken and stuck to. As we have stated before, while there might very well be good reasons for the world’s governments to have been tightlipped on all manner of issues in the past, the fact that many of these conspiracies have proven to be all but true means it is hard to blame those who might have suspicions about just who is telling the truth. And why.

Pope himself has had to endure numerous accusations of being a “stooge” or a government “insider” looking to pass disinformation. And while not unheard of, it is highly unlikely to be the case with Pope.

A “Fear Induced Populace Is Easily Manageable!”

As a caveat to the above, those “not unheard of” cases, however, are certainly worth bearing in mind. And it is certainly not beyond the imagination that some films portrayed as fiction may contain elements of a truth yet to come. We will return to Paolo Harris who, when asked to what extent Hollywood had “been co-opted by the military-intelligence community” to include slants and angles that were beneficial for them would reply that “a fear-induced populace is easily manageable”.

What’s more, she would go on to say that “Hollywood and visual media is a tool of the controllers”. However, as yet another (and quite contradictory) caveat comes into view, Harris states that “occasionally we have inspired individuals”. She would mention the previously mentioned Paul Davids and how his film Roswell (which we looked at above) placed the incident back into the public memory, as well as handing back some of the dignity taken from the witnesses to the event whose testimony was either ignored or very publicly dismissed.

As we stated at the start, and much like the UFO and alien question, in general, there appears to be no clear-cut answer and instead sits a mangled combination of virtually all of the possibilities. And this really shouldn’t surprise us, given the drastically different agendas, perspectives, and desires of each and every one of us. The only way to combat such an onslaught of agenda-influenced output is to truly think for oneself. To question things your gut tells you to question. And to stay mentally alert.

A Complex Situation To Consider!

As we will look at in a moment when we sum this all up, while there is most certainly a potential for disinformation to be spread via the terrains of Tinseltown, it is much more likely that such outputs are a reflection of real-life situations, albeit in most cases dramatically overblown for entertainment purposes.

Often such influence will not even come from a direct conversation or even a big story on the news. Often something might be noted that has appeared buried deep within the back pages of a local newspaper. Quite often those involved can’t be contacted or simply have no interest in making their stories known. This then, in turn, perhaps forces the writer to make certain changes, to avoid legal action against themselves and to protect the unwilling witness. Or perhaps a conversation that is unintentionally overheard then sparks an idea based from that brief listened to exchange.

In short, such matters are rarely black and white.

And what if these writers and industry insiders are trying to tell us something? If they are trying desperately to get a message out to the whole of humanity? A message of great importance that would alter the course of human history and change the collective consciousness forever, would we be listening to, or even listening out for such a message? And would we act if we did receive it? Perhaps these are the questions we should ask of ourselves before delving too deep into the abyss of UFO conspiracy.

A Responsibility To Ourselves

As we touched on earlier, we in the UFO, conspiracy, and paranormal communities need to not only assist and “look out” for each other but to also police ourselves to ensure we are always moving toward finding the truth of any given situation as opposed to falling into the trap of only looking at those things that prove our own personal beliefs or narratives.

Indeed, to not do so will only result in those who seek to protect those truths from the rest of us being able to easily discredit our respective work. We must remain vigilant to taking stances that place us in corners, and even when we have proof on our side, or indeed in our back pocket for when best played, we must keep an alert, active, and an open mind.

One can’t help but feel, as we enter the 2020s, we are also entering a turbulent and precarious time. A time when history very well could be written and played out as opposed to occurring. And this notion stretches so much further than the UFO or paranormal fields of interest. As we enter these times, we might keep in mind and consider the discreet messages, notions, and perspectives that are being pushed at us from our television and movie screens.

Perhaps there is no coincidence, for example, that recent years have seen war film, after war film, after war film? And with that in mind, perhaps we should examine the plethora of alien invasion or attack type films that have hit the screens during the same time. There is, it would appear, a feeling of nervous anticipation taking hold of many around the world. And not at all in a good way.

We have a responsibility to ourselves to remain alert and in control.

Our Old Friend, Disinformation!

We should perhaps also, for the most part, view the filmmaker not as a promoter of disinformation working under the control of a shadowy government. For the vast majority, such a notion could not be further from the truth. And we should remember, such undoubtedly powerful people in Hollywood will mix with equally undoubtedly powerful people in other fields of interest – and perhaps while doing so potentially come into contact with information largely not known in the public arena. It is certainly, then, not at all beyond the realm of belief that this information would end up as “fiction” in the appropriate project.

Even if the intention is not to pass on such information as part of a disclosure drive, but simply something all artists do – use the real world around them and things that people say, things they see – and turn them into stories for the rest of us to enjoy.

That being said, however, Hollywood and the mountain of movies and television shows they produce are ground ripe for sewing seeds of disinformation on, as much as they are for hiding true real-life accounts within the fantasy of fiction. In short, none of us can say with any real certainty what might be real, fiction, or disinformation within the UFO community.

The previously mentioned Paolo Harris would state that as more and more individuals and groups study UFO sightings and encounters, they are “bringing the truth back to light. And often the truth is far stranger than fiction, believe me”. From what little research we have done together, I would wager most of us agree wholeheartedly with that last statement.

Check out the video below. It looks at some of the conspiracies that revolve around UFOs and Hollywood a little further.