UFO Abduction (film)
UFO Abduction, also known as The McPherson Tape, is a 1989 American science fiction horror film created by Dean Alioto. Made on a shoestring budget, it’s presented as found footage that supposedly documents the last known recordings of a Connecticut family during a birthday celebration in 1983, as they encounter extraterrestrials and struggle to survive the night.
Plot in brief: On October 8, 1983, the Van Heese family records a birthday gathering while a handheld camera captures their night. They notice red lights in the sky, discover a possible alien craft in the woods, and soon find themselves under threat as alien beings attempt to enter their home. The tense night ends with the camera glitching and the family facing an uncertain fate as the aliens close in.
Production and release: The film had a limited release through Axiom Films and was produced by IndieSyndicate Productions on a budget of about $6,500. It was designed to look like a genuine home video, and its original materials were destroyed in a warehouse fire, which hindered a wider video release. The movie runs about 66 minutes and is in English.
Later releases include a 2018 official DVD and digital release, followed by a 2020 Blu-ray reissue by AGFA that features an upscale transfer of the presumed lost original tape, along with a 2017 director’s cut and a commentary track.
Remake: In 1998, Alioto and Paul Chitlik remade UFO Abduction as The McPherson Tape with a bigger budget and professional actors. Network executives later renamed the project Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:15 (CET).