A frame from the birthday party scene in "The McPherson Tape." Photo courtesy of Dean Alioto.
Originally titled “UFO Abduction,” “The McPherson Tape” is presented as intimate home video footage of a quiet evening with the Van Heese family that spirals into an uncanny experience.
The film — written, directed and produced by Dean Alioto in 1989 — is one of the earliest examples of the found footage horror genre.
In an interview with Found Footage Critic, Alioto said the film’s master copy was destroyed when the distributor's warehouse burned down months before its release.
Alioto said he lost hope and decided to move on after the fire.
Years later, he discovered someone had distributed rare, salvaged copies of the film to the UFO community — sparking conspiracy theories that it was real footage of an encounter.
Rumors of its authenticity escalated so far that an Air Force lieutenant colonel with 40 years of intelligence experience claimed it was authentic, according to Alioto.
The film begins in the Van Heeses' home as they celebrate their daughter Michelle’s fifth birthday.
The family sings “Happy Birthday” in the kitchen with the lights off. When they try to switch the lights on after the candles are blown out, they discover the house has lost power.
Three of the men go outside to inspect the circuit breaker when they notice a mysterious light in the sky.
They walk toward it to investigate while the rest of the family waits inside.
Disbelief paralyzes the men when they encounter a spacecraft in the distance with several extraterrestrial beings near it.
When the aliens notice them observing, the men frantically return to the house.
As the feeling of being trapped permeates, the family can no longer avoid the inevitable. The film comes to an end.
“The McPherson Tape” captures the viewer’s attention by showing how ordinary people react when they are faced with a situation that cannot be explained.
Most of the film is set in the family’s home, initially during ordinary moments of safety. Extraterrestrial life entering this environment shatters that security.
The loss of certainty as the film escalates triggers the deeply rooted evolutionary fear of being hunted — for both the viewer and the characters.
Although the storyline is unclear in moments due to shaky camera footage and the darkness inside the home, “The McPherson Tape” is generally enjoyable to watch — especially in the dark during the Halloween season.
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