The UFO Incident

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John C During the nineties when 'The X-Files' was at its peak, I remember reading about the actual case 'The UFO Incident' was based on. It's about Betty and Barney Hill who were driving home through the American countryside who later claimed to have been abducted by aliens back in the sixties. On the plus side, the movie has a very capable lead, i.e. James Earl Jones (not to forget Estelle Parsons as his on-screen wife) who both do their best to elevate the material. Their chemistry sure does bring an emotional weight which keeps the story from falling completely flat. Unfortunately, the script is hampered by how it's been made (unlike the far superior 'Fire in the Sky' which came prior to 'The X-files,' but only slightly). Much of the runtime is devoted to hypnotic regression sessions and lengthy dialogue recounting what supposedly happened. While this may reflect the 'true' case, cinematically it creates awful pacing problems. The result is a movie that feels like it’s “all tell” with very little “show.” Suspense and atmosphere are sacrificed for endless explanation, making the film drag despite its intriguing subject matter and excellent performances. There are a few eerie moments sprinkled throughout, but they’re too little too late to sustain the tension or deliver on the promise of the premise. The film ultimately plays more like a docudrama reenactment rather than a gripping sci-fi thriller, leaving viewers wishing the film-makers had leaned harder into the cinematic possibilities of the story. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 09/16/25 Full Review Ian S Three good performances. Seen worse. Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/31/25 Full Review Richard G Betty and Barney Hill had no recollection of what had happened to them on Sept 19 1961, but they had dreams about an abduction that had taken place on that date as they were driving through New Hampshire. They decided to try to get some interpretation of their dreams by contacting a psychiatrist several years later - a psychiatrist who put them under hypnosis in order to try to get them to relive their experiences. In the meantime, they had driven along the same route (Route 3) in NH to try to find the road that led off rt.3 and to the place where they had been abducted. They were never able to find the narrow road that led off rt.3 despite repeated attempts. Some of the medical procedures that they claimed, under hypnosis, to have experienced are not credible for an advanced civilization. All in all, the story, told under hypnosis and not otherwise remembered, is a fabrication of their collective subconscious.. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/25 Full Review Audience Member A TV movie based on Betty and Barney Hill, who claim to have encountered aliens. The film mostly involves the couple consulting psychiatrist Barnard Hughes who gets the full story out of them via hypnosis. While James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons put in unsurprisingly good performances, the movie's really not very good. Their story is unbelievably silly and not helped by dime store alien costumes. The film kind of stays neutral about the veracity of their story, but I don't really think it deserves even that much credence. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member An often over looked and brilliantly visualised film about Betty and Barney Hill's experience - probably the first credible UFO abduction case. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The UFO Incident

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