8. Fire In The Sky - The Travis Walton Abduction
The 1993 movie Fire In The Sky is probably the most convincing film about alien abductions and sightings that I have ever seen in my life. I had never heard of it, but a boyfriend of mine in college, who was obsessed with aliens (which I could look past because he was gorgeous), forced me to watch it in an attempt to convince me that aliens were real. The film opens with a night in the life of loggers in Arizona. As they wrapped up a days work by nightfall, the group gets into the company truck and drives home. On the drive, they all witness what they believe to be a UFO. The driver of the truck, Travis Walton, exits the truck to investigate and vanishes. The crew flees the scene and alerts the police. The story they tell is unbelievable, which is understandable, and they are all submitted to a polygraph test. They all pass. Five days later, Walton reappears, naked and shaken, at a gas station. When he is admitted to the hospital, he is questioned by a ufologist (which is a real thing), a doctor, the police force, and a therapist. He is discharged from the hospital when he has been rehabilitated from his dehydration and is welcomed home by a party. During the party, Walton begins to have flashbacks of his ordeal, which is when we get to see life on the alien vessel. A terrifying examination is carried out on Walton by the aliens and he is shaken out of his flashback by a party goer. Travis Walton is a real person. He has claimed to have been abducted by aliens on November 1, 1975. His is perhaps the most controversial and known story of alien abduction there is. He wrote a book called The Walton Experience which, after the movie was released, was retitled Fire In The Sky. Though the majority of scientists and psychoanalysts don't believe him, Walton will continue trying to convince everyone that aliens are real and that, one day, they will take over. Whether this happens or not, I can say confidently that a good movie came out of the man's terrifying experience.