Let’s face it, UFO visitation movies are fun to watch and spur the imagination. Nothing bolsters a UFO encounter movie more than filming the story as found footage—but why? The very notion that a film may be actual proof of alien visitation, regardless of how remote the possibility, increases the entertainment value a thousandfold.

And what better way to make a UFO visitation film even more riveting than to base the film on actual events? In this article, we explore four found footage films about UFO visitation that are wrapped around actual government coverups. We will travel across the country from Long Island, New York to Groom Lake, Nevada, then head south to Phoenix, Arizona and cross the border to Mexico. Are these UFO government coverups real?  We’ll let you decide!

4. Incident at Montauk (2019)

We start our journey in Montauk, located on the eastern end of Long Island, New York. It is here that the infamous Montauk Project purportedly took place.

Incident at Montauk (2019) is based on the actual mythos of what is commonly known as the Montauk Project. As explained in Wikipedia, “The Montauk Project is a conspiracy theory that alleges there were a series of secret United States government projects conducted at Camp Hero or Montauk Air Force Station on Montauk, Long Island, for the purpose of developing psychological warfare techniques and exotic research including time travel.” The stories of the Montauk Project date back to the early 1980s.

“According to UFO researcher Jacques Vallée, the Montauk Experiment stories seem to have originated with the account of Preston Nichols,” who claims to have been repeatedly abducted and forced to participate in experiments at Camp Hero against his will (Wikipedia, Montauk Project).

Click here to read our full review of Incident at Montauk (2019)

Synopsis:

After witnessing a UFO, Jed Logan soon discovers his sighting may be linked to a secret government project which leads him down a dangerous path to uncover the truth.

https://youtu.be/SsycmbPtLi8

3. Aliens: Zone of Silence (2017)

Next, we cross the US border and travel to Mexico to explore the mythos of the Zona del Silencio or Zone of Silence.

Aliens: Zone of Silence (2017) is based on the very real place where UFO sighting and strange phenomena have been reported throughout modern history. In the 1930s a pilot flying over the Zone of Silence claimed that his plane’s instrumentation stopped working. In 1970, a U.S. missile test in Utah went terribly wrong. After launch, the missile inexplicably veered off course by hundreds of miles towards the Zone of Silence. NASA officials at the time said that it was almost as if something pulled the missile towards that region of Mexico. Further, many people over the years have reported that their radios and cell phones stop working while in the Zone of Silence.

The region is considered by many to be a hotbed for meteorites and UFO sitings. Scientists who formally investigated Zone of Silence believe that the unusually high level of mineral deposits in the region may have resulted in an elevated electromagnetic field, which may, in turn, be responsible for attracting falling meteorites and space debris.

Click here to read our full review of Aliens: Zone of Silence (2017)

Synopsis:

After her brother mysteriously vanishes from the Mexican desert, a young woman sets out to uncover the otherworldly truth about his disappearance.

https://youtu.be/XPLtrfjnm9M

2. Area 51 (2015)

Now we head to Groom Lake, Nevada, the home of the infamous Area 51—the epicenter of UFO activity and all things strange.

Area 51 (2015) is based on the top secret government facility of the same name. Nothing screams government conspiracy more than Area 51, which is said to contain recovered flying saucers, alien technology, alien remains, and perhaps live aliens held in captivity.

The very notion of breaking into Area 51 and finding evidence of alien life is a fantasy shared by countless people in the United States and abroad. Ufologists, conspiracy theorists, and science fiction fans will most assuredly have fun watching Area 51 (2015).  If aliens have actually visited Earth, the most likely place to find answers is Area 51.

Click here to read our full review of Area 51 (2015)

Synopsis:

Three young conspiracy theorists attempt to uncover the mysteries of Area 51, the government’s secret location rumored to have hosted encounters with alien beings. What they find at this hidden facility exposes unimaginable secrets.

1. The Phoenix Tapes ’97 (2016)

On March 13, 1997, thousands of people reported a series of lights flying in formation over the city of Phoenix, Arizona—an event now referred to as The Phoenix Lights.

The Phoenix Tapes ’97 (2016) is based on might actually have happened during The Phoenix Lights event.

The Phoenix Lights are a subject of that not only sparks the imagination of ufologists, but also Hollywood. The found footage genre has witnessed not one, nor two, but three, yes three found footage films about the Phoenix Lights:The Phoenix Tapes ’97 (2016), The Phoenix Incident (2015), and Phoenix Forgotten (2017).

Even more amazing, these three films were all released within a three-year window in 2015, 2016, and 2017. Is this pure happenstance? Or perhaps this is part of a government-sponsored propaganda program to promote plausible deniability about what actually took place in Phoenix, Arizona on March 13, 1997.

Click here to read our full review of The Phoenix Tapes ’97 (2016)

Synopsis:

Four campers take a trip and whiteness strange lights in the sky above Arizona in 1997. They are still missing to this day and their bodies have not been found