Aliens

Alien Abduction
Alien themed documentaries, books, and movies, don’t usually have a negative effect on me. I’m fascinated and curious to learn more – but never terrified. Watching The Fourth Kind has changed all that. It’s one of the creepiest films I’ve seen in a long time. I was scared of going to sleep for three nights – dreading an awakening in the wee hours, hearing an unidentified sound, watching helplessly as the bedroom door slowly creaks open…
I haven’t been this nervous since Freddy Kruger came on the scene, or when I started suffering from sleep paralysis (that’s a whole other article!)

Since the early 70’s alien encounters have been categorized as follows:

1. An encounter of the First Kind is when a UFO is sighted.
2. If evidence is collected, this can be classified as an encounter of the Second Kind.
3. If humans make contact with extraterrestrials, this is called an encounter of the Third Kind, made famous of course by the movie Close Encounters.
4. The next category is the Fourth Kind – alien abduction – probably the most terrifying of all.

Now back in the day, I worked as an investigative journalist on a Welsh current affairs TV series. We often researched stories that never made it as program episodes for various reasons, most times due to lack of evidence or interviewees. One of the issues I researched over the course of a few months was UFO sightings and alien abductions. People were more than happy to meet with me and talk about UFO’s, and there were plenty of groups to call, seminars to attend, and magazines to read. There was an abundance of information. Most were also willing to do taped interviews, and back then (the mid to late 90’s), one of our greatest challenges was convincing people to share their stories on TV, especially if the subject matter was controversial or personal.

When it came to abduction I hit a snag. I needed to speak in person with alleged alien abductees to hear their stories first hand. I spoke to several people on the phone who promised to put me in touch with abductees they knew, or to set up a meeting. But nobody would talk to me. Not even a phone call. Why?

One man involved in alien abduction research told me it’s because abductees are terrified of a repeat experience. They’re also afraid of being labeled as lunatics and ridiculed. This man struck me as being honest, and I’ll never forget his compassion for these unfortunate individuals. My instinct told me he was telling the truth. The people in his group were sincere. They were afraid of repercussions. They wanted to talk about their experiences, but not with a TV journalist. It sent chills all over.

I spoke with several RAF officers about UFO’s and there were some interesting sightings to report. But a phone conversation with a former British Ministry of Defence official put things in perspective. About 95 percent of alien abduction claims can be easily explained and debunked, he told me. But as to that other 5 per cent – they remain unexplained. These include incidents that leave physical evidence, either marks on the skin or unidentifiable foreign objects inserted into the body. Speaking of such cases, he was very matter of fact, “we just don’t know what happened.”

The Fourth Kind hit a nerve, and it reminded me of this conversation that took place over a decade ago.

We really can’t prove if alien abductions are real.

We can only know for sure if it happens to us…

Watch the Fourth Kind trailer: http://www.moviefone.com/movie/the-fourth-kind/38927/main