In the early 1960s, a married couple undergo hypnosis, which unlocks memories of a forgotten event on a lonely road. Soon they believe they were abducted by extraterrestrials.
Through memory flashbacks accessed by hypnotic regression, depicts the alleged UFO abduction of Betty and Barney Hill on September 19, 1961 in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Upon returning from a trip into Canada, Betty (a social services worker in Portsmouth, New Hampshire) and Barney (a postal employee in Boston) are plagued by crippling anxiety and nightmarish visions. Turning to Dr. Benjamin Simon for help in piecing together the happenings of that night, the Hills enter into therapy and independently relate a most unearthly tale.—Rick Gregory <[email protected]>
The UFO Incident is a TV movie based on the true-life story of Betty and Barney Hill, the biracial married couple whose alleged abduction by extraterrestrials made headlines. The film is careful not to present the Hills' reminiscences as cold facts; both "remember" the ordeal only when probed under hypnosis by doctor Barnard Hughes. The alien abduction is presented in flashback form, adhering strictly to the Hills' description of the space vessel and crew. Essentially a dual monologue, The UFO Incident is kept alive by the virtuoso performances of stars James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons. Particularly compelling is the fact that Jones' character resists the memory of his experience because he is afraid of suffering a fatal heart attack--which, we are informed in the epilogue, was indeed the ultimate fate of Barney Hill.
Betty Hill is a social worker. Her husband, Barney, works at the post office. In 1963, they can't be called an ordinary couple: he's black, she's white. But what is truly extraordinary about them is not their interracial marriage. Two years before, in 1961, they had a strange encounter while driving along a lonely road at night. Something happened, but they don't remember what. They both become obsessed with their strange memory lapses. They even think they might have seen a UFO. Now, they are seeing Dr. Benjamin Simon, who is uncovering their hidden memories through hypnosis. Dr. Simon can only believe that what they tell him is fantasy; but Betty and Barney are certain that on that lonely road, they were abducted by extraterrestrials, who forced them to undergo painful medical exams. And their only proof is Betty's memory of a star map.—J. Spurlin
