Some movies have been filmed in such a way that it gives off the impression that it was real, such as “The Blair Witch Project” or the much more recent “Paranormal Activity”. Making it seem as if it had been filmed mainly on hand held cameras by the characters themselves, giving the sense that it may have actually taken place.  “Paranormal Activity” even went as far as having no introductory or closing credits just a note (SPOILER ALERT) dedicating the movie to the two main characters. Aside from the occasional rumors that these movies may have been real, any research or a quick run to the internet movie database will show a list of actors and production crews involved. Other movies however, have chosen to advertise there films as actually based on true events.

I am bringing this up in light of the new movie “The Fourth Kind” which comes out today. It’s viral advertising campaign has pitched it as “based on actual case studies” of alien abductions. In introducing the film, actress Milla Jovovich, tells us that “every scene in this movie is supported by archived footage”. The title harks back to a scale created by Ufologist J. Allen Hynek which breaks down the levels and types of encounters someone can have with extraterrestrials. The third kind is seeing actual ET’s (Steven Spielberg’s “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”) with the fourth kind being abduction. The movie is supposed to retell the story of a psychologist’s sleep study of traumatized citizens in the remote town Nome, Alaska. After interviewing her patients she came to believe that they were being abducted by aliens. This as well as the fact that Nome has a history of its residents going missing adds to the mystery behind the story.

So what are the facts behind the claims this movie is making? As for the 20 or so missing people since the 1960’s, the FBI came to conclude that a large number of these cases had to do with the high level of alcohol consumption in the town of Nome mixed with the harsh winter climate, the report continued that there was also no evidence of foul play for many of these cases. Despite this report rumors are abound in and around the town that many of these missing cases had been something other than clumsy drunks; however, allegations that these could be due to alien abductions seem to be a new one for many of the citizens. The movie also includes archived documentary footage which it claims to be real, with no actor credits for those in the footage, but many have noticed that the acting in these segments are unimaginably bad, and Roger Ebert hints that this would be against doctor-patient confidentiality, and of all the people to release them to, why a horror film?

What about the psychologist’s sleep studies and her alien abduction claims? Well, there is a problem with that too, no one is aware of the alleged psychologist and no one has heard of her studies, including the Alaskan licensing board and the Alaskan psychologists association. If you try to find evidence that this psychologist ever existed you will be hard pressed to find anything. Reporter, Kyle Hopkins, back in September noticed that the only thing he could find were:

“…a convincingly boring Web site called the “Alaska Psychiatry Journal” — complete with a biography of a psychologist by that name who researched sleep behavior in Nome. Except the site is suspiciously vacant, mostly a collection of articles on sleep studies with no home page or contact information.”

Another site, www.alaskanewsarchive.com, features a story from the Nome Nugget about Tyler moving to Nome for research. The problem? The story is credited to Nugget editor and publisher Nancy McGuire, who says it’s baloney and she never wrote it.

Hopkins later found that the Alaska Psychiatry Journal has never existed and both of the above domain names had been created in August of 2009, which coincidentally corresponds with when the movie started its advertising campaign. Since Hopkins post, both websites have now been removed. Past paranormal horror films that have advertised that they were based on true stories include the “Amityville Horror” and “A Haunting in Connecticut” which will undoubtedly get under a skeptics skin; however, this film would appear to have taken it to the next level, forging archival footage, websites, authors, and even academic journals in an attempt to deceive their potential audience.

There is another movie inspired by actual events that came out today, “Men Who Stare at Goats”, except this one skeptics can get behind. Adapted from the book of the same name written by Jon Ronson. “Men Who Stare at Goats” follows a reporter (based on Ronson) who by happenstance runs into a retired psychic soldier who is reinstated after the September 11th terrorist attacks. It takes a humorous look into the secret United States Army program, researching the potential military applications of psychic phenomena. A giant waste of time and money but a great story to be told.

Recommended reading and related links:

Alaskan reporter Kyle Hopkins researches the claims made by “The Fourth Kind”

Roger Ebert Reviews “The Fourth Kind”

Roger Ebert Reviews “Men Who Stare at Goats” *Note the shout out to Skeptic Magazine

Skepticality interview with “Men Who Stare at Goats” author Jon Ronson

The Winchester mansion began construction in 1884 on more than 160 acres of property in what was at the time a more rural setting in the South Bay. The 160 bedroom mansion now sits on only 4 acres in the middle of San Jose and more commonly called the Winchester Mystery House. Sarah Winchester was the widow of William Winchester who amassed a fortune as the son of Oliver Winchester, inventor of the repeating rifle. There are several origin myths as to why she felt the inspiration to move out West from New England and have her house continuously expanded on until her death in 1922. The majority of these myths revolve around her being so saddened by the death of William and her daughter that she felt the need to consult a mystic/”psychic”. It is not known what the mystic told Mrs. Winchester exactly but the majority of the accounts are similar to the story I first heard, that the “spirits” of those killed by the popular Winchester firearms were angry with the family and wished to do harm to them. The Winchester family had a curse on them  and the early passing of Sarah’s husband and daughter were do to this curse. The mystic then continued that she must run away from these spirits. The cross country move and the constant construction, which includes doors that open into walls and stairs that lead into the ceiling, were in an attempt to lose the ghosts that were chasing her. This unusual story is lent further credence with the fact that Sarah Winchester slept in a different room of the house every night.

It can not be debated that this house and the story behind it is truly an interesting mystery, even though it my be steeped in anecdotal lore and woo-woo; moreover, what further impresses me about the Winchester Mystery House is that the current party in charge of running its operations do not hype up the mansion as a supernatural hot spot. Nowhere on the website can it be found that there are claims that the mansion is haunted or has ever been. Looking elsewhere on the other hand will lead you to a plethora of pseudoscientific information on the house. With past visitors as well as tour guides alike giving anecdotal accounts of “weird” things happening, most of which include experiencing cold spots or having eerie feelings. It also has its fair share of ghost stories, from old maintenance workers, Sarah Winchester herself, and many others. Many lists give the Winchester Mystery House top honors as the most haunted location in the world. All of these accounts make the fact all more impressive that those running the Mystery House itself do not tout such superstitious activities credited with the mansion.