Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Phoenix Tapes ‘97’

Written by Scott Edwards

There are plenty of mysteries out there and one of my favorites is whether or not Aliens are real. With so little proof out there, there are people dead set on believing that they do exist and have formed our history. But what if the Aliens were not really here to help us, but to rule us instead? You have to wonder with all of the sightings and reported abductions that have occurred over the years, are they looking to come back and help our society, or do they wish to just conquer us?
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On March 10th, 1997, four campers are heading out in their RV on a fishing trip that they will never forget. Making their way out to a spot from where they can hike to the local river, they are out of cell phone range and all alone. During their first night in the middle of nowhere, they are awakened by a strange booming sound in the distance, and they cannot identify what it is. Standing outside in the darkness, they witness what they believe are meteors falling from the sky. Catching it on camera, they have just seen something remarkable.

Continuing to be amazed by what they have seen, Roadie, John, Adam and Turner head out on their hike to the river the next day when they see someone lurking in the hills around them. Calling out to see who it is, they have the sneaking suspicion that someone is following them and while they try to make light of it, it sticks in the back of their minds for the rest of the day. Finding the river and catching some small fish to eat for dinner, the group sets up camp after the sun sets and start to hear things in the surrounding area. Not knowing what it could be, Roadie thinks he has seen a person looming in the area and the group tries to scare him away, but the disturbance shocks the group, and they head back to the RV for safety.

While making their hike back in the dark, the group sees that the RV’s lights are on. Rushing to see who is responsible, they see that the RV is ripped apart for no apparent reason. Getting it cleaned up enough to sleep in for the night, the group tries to rest, but start to hear the booming once again and this time it is followed by a something else stalking the outside of the vehicle. Yelling to get whatever it is outside to leave them alone, the group is hit with a blinding light and start to believe that they are being hunted by something not of this world. With the disturbances coming to an end for the night, the group awakes the next morning to see that Adam has gone missing and while they need to leave this terrifying location, they also need to find their friend. Making their way back down the dirt road, the group finds that they are not alone as something from the stars is hunting them and looking to make their trip one that they will never be able to talk about again.

As far as found footage movies go, this one really did it right. Using a documentary format with the father of a man who was killed by the government for holding onto the tapes, you believe that a real abduction has been caught on tape. I like how the group tries to stay together throughout and even tries to make light of what is happening to them throughout the story. With plenty of off-color humor, a cover up, strange lights in the sky and an alien force that will not be stopped, this has to be one of my favorite abduction movies as of late, not only because it reminds me of the scares I endured during The Blair Witch Project, but because so many people think it is the real thing. Stay Scared.

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