''The Aurora Encounter'' is a 1986 American

Weird West Weird West (aka Weird Western) is a term used for the hybrid genres of fantasy Western, horror Western and science fiction Western. The term originated with DC's ''Weird Western Tales'' in 1972, but the idea is older as the genres have been b ...

ern film directed by

Jim McCullough Sr. James McCullough Sr. (May 12, 1928 – April 6, 2012) was an American film director and producer who wrote and directed several horror films in the 1980s. Early life McCullough was born in Mansfield, Louisiana, and raised in Lebanon, Missouri. ...

, written by Melody Brooke and Jim McCullough, Jr., and starring

Jack Elam William Scott "Jack" Elam (November 13, 1920 – October 20, 2003) was an American film and television actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies (sometimes spoofing his villainou ...

Mickey Hays Mickey Hays (June 30, 1972 – June 30, 1992) was an American actor with progeria, a rare genetic condition whose symptoms resemble accelerated aging. He starred in the 1986 Weird Western science fiction film '' The Aurora Encounter'', where he ...

, Peter Brown, Carol Bagdasarian, and

Dottie West Dorothy Marie Marsh West (October 11, 1932 – September 4, 1991) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and fellow recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most in ...

. Its plot follows the residents of a small Texas town at the turn of the 20th century who are visited by an alien being after a

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

crashes in their town. The screenplay was based on the Aurora, Texas, UFO incident that allegedly occurred in 1897.

Plot

In 1897

Aurora, Texas Aurora is a city in Wise County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,390 in 2020. Geography Aurora is located at (33.055942, –97.509615). According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land. Demogra ...

, schoolteacher Alain Peebles inherits the town's failing newspaper after her father's death. Meanwhile, a

appears in the woods outside the town. Late at night, local resident Irene is startled by the appearance of a short alien-looking man at her window, followed by beams of light. Alain begins to investigate Irene's story to publish it in the newspaper, which causes Irene to become a pariah in town. Shortly after, one of Alain's students, Sue Beth, witnesses the UFO near a river, as well as the extraterrestrial. He leaves behind a strange crystal, which Beth brings to Alain to examine. Meanwhile, Charlie, a local drunk, encounters the extraterrestrial, whom he senses is benevolent and invites into his home. The two drink beer together and play checkers, though the alien does not speak. Alain's eagerness to cover the stories about the encounters frustrates Sheriff Ben, who believes it to be irresponsible journalism. Despite this, Alain travels to

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

to meet with the governor and discuss the incidents, but she is dismissed. Charlie continues to be visited by the extraterrestrial, but his claims are refuted by locals who consider his stories to be mere drunken ramblings. Sue Beth brings her classmates, Ginger and Becky, to a native

burial ground A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

where they find various animal bones painted and arranged on sticks. The ground suddenly collapses beneath them, and the girls find themselves trapped in a cavern containing ancient artifacts, hieroglyphs, and skeletons. This terrifies the young Ginger, and the girls panic further when the cave begins to collapse on them. Meanwhile, Texas Ranger Phillip Sheraton witnesses the UFO emerging nearby from the woods, and it causes his rifle to disappear in a beam of light. Before the cave entirely collapses on them, the girls are saved by the extraterrestrial, who is summoned by the crystal and causes the girls to

levitate Levitation (from Latin ''levitas'' "lightness") is the process by which an object is held aloft in a stable position, without mechanical support via any physical contact. Levitation is accomplished by providing an upward force that counteracts ...

out of the cave to safety. After their experience, Sue Beth, Ginger, and Becky visit Alain and tell them of their experience. The next day, Phillip visits Alain and informs her he too saw the UFO. Alain arranges a public attempt at summoning the extraterrestrial in town with the crystal. The attempt is successful, and the UFO descends on the town, much to the horror of the nonbelievers. Alain, Charlie, and the young girls are elated. As the extraterrestrial exits the UFO and approaches Sue Beth, Alain, and Ben, he is shot by Phillip. The townspeople watch as he returns inside his vehicle, which subsequently crashes into the town water tower before exploding. A devastated Sue Beth removes the extraterrestrial's body from the wreckage. A proper funeral is held for the extraterrestrial, attended by Alain, Charlie, Ben, Irene, and the girls. During the burial, Sue Beth lays the crystal atop the casket, which causes it to glisten and glow blue before it launches into the sky, disappearing in a torrent of light.

Cast

Production

Development

The film was based on the Aurora, Texas, UFO incident that allegedly occurred in April 1897.

Casting

Mickey Hays, who was cast in the film in the role of the alien, suffered from

progeria Progeria is a specific type of progeroid syndrome, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome. A single gene mutation is responsible for progeria. The gene, known as lamin A (LMNA), makes a protein necessary for holding the Nucleus of the cell ...

that gave him an unusual appearance. Director Jim McCullough, Sr. remained close with Hays after the production until Hays's death at age 20 in 1992. The

Make A Wish Foundation The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in the United States that helps fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness between the ages of and 18 years old. Make-A-Wish was founded in 1980 and headquar ...

helped in the casting of Hays, whose wish was to be in a Hollywood movie.

Filming

The film was shot in

Ferris, Texas Ferris is a city in Dallas and Ellis counties in the U.S. state of Texas. It is south of downtown Dallas. The population was 2,788 in 2020. History Settlement of the area began in the early 1870s. On September 28, 1874, a local family deeded app ...

Release

Critical response

Jim Williams of the '' Santa Clarita Signal'' likened the film to a "low-budget ''

E.T. ''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dub ...

Goes West''."

Home media

Anchor Bay Entertainment Anchor Bay Entertainment (formerly Video Treasures and Starmaker Entertainment) was an American home entertainment and production company. It was a subsidiary of Starz Inc. Anchor Bay Entertainment marketed and sold feature films, television ser ...

issued a

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

edition of the film on June 24, 2003.

Legacy

A long

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

of Elam's dialogue regarding "Dr. Neptune's delicious elixir" was used in hip hop artist

DJ Shadow Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996. Biography Early years (1989–1995) DJ Sha ...

's acclaimed 1996 album '' Endtroducing.....'' and also the track "Chromium", produced by the artist Chrome and released on

Platipus Records Platipus Records was a British trance music record label that was based in London, England. It was founded in 1993 by Simon Berry, and early releases included Union Jack and Art of Trance. Later, the label included artists like Dawnseekers a ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aurora Encounter, The 1986 films 1980s Western (genre) science fiction films American Western (genre) science fiction films 1980s English-language films Films set in 1897 Films set in Texas Films shot in Dallas New World Pictures films Films directed by Jim McCullough Sr. 1980s American films