‘Captured’ Movie to Tell the Story of the First Reported Alien Abduction

Perhaps offering a change of pace from the typical alien invasion fare, a new film will tell the story of the first-ever reported alien abduction as previously recounted in the 2007 non-fiction (or is it?) book Captured! The Betty and Barney Hill UFO Experience: The True Story of the World’s First Documented Alien Abduction. Thankfully, the film is simply titled Captured.

Per Variety, Gotham and Principal, the producers behind Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, are backing Captured, based on the true story of an alleged 1961 alien abduction. The story focuses on Betty and Barney Hill, an interracial couple who claim to have been abducted by aliens in a UFO in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Social worker Betty and post office clerk Barney say they were studied by aliens aboard the UFO and remembered nothing until their memories were retrieved later via hypnosis.

If the story sounds somewhat familiar, you may have seen a similar story on American Horror Story: Asylum — Ryan Murphy’s show often borrows plot elements from classic horror films and TV shows as well as real life events, like the story of the Hills, which may very well have served as the basis for the late-season alien abduction plot involving Kit, Grace and Alma.

Captured will be a bit different from more conventional alien films, as it will present the story of the Hills in the thematic context of the Cold War and its ensuing paranoia, as well as the racial issues of the era.