The Brown Mountain lights, a natural phenomenon seen for centuries near their namesake mountain in Burke County, play an integral role in Alien Abduction, a sci-fi thriller hitting the big screens April 4. The independent movie will hold its world premiere April 1 in downtown Morganton. Director Matty Beckerman and producer Cathy Beckerman, both of Los Angeles, will be on hand for the premiere, and will host a Q-and-A session following the screening. Beckerman learned about the Brown Mountain Lights as a kid visiting his grandparents’ house in Blowing Rock. During those visits, he also experienced the remoteness of North Carolina’s mountains, and combined those two ideas into a fictitious story that involves the lights and the disappearance of people. View the trailer here.
“Even though the film is spooky and scary, it will definitely bring attention to the lights. We already have a business in Morganton offering guided tours to try to see the lights,” said Burke County TDA director Ed Phillips. “IFC Films is distributing this worldwide. It’s a big deal. I recently read a review that said it’s probably the best ‘found-footage’ film since the genre was created by The Blair Witch Project.”
According to the audit done by the N.C. Dept. of Revenue, the film had a direct in-state spend of more than $610,000 while filming in Avery, Burke, Graham, Swain and Watauga counties.