Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction?

This isn't a "review" per se.  I just wanted to talk about this thing.  Y'know, people tend to romanticize the 80's for its innate wackiness.  And if you grew up during that decade, I get how that would be your truth.  But dude, the 90's.  You want wacky?  No one blinked when ostensibly real autopsy footage was aired on network television (in a primetime slot, no less).  Moreover, it pulled great ratings!  This would never fly in the modern zeitgeist.  UFO sightings make headlines once in a blood moon, but Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction? would never find an audience in 2024, assuming it was made at all.

Eventually released on home video by Vidmark Entertainment (as if it wasn't weird enough), Autopsy is a 45-minute pseudo-documentary with a smattering of bold claims up its sleeve.  In addition to eyewitness testimonies, it purports to show the autopsy of an extraterrestrial corpse administered in 1947.  A private investigator is hired to track down the cameraman, although I don't think I need to spoil that one for you.

I love how this special pats itself on the back.  I'm paraphrasing, but we are told by a panel of experts that "if the video is a hoax, it's incredibly well-done."  The audacity!  To be fair, it is incredibly well-done, so I can't say that anyone here is exaggerating.  Stan Winston shows up at one point.  He later claimed that his comments were taken out of context, that he very clearly stated his opinion that the video was, indeed, a hoax.

And yep, it was a hoax, but in 1995, viewers weren't entirely sure.  Some of the interviews are one hundred percent candid.  For example, Frankie Rowe comes across as genuine and somewhat damaged by her experiences.  It's patently obvious that she isn't acting, which only makes Autopsy more engrossing.  The stonefaced delivery of host Jonathan Frakes (he of Star Trek fame) plays a role in substantiating the eerie atmosphere.  I'm not saying that I believe every word that Autopsy launches our way; what I am saying is that it's a cool, creepy nostalgia trip.  I remember watching it as a kid in between episodes of The Simpsons and The X-Files.

I've said this before, but I'm borderline obsessed with mid-90's pop culture, especially 1995.  Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction? scratches that itch for me in a major way.  Even if you approach it as pure bubblegum entertainment, it's worth watching at least once.  Remember, we are not alone!