Alien Abduction Movie - The Story Behind the Movie, and a Movie Poster Giveaway!

Back at the end of April I took part in an Ask Me Anything about my movie, Alien Abduction which dramatizes people disappearing on or around Brown Mountain, NC, here on AboveTopSecret. I was blown away with the response on the thread and the amazing group of people who are posting on the site. So I reached back out to the powers at be and we came up with a follow-up we hope you'll enjoy.


Alien Abduction Trailer



Alien Abduction Reviews

Village Voice - "Credit this spirited, uncommonly effective found-footage thriller for breaking the templates promised by its genre and title."

New York Times - "This debut feature makes no pretense of subtlety… a satisfying medley of cracks and screams and animalistic roars."

All Things Horror - "ALIEN ABDUCTION seems like a beacon of hope for the faulted genre. It is damn good!"

Alien Bee Entertainment News - "Alien Abduction is everything Dark Skies and The Fourth Kind wanted to be! This is alien horror and found footage done right, it holds nothing back and it never slows down."


We Need Your Help

This movie is not backed by a major studio, it’s just my wife/producer Cathy and I sitting in our living room. Often times I’m in my underwear at 3am on my laptop (like right now) trying to think up ways to spread the word that our film exists without the marketing machine of a major studio’s to back us up. So far we’ve been incredibly successful, beyond any dreams I could have imagined. The movie is still on the top of the charts on every major platform and the word continues to spread. As momentum has built and the movie makes it’s way throughout the world I watch in awe of all the amazing support we’re receiving from communities like ATS. I’m a first time director and this movie was made with backing from my friends and family. My childhood best friend, Rob Lewis, from when we were 8 years old, and I wrote this movie together. We always dreamed of doing something like this and this year we actually made it possible.

What’s more incredible than the movie itself is the story behind this project coming into reality. I was a bit reluctant but my wife thought it would be best to share this story here on ATS for the first time ever. Scroll on to read our amazing story, told for the first time here on ATS...


Where to buy Alien Abduction
iTunes - Amazon - Google Play - XBox - Sony



ATS Members: This is a special paid-advertisement thread where Matty and we at ATS collaborated on the best way to help him promote his movie and efforts.

The Story Behind The Movie


Director Matty Beckerman and Writer Rob Lewis on location scout to "the road to nowhere" in Bryson City, NC 6/13/11

Rob Lewis and I grew up in the same neighborhood down the street from each other, best friends, building tree forts, watching Star Wars, writing our own science fiction, building universes and creating stories. I never would have guessed that when we were teenagers, I was getting ready for college while Rob was being put in New Jersey’s roughest correctional institutions. He went in at 18 and came out at 28. As kids we were brothers, at my house everyday, me at his house, we would build forts in the woods and get in fights with other kids who would wreck our forts. We watched Braveheart a few too many times and thought we were warriors. We were both always in trouble - tested off the charts but we were both so bored in school it was like torture. Our mothers met each other at a support group for kids with disciplinary problems. We were little animals. They called it ADD - attention deficit disorder. Wrong, we were just little assholes who liked causing problems.

From the moment Rob was sentenced our lives took divergent paths. Arguably, Rob was a genius, he will tell you that all day long. More accurate would be to call him an evil genius, a brilliant writer, artist, and had he not been locked up would have gone to a great college and I might not be telling you this story, but when he went into the correctional system it changed him.

To survive a white kid in some of New Jersey’s toughest prisons, he grew into an animal. I would visit him and he would be covered black and blue having been in a prison fight, meanwhile I was in my freshman year of college at Tulane in New Orleans in classes like Probability and Statistics and History of Pre-Communist Russia. He was learning about prison tattoos and fighting gang members. On the inside he gained a reputation for fighting and he loved it. He was thriving in it and it was sick.

My life was just starting and his was heading down hill. After serving several years Rob’s original sentence allowed him to get out on parole, but the system had changed him. He was still the same kid I grew up with and he still had dreams of writing but it was tainted by a darkness that consumed him. His prison journals were delusional and his mind was broken. He didn’t last long on the outside and was arrested again. It became a pattern, he would get out and get in a fight and go right back to prison. His mind had broken and he ended up in the psyche ward surrounded by the criminally insane, and he was their leader.


Rob (left) and another friend (Scott) visiting me in New Orleans while I was at Tulane, out on Parole in 1997.



Robs Prison Journal January 25, 2005.

I moved to Florida with my future wife, Cathy. Cathy and I had an amazing relationship. I found my soul mate. Yeah, people use that term a little loosely, but in our case we are two flames on the same candle.

All that time Rob was still in prison and 10 years had passed. Then one day I get a phone call from Rob’s mom. They were letting him out. I was thrilled and nervous at the same time. He was still my best friend, but his anger was so overwhelming to be around. His energy sucked the life out of every room he walked into. He was a time bomb waiting to explode.

He came down to Miami to visit me and stayed with Cathy and I in our tiny 1 bedroom apartment. Rob and I hadn’t been together in so long it was amazing. He seemed to be on a different path, he wanted to change. He didn’t want to go back. We discussed how to turn his life around, how to remove the demons that were plaguing him. We would get black out drunk together and those little kid dreams would come back. Writing stories, comic books, making movies. It seemed like dreams that were so far away, like we would never be able to achieve it. We got so drunk on the beach and cried hugging each other we were so happy. Poor Cathy would have to pick our drunk asses up when we would eventually pass out.

Rob started putting his life back together. He got a job, he stopped drinking, and eventually was able to save up enough money to buy a small house. He was doing better than I was at the time. He was calm, serene, peaceful, and happy. He had truly turned his life around. Cathy and I moved to California to start pursuing the dream of making movies. Years passed and Rob was doing amazing.

Then one day I hadn’t heard from Rob for a week, which wasn’t too strange, another week went by and I was getting concerned. Then his cell phone was cut off. I called his mother and sure enough Rob was back in jail.

He spent 3 months in prison. I flew down to Florida and hired the best criminal defense attorney I could afford and they released him.

He got out and we made a plan. I asked him to move to California with me so we could pursue the dream together. Over the next year we worked our asses off, we fought like brothers disagreed on everything but came out the other end with a script.

We wrote ALIEN ABDCUTION!!!!!!!!
We made the movie!!!!!!!!


Rob is not back in jail… yet. Although now that I think about it, it’s been a couple weeks and I have not heard from him, hopefully he was just ABDUCTED this time.

Alien Abduction Poster Giveaway

ALIEN ABDUCTION is the culmination of a childhood dream turned into reality. We need your help to spread the word about it. The first 25 people who do the following will get a kick ass signed 40x27 ALIEN ABDUCTION poster.


Send to poster (-at-) alienabductionfilm.com:

1. Proof of purchase that you bought the film (email receipt, screenshot, etc.), or...
   
2. A Link to your review of the film (iTunes, Amazon, Yekra, etc.), or…
   
3. A Link to facebook sharing, tweeting, instagram, the trailer of the movie on your social media or blog

People that go above and beyond will be welcomed. We need all the help we can get.

Thank you for being a part of this amazing process.

Alien Abduction Links

The Official Alien Abduction Website

Alien Abduction Facebook page
(show us some Facebook love)

Alien Abduction Twitter Feed
(follow us, you won't get abducted, we promise)

Alien Abduction on Instagram

Alien Abduction on Tumblr

Alien Abduction YouTube channel

What a BadAss trailer.
I will be watching this!

a reply to: MattyBeckerman

You need to fix your Amazon link, it is going to iTunes.

Looks just like my kind of movie... I'm gonna be buying it. Looks awesome!

If you need crowd funding to back your project Kickstarter would be a good place to start.

I hope Rob makes a permanent turnaround since he obviously has a great success in his life.

a reply to: MattyBeckerman
This looks like a great movie. I will be getting it when I can afford too. Well done!

Bought from iTunes and sent an email to you, can't wait to watch it!

a reply to: MattyBeckerman

Ahh I remember hearing about this movie but never got a chance to see it. I see the paid option is for a digital copy. Is there a hard copy option? I'm a little old school and like having the actual DVD. I don't like to buy movies until I've watched it so I will be more than happy to rent it. I needed something to watch tonight and I love alien movies especially abduction movies. I better see some aliens though!

I like the poster too, creepy yet simple.

I'll be more than happy to review it after I've watched it.

I'm going to rent it now. I'll review it tomorrow morning unless I feel like doing it tonight.


Thanks and nice backstory.

Mblah


** edit to add! Well I watched the trailer and there were aliens, so far I like it. My biggest pet peeve with movies about aliens is there being NO aliens in it! Now to watch. Be back in a bit.

***30mins in and I'm enjoying it! It's storming and it's dark so my perfect setting for an alien movie. Thank you for the tunnel scene!!!

originally posted by: tinker9917
a reply to: MattyBeckerman

You need to fix your Amazon link, it is going to iTunes.

Looks just like my kind of movie... I'm gonna be buying it. Looks awesome!

If you need crowd funding to back your project Kickstarter would be a good place to start.

I hope Rob makes a permanent turnaround since he obviously has a great success in his life.

I just fixed the Amazon link.... Thanks for looking out.
Rob is going to start posting on here. I found him. He's fine, and luckily not pissed at me for posting this.

I think were waaay past the kickstarter stage. maybe for marketing the movie? kickstarter? your thoughts

Bought from iTunes and sent an email to you, can't wait to watch it!

AWESOME!
Thank you Pants3204

looking forward to sending you a signed poster!

This looks fun and amazing. I will totally be seeking this movie out. Thanks for sharing.

MM

I've seen this. I'd been waiting for it to come out since I first heard about it and was dying to watch it.

I'm an alien abduction nerd and like films in that genre and I've gotta admit I would put this up there with some Hollywood classics and better than most of them. Its a great film, My only advice is stick to watching it, dont hit pause just keep watching straight through. Its the best way to do it because its a roller coaster ride of a film and I'm both glad it got made and glad I watched it.

looks great. I will be getting this..

a reply to: MattyBeckerman
Well - I watched the movie...after your AMA...and was pleasantly surprised.
Out of 10 movies I watch (meaning - pay to watch), I'm lucky if 8 are/were worth my time, much less the dough.
I have suggested this movie to others.
Thanks - and Good Luck!

originally posted by: MattyBeckerman

originally posted by: tinker9917
a reply to: MattyBeckerman

You need to fix your Amazon link, it is going to iTunes.

Looks just like my kind of movie... I'm gonna be buying it. Looks awesome!

If you need crowd funding to back your project Kickstarter would be a good place to start.

I hope Rob makes a permanent turnaround since he obviously has a great success in his life.

I just fixed the Amazon link.... Thanks for looking out.
Rob is going to start posting on here. I found him. He's fine, and luckily not pissed at me for posting this.

I think were waaay past the kickstarter stage. maybe for marketing the movie? kickstarter? your thoughts

I ran a successful Kickstarter last year for an art project of my own. It was a wild ride and very fun. For "marketing" -it may be hard to get approval for a Kickstarter unless you word it in a way that defines a "finite artistic project".

In short, you need to say and show you have something artistic that can be "finished" at a date.

There is many ways to use Kickstarter this late in the game of your movie. I don't know much other than what it was like to run and succeed in a Kickstarter campaign. Any info that I can provide I would be happy to share. But really, the entire process is very easy to understand. Specially for someone involved with making an artistic project of this level.

But my PMs are open to anything you may want to know. But I really think you have the imagination and energy to figure it all out yourself. Good luck with this project, it looks great.


MM

originally posted by: WanDash
a reply to: MattyBeckerman
Well - I watched the movie...after your AMA...and was pleasantly surprised.
Out of 10 movies I watch (meaning - pay to watch), I'm lucky if 8 are/were worth my time, much less the dough.
I have suggested this movie to others.
Thanks - and Good Luck!

Thats awesome to hear. Thank you WanDash!

a reply to: [post=18178260]

I watched the film after you made your first thread. I was impressed. You brought a element of suspense that i do not often see in scifi horror films. I really enjoyed the movie. I told a buddy about it and he too was scared out of his wits. I am very critical of the abduction films like the fourth kind, dark skies , signs, fire in the sky ect. Not with this film it delivers all the things that make a true horror classic. And after decades of reading and researching the ET abduction phenomena having my own personal experience with UFOs and missing time. This film was entertaining yet terrifyng. It was refreshing to see in a all too predictable unoriginal horror genere. This film plays on your fears at the same time it really has fun with the abduction idea. I like the whole being stalked element you bring in the film kept me on edge. I also liked what you did with the ship and the lost camera its very cloverfield esque. My new favorite ET abduction film. I look forward to your future endevours in film making. You could be the next Sam Raimi Best of luck.


I also want to remind people who plan on watching the film to watch the end credits, there is a easter egg suprise twist in it.


Cheers

a reply to: MattyBeckerman

I saw the movie a while back.

I can't remember how I ordered it...

It was a descent movie. I enjoyed it.


:-)
leolady

a reply to: MattyBeckerman

Hey Matty. Haven't seen much of you on ATS, or I just haven't seen a thread of yours lately.

Looks awesome. Got my attention.

-SAP-