"Science Fiction Theatre" Hour of Nightmare (TV Episode 1955) Poster

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7/10
The Flying Saucer Fascination of the Fifties
Hitchcoc11 July 2013
A pair of photographers for a magazine go to Mexico to investigate sightings of flying saucers. Also, it is rumored that some of the natives may have disappeared. When they get there, the local constable sets them up with a guide. He seems to know something he is not telling them. On there way, they witness two incredibly displays of lights in the sky, one is that classic old flying saucer video that has been seen as many times as Sasquatch running across a field. Eventually, they are startled by something in the bushes and fire a shot at it. When they look, it is gone. It is obviously alien. The cheapskates who made this film never give us a view of the thing, which the photographers later discover behind a rock, dead. In bringing the body back to the town something happens. The lights return. At least this is a rather well conceived encounter tale.

A sidebar. I've never seen so much smoking as I've seen in episodes of "Science FictionTheater." As a matter of fact, I think someone is smoking in ever story so far. Maybe they thought it had medicinal value.
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6/10
Typical flying saucers tale - this time in Old Mexico
jamesrupert201428 December 2021
A couple of reporters investigating rumours of mysterious lights in the Mexican sky find strange things, both in the air and on the ground. The story is a typical 'UFO' yarn, complete with the usual 'absolute lack of evidence' ending. The lights in the sky are not overly convincing and the show's budget didn't extend to actually showing the horrible thing behind the rock. The stereotyped Mexican guide dates the episode as much as the camera equipment does. Nothing special beyond being a moderately early entry in the 'close encounters' canon. Oddly, considering the story's trajectory, Truman Bradley's intro discusses how false sightings could occur.
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5/10
American Jingoism at its finest
jcaynon-9130311 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Several things I find amusing about this entry in the series is: how it kind of flies in the face of the evidence later entries in the series presented that most UFO sightings were due to lights shining on inversion layers; the incredible way that it tries to show the stubborn American as a hero when, in fact, his stubbornness puts the Mexican guide in a bad spot, and how the American guy's wife does nothing to try and call him on his terrible behavior.

The American comes across as a total tool; however, his wife seems charming and attractive in a normal way rather than a Hollywood way. The Mexican guide also comes across well but the story kind of seems to say he deserves what he gets in the end while the American guy who really causes all of the trouble gets away Scot free even after not being truthful to the cops.

All in all, a weird episode, basically saying as long as American lives aren't at stake, it's okay to lie when you think no one will believe the truth.
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