Plot
The Phoenix Incident begins with the night vision observation of a scorpion, moving across the screen before cutting to a series of military firefight engagements in Damal, Turkey, Dayr Az Zawr, Syria and Mogadishu, Banadir, Somalia, often with alien cries heard during these engagements. Expository text explains that, since 1997, the United States military has been engaged in a covert war against "forces of unknown origin", and that "57 incidents have spread across Asia, Europe and Russia." It goes on to note that NATO notes that alien invasion forces will reach populated areas within two years, and that the conflict itself is in retaliation for an incident in Phoenix, Arizona on March 13, 1997. The film notes that it is dedicated to "members of the intelligence community who provided evidence that made the film possible".
Tying into the film's viral campaign, the film introduces the disappearance of four Arizona men. Heaven's Gate cult member Walton S. Gayson (Adamthwaite), initially held as a suspect in the murder of the four men, was taken into federal custody. Later, the search for the men was suspended, concluding that the four men had been killed in a bear attack, a conclusion which the local medical examiner denies, but was ordered to list as the cause of death.
The documentary style film moves between two complementary plotlines; the first is a filmed interview with an unidentified Air Force pilot who exposes, despite likely repercussions, the truth about what happened to four missing civilian men on the night of the Phoenix Lights. The second plotline comes from recovered filmed footage ("The Lauder Tapes") by one of four men: Glenn Lauder (Lowenthal), Mitch Adams (Willingham), Ryan Stone (Baker) and Jacob Reynolds (O'Brien). Lauder cannibalizes several different cameras, even duct taping a camcorder to the side of his ATV helmet. It is from these cameras that most of the footage is derived.
The interviewed officer details how the military detected the approach of a triangular-shaped object in the tail of the passing Hale-Bopp comet until it began to descend into Earth's atmosphere over Arizona. Later, the object goes missing and two KH satellites in the area had stopped transmitting.
The men decide to go out to the foothills by the Sierra Estrella to spend time together and ride their ATVs. Mitch, whose brother was a former US Marine is excited about the trip, his friends substantially less so. While packing their truck for the trip, the men notice a growing military air presence in the area, first helicopters and then F-15 fighter jets and A-10's, as well as odd atmospheric disturbances. When they embark on their trip in Ryan's truck, it suddenly breaks down in the foothills. Jacob tries to repair the damage to the vehicle while the others try to find someplace to call for Roadside assistance. They come across a desert compound, protected by an electrified fence, owned by the reclusive Walton S. Gayson. A highly agitated Gayson accosts Jacob at the truck, warning him that they must leave immediately. Despite the warning, the men set off in their ATVs into the foothills anyway.
Further questioned, the Air Force officer details how several "bogeys" had entered Nevada's airspace before turning towards Phoenix. By this time, several eyewitnesses had already seen the multiple crafts, and Operation Snowbird goes into effect: a diversion operation to distract the civilian population with decoy flares while an aerial dogfight ensues between Air Force jets and the unidentified craft at the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range.
The four men witness the dogfight when an alien craft is disabled and crashes into a nearby hill. Mitch's brother had been killed in a helicopter crash, so he decides to try and render aid to what he presumes is a human pilot. Upon reaching the downed craft, before the military can respond, the men are attacked by defensive creatures that faintly resembles man-sized scorpions; Jacob is severely injured in the attack. Their ATVs are destroyed by the aliens, and they take refuge in Gayson's compound. Gayson has been awaiting the coming of the creatures for years to be abducted and taken to a "higher plane" of existence, so he turns off the electric fence, letting the creatures in.
In the final act, Jacob is abducted, and Mitch is ripped apart in an attempt to defend Ryan and Glenn, who are almost rescued by a military helicopter. After the helicopter is shot down by one of the UFOs, Ryan distracts the creatures before being dragged off by one of them and Glenn runs into a vehicle to hide from them, before making a run for it alone. However, just as it seems he has escaped, one of the aliens attacks him. As his helmet flies off, Glenn is killed out of the view of the camcorder before the creature disappears, and one of the alien spacecraft slowly leaves the area. Gayson later finds the helmet and recovers the camcorder's film.
In a post-credits scene, it is revealed that Gayson escaped prison shortly after his interview. In the next scene, a clean-shaven Gayson douses himself in gas and sets himself on fire, preparing to 'rise above this world". The scene leads viewers into the online viral campaign, revealing how the Lauder Tapes were discovered.
Release
The Phoenix Incident was initially theatrically released with Fathom Events on March 10, 2016. [4] An international version of the film was pre-released in the UK on September 7, 2015. The filmmakers partnered with gaming, UFO, and horror sites to promote the film's viral campaign, and released over 4 hours of additional content and story from the film. The film was awarded Best Feature at the Capital Cities Film Festival, Best Feature at the ICE Film Festival, and Vision Award at the Boston SciFi Film Festival. The movie was nominated for Best Horror at the Palm Beach Film Festival, and showcased at the BIFAN International Film Festival in South Korea. The film was featured at the 69th Roswell Festival in New Mexico. The film won Best Narrative Feature and Best Director at the Los Angeles Underground Film Festival.
The film makers utilized social media sites and sponsors, including Fathom Events, AMC, Hollywood Today, Regal, Fandango, Celestron, Shazam, and Lootcrate to distribute hidden content and supplemental clips from the motion picture and viral campaign. Director Keith Arem announced that an interactive/investigation version of the film as an iOS app [5] would be released to contain all of the hidden content from the entire campaign. The Phoenix Interactive UFO Investigation App was released in July 2019 at San Diego Comic Con. In January 2023, the film makers released “Phoenix Incident Festival Cut”, containing revised scenes and visual improvements. The film won Best Director at the 2023 Stanley Kubrick Awards, along with 49 other film festivals wins including Best Horror, Best Thriller, and Best First Time Film maker
