Nowadays, if you asked a casual fan of High Strangeness if they knew of any high-profile alien/UAP-related stories, they’d probably mention Chris Bledsoe and his book UFO of God. But if you asked that question two or three years ago, they would mention one of two people: Betty/Barney Hill or Travis Walton. I’ve read both Fire in the Sky and The Walton Experience (both are basically the same book) and listened to the times when Art Bell had Travis Walton on his show. The story is fascinating! But…there is information under the surface that makes me question Travis’s experience. Nonetheless, Fire in the Sky was a blind spot on my watchlist, and I figured what better month than “based on a true story” to give it a watch?
It should be noted there are many issues with this story from both Travis Walton and Mike Rogers. While I’m more familiar with everything regarding this story pre-2021, I will discuss the post-2021 issues to the best of my ability.
Fire in the Sky and the Night Travis Walton Vanished
Fire in the Sky follows a group of six loggers (there were seven in the true story): Travis Walton (D. B. Sweeney), Mike Rogers (Robert Patrick), Allan Dallis (Craig Sheffer), David Whitlock (Peter Berg), Greg Hayes (Henry Thomas), and Bobby Cogdill (Bradley Gregg). This group, led by Travis, is working on clearing brush in the White Mountains in Snowflake, Alaska. Due to a tight deadline, they find themselves working long shifts. At the end of the night, the six men pack into Mike Rogers’s truck and head home through mountain paths. Allan Dallis makes note of a “fire” in the sky, prompting Mike to stop his truck. Travis jumps out and decides to check out the object. Suddenly, he’s consumed by a beam of light and thrown backward. Thinking he’s dead and freaked out by this object, Mike guns it out of there. By the time he gets the guts to go back and check on Travis…he realizes Travis is gone.
Once back in town, Mike calls the cops, and the five of them wait for the police. A search party is called the very next day, to no avail. The town descends into chaos, reporters flood this small town, and a witch hunt ensues. Many of the townsfolk think the other loggers killed Travis and nearly begin to march with pitchforks and torches. Travis eventually reappears five days later…but he is nothing more than the shell of the man he once was.
How the Film Treats Travis Walton’s Story
What’s very clear from the film is that neither writer Tracy Tormé nor director Robert Lieberman believes a single ounce of Travis’s story. Part of me believes that if Tracy and Robert lived in this town when this happened, they’d be a part of the angry mob. It’s frustrating that Lt. Frank Waters (James Garner) is given more credibility than any of the men involved in the incident. Rather than giving proper justice to both sides of the story, the writer and director make their allegiance to their respective sides well-known.
That being said, the film is a joy to watch. Robert Patrick is, and always has been, one hell of an actor. Funnily enough, Robert Patrick learned, not too long before the making of this film, that he is related to Mike Rogers! You can feel Patrick’s passion in every second of screen time. Most notable is the polygraph scene. Tired of being looked down upon and hated by everyone in town, he loses it when asked to come back for a second polygraph test. In the most “I know what I saw!” moment in the film, Mike Rogers has told his truth and is frustrated that it’s not enough.
The Infamous Alien Testing Scene and ILM’s Lasting Impact
While the film does a great job at fomenting the hoax angle, there is one scene specifically this film is known for: the testing scene. Coordinated by Industrial Lights & Magic, the scene where Travis explores the spaceship and gets tests run on him is both exhilarating and terrifying. From the gooey space pods to the skin-like wrap and eye needle, this scene hasn’t been topped in Sci-Fi horror. ILM has long been known for pushing the boundaries of visual effects, and this scene is particularly gorgeous. I can’t imagine what it would be like to watch this in theaters in 1993.
All that being said, this film takes way too many liberties for my liking. The scene where Travis wakes up in the spaceship and is tested on is the most notable of exaggerations. In Travis’s story, he was initially knocked out by the beam of light. He then woke up in an almost hospital-like room. Three short, hairless aliens surrounded him. Travis attempted to fight them off and was eventually taken to another room by a human wearing a helmet. The room he was taken to was the last thing he remembers, as three other humans put a plastic sheet over his face. From there, the next thing he remembered was walking down a highway.
I can understand why that might not be too exciting for a feature film, but it’s very different from what we get in Fire in the Sky.
Evidence Suggesting the Travis Walton Abduction May Be a Hoax
Now, we should get to the evidence that points to this being a possible hoax. The UAP was described as your classic two-pie saucer. I wholeheartedly believe that UAPs are not the classic UFOs we see in 50s sci-fi movies, so that’s a red flag for me. Next, we have the fact that Travis and Duane’s father was a huge fan of Ufology (and there are reports that the brothers believe their father was abducted, but that could be heresy). Also, we have real reports that Travis and his brother Duane wanted to be abducted. When Travis went missing, his brother was definitely worried but didn’t seem as worried as a brother should be. This could possibly be because Travis and Duane [reportedly] had a pact that should one of them be abducted, the one who was taken would try and talk the aliens into coming back and taking the second brother.
There’s also the fact that Travis’s company was behind schedule and on the verge of losing their contract to finish the logging job. An abduction would be a great way to prolong that contract! What type of person would cancel a contract when there’s an investigation into a missing person? While the team was working late to finish their job, it was noted by a crew member that on the night of the abduction they stayed longer past dark than they had before.
Mike Rogers Recants and Retracts
In 2021, things get messy…kind of. Mike Rogers posts on Facebook denouncing The Walton Experience and stating that he no longer considers himself a witness. A month later, he spoke with a producer making a new documentary about Travis Walton. In this conversation, which the producer recorded, Rogers mentioned that the incident was a staged hoax. Rogers was upset that Walton did not include him in discussions regarding the film’s remake–the two would eventually make amends with each other, and Mike Rogers retracted his statement.
Take that information for what you will.
Fire in the Sky as Sci-Non-Fi Horror
Fire in the Sky is lighting in a bottle. It was a time when filmmaking was preparing to break into a new spectrum of filmmaking. It’s not just a fascinating look at a supposed real-life story, it’s scary. It’s authentic. It’s emotional. There are parts of Travis’s story I believe, and parts I don’t. While Fire in the Sky may be exaggerated, it’s a beautiful film that tells a beautiful story in a timeless way. If you’re a fan of Ufology, aliens, or High Strangeness in general, you must check this film out. To me, Fire in the Sky is the greatest Sci-non-Fi about alien abductions.