Machine Project presents a double feature in the Mystery Theater, with lectures by Winona Bechtle on the Tujunga Contacts, and Joe Merrell on Betty and Barney Hill — plus a screening of the 1975 TV movie about the Hills starring James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons.
Winona Bechtle
La Crescenta resident Winona Bechtle delivers a talk on the history of Sunland-Tujunga and the Crescenta Valley, and the uniquely high rate of reported alien abductions and sightings. Using as a case study “The Tujunga Canyon Contacts,” a group of five interconnected Tujungan women who claim to have been abducted between 1950-1970, Winona expands on the theories surrounding the strange and lonely experiences of the abductees of Sunland-Tujunga, and the UFO history of the Crescenta Valley.
Joe Merrell
The artist behind “The Eyes Are Always There” storefront installation discusses the first famous (and possibly most famous) alien abductees as an introduction to The UFO Incident (1975) starring James Earl Jones and Estelle Parsons. While not all about the film has aged well, good performances and a script that draws material directly from transcripts of the couple’s hypnotic regressions create a strange and compelling drama.