"Saucers, Spooks and Kooks" - new documentary

[Carling 4737]

Ryan Whalen of The Debrief website reviews a forthcoming film which sounds of interest:

https://thedebrief.org/review-in-an...spooks-and-kooks-is-the-real-disclosure-film/

 

[Mendel]

The link policy requires a relevant quote from the site.
Such as this:

Based on the 2021 book by Adam Gorightly and directed by Christopher Graybill, Saucers, Spooks and Kooks digs into the origins of longstanding UFO myths that persist to this day. In a nostalgia fest for the paranoid UFOlogy of the 80s and 90s, the film provides more real answers on where the grey aliens come from than you can expect to find in any trove of government documents or collection of experiencers' tales.

Over the course of the film, the amount of intentional disinformation, tall tales, and willingness to believe that have shaped UFOlogy becomes clear, providing essential context for where the topic stands today, as addressed (spoiler alert) at the end of the film. In short, the film offers a history lesson that may be strange and fascinating enough to surprise both the skeptic and believer, as it twists and turns through murky truths and strange characters that, at times, may seem every bit as incredible as UFOs themselves.

Sounds intetesting.

 

[NorCal Dave]

Just some highlights from the Debrief article about this film. If accurate, it doesn't appear to pull any punches:

Based on the 2021 book by Adam Gorightly and directed by Christopher Graybill, Saucers, Spooks and Kooks digs into the origins of longstanding UFO myths that persist to this day. In a nostalgia fest for the paranoid UFOlogy of the 80s and 90s, the film provides more real answers on where the grey aliens come from than you can expect to find in any trove of government documents or collection of experiencers' tales.

These, and many others, are the individuals who contributed to shaping UFOlogy as we know it, although as the film argues, UFOlogists who ignore the lessons these human stories teach are doomed to continue banging their heads against the wall into perpetuity.

Although in reading the review, it appears the whole thing has a bit of a quirky vibe to , such that UFOlogist can hand wave it away as silly and cartoonish:

This is all helped along with a presentation that feels straight out of the period, transforming narrator Gorightly into a quirky character in this retelling, and combining Graybill's Gen X memories of the Unsolved Mysteries television show with Gorightly's knowledge of the field's myriad characters as they appeared at the time. The intentional lo-fi vibe appeals to those who appreciate the earnestness of the underground UFO zines and VHS tapes of the era, into which UFOlogy's forefathers poured their blood, sweat, and tears before the ease of Tweets, YouTube rants, and the all-too-tempting allure (and overuse, in many cases) of AI-generated content.

Many of us have commented that much of current UFOlogy is as much entertainment as anything else and these guys seemed to have leaned into that:

"I think I've always approached it more as entertainment than anything," Graybill told The Debrief, calling UFOlogy a "metafiction."

"It could be true, but it's more just fun to think about and entertain," Graybill said.

"The documentary kind of TV shows, it was just like 'we're gonna get to the bottom of it,' and they never do. But they'll show you some great footage. You do wonder; it makes you really curious, I think. It made me really curious: what is the real story?"

Unfortunately, that's a one way street in UFOlogy. Various UFO proponents can be entertaining in their presentation of the subject, but any one pointing out their lack of evidence and the mythos they perpetrate, must do it in a calm, sober, clinical and ultimately un-entertaining way.

I'll look for it and check it out.

 

[NorCal Dave]

I will confess to be a dullard, as I can't figure out where to see it. Vimeo maybe?

 

[JMartJr]

Unfortunately, that's a one way street in UFOlogy. Various UFO proponents can be entertaining in their presentation of the subject, but any one pointing out their lack of evidence and the mythos they perpetrate, must do it in a calm, sober, clinical and ultimately un-entertaining way.

That may not be the case. I note here the successes the "point and laugh" debunkers of Flat Earth have had in making debunking entertaining, in attracting attention to the points they wanted to make, and even to converting a few former Flat Earthers. That approach comes with the danger of descending into just mindless ridicule, and losing sight of the truths that are supposed to be put in front of people, and of driving people further down the rabbit hole. But it CAN be done. And once attention is attracted and a following established (even among grandstanding Flat Earth promoters) things like The Final Experiment can happen, which didn't change the opinions of a vast number of Flatist leaders, but did pick off one or two. How many "lay believers" were peeled off, and how many of the curious were kept from falling down that rabbit hole, I can;t say. But I'd wager it's a non-zero number.

 

[Smythe Bacchus]

I will confess to be a dullard, as I can't figure out where to see it. Vimeo maybe?

Yes looks like Vimeo, USD 5 to rent or USD 9 to buy.
https://saucersspooksandkooks.vhx.tv/

Trailer Sep 9, 2025

A cautionary tale about disinformation, Saucers, Spooks and Kooks follows the story of scientist, Paul Bennewitz. Bennewitz was targeted by a mind-bending counter-intelligence campaign that birthed enduring UFO lore.

The themes and memes of this incident spread into the 1980s UFO scene, and eventually found their way to movies and shows like the X-Files, captivating a new generation of believers. Tropes like the "Greys," "Reptoids," underground bases, and crashed saucers have had an enduring influence on popular culture and still determine how we see the UFO phenomenon today.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvjqJ48oxmE

Interview Nov 15, 2025

Hot off putting a wrap on the film version of his popular book, Adam Gorightly guests on UFO Classified to talk with host Erica Lukes about "Saucers, Spooks and Kooks." Also expected to drop by is the movie's director and producer, Christopher Graybill.

Discussion topics will no doubt include the spook-y side of the UFO culture, as well as the Paul Bennewitz Affair and its cast of many peculiar characters. Writer and researcher Jack Brewer will also sit in on what is certain to be an intriguing conversation.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYt1DnkVYkk