American Genre Film Archive

The McPherson Tape

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This listing is for the standard edition Blu-ray release. The limited edition slipcover was limited to 1,000 units and is sold out. The two versions are identical, aside from the slipcover.

The American Genre Film Archive (AGFA) represents the world's largest theatrical catalog of exploitation cinema. Their home video line presents a diverse selection of movies, ranging from new preservations of classics from the vast library of Something Weird to the wildest in shot-on-video (SOV) titles. Vinegar Syndrome’s sister company, OCN Distribution, is thrilled to be representing this diverse and unique home video line, beginning with a loaded special edition of the notorious McPherson Tape!

The world's first found footage horror movie!

A decade before THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT redefined the horror landscape, there was THE MCPHERSON TAPE. On October 8th, 1983, the McPherson family gathered together to celebrate the 5th birthday of Michelle, the littlest member of their household. Everything was captured on VHS by Michael McPherson and his new camcorder. Including the alien invasion. Shot for $6000 by first-time filmmaker Dean Alioto in 1989, this movie blends the production design of a Jaycees haunted house with a dead serious tone to forge a fun, hypnotic nightmare that upends the concept of reality. Due to a warehouse fire at the original distribution company, THE MCPHERSON TAPE was never legitimately released. AGFA + Bleeding Skull! are proud to present the world home video premiere of this important milestone in shot-on-video horror history, newly preserved from the original 3/4” master tape.

NOTICE! This movie was shot on VHS and edited on tape. Please approach the technical quality of the transfers with empathy.

directed by: Dean Alioto
starring: Tommy Giavocchini, Patrick Kelley, Shirly McCalla, Stacey Shulman, Christine Staples, Laura Tomas, Dean Alioto
1989 / 63 min / 1.33:1 OAR

Additional info:

Region Free Blu-ray
New transfer from the original 3/4" master tape!
UFO ABDUCTION: The 2017 director's cut!
Commentary track with director Dean Alioto on original cut!
1989 theatrical premiere introduction!
ENCOUNTERS TV segment!
Fantastic Fest Q&A!
Reversible cover artwork
SDH English subtitles

Overall rating: 4.6923075 / 5 from 65 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

The McPherson Tape Blu-ray release is highly praised for its captivating movie experience, exceptional film quality, and stunning artwork. Customers appreciate the unique found footage style and the excellent release quality, making it a must-have for horror enthusiasts.

Summary topics

Movie Experience: 14%
Film Quality: 14%
Artwork: 12%
Release Quality: 12%

Review topics: [movie, release, film, artwork, entry, footage, delight, genre, acting, horror, transfer, sov, abductions, offering, buy, costumes, slipcover, copy, vibe, cut, fun, watch, extras, authenticity, work, attempt, attacks].

Review highlights

"Great release and great artwork!" — Guillaume O.
"A great low budget realistic movie." — Jon B.
"I loved this found footage Perot film." — Jonah

Reviews

Happy Birthday to Mac and Me

"I am finally glad that I gave this one a chance. It's going to be too boring for some, but I like these kinds of films. Great commentary too."

— Bryan C. (4/5)

holy grail for found footage nerds

""This is the holy grail for found footage nerds. AGFA and Vinegar Syndrome did an awesome job preserving it from the original 3/4" master tape, so it looks as good as a creepy 80s VHS home movie possibly can. The acting is pure improv and those alien costumes are delightfully goofy, but the tense, claustrophobic vibe still totally holds up. A legendary piece of zero-budget sci-fi horror history. ""

— Pablo R. (4/5)

Static, Shadows, and Something in the Dark: AGFA Reclaims a UFO Legend

"AGFA’s Blu-ray release of The McPherson Tape seems to have finally unveiled a long-standing myth. For many years, this film has lingered as an urban legend—vaguely recalled from low-quality copies, incorrectly labeled tapes, and the type of "I swear I saw this once on TV" anecdotes that are shared within UFO communities. Witnessing it meticulously restored not only enhances the visual quality; it also revives the film’s original purpose as a remarkable, handcrafted narrative that predates the found-footage phenomenon by almost ten years."

— Shawn G. (5/5)

The McPherson Tapes

"This is a gift so I cannot review it"

— Katherine B. (5/5)

A Classic Found Footage

"Happy to own a physical release of one the first found footage films. Transfer is clean, especially for what it is and how it was filmed. Very cool artwork as well!"

— Charles D. (5/5)

A really interesting, early found

"A really interesting, early found footage film."

— Dave C. (4/5)

I was hoping that this

"I was hoping that this movie would have some information on another movie the director put out but alas, it did not. Its still a pretty ambitious movie, one that it can't quite measure up to, and there is the groundwork for a really good movie here. Its still pretty fun to watch for its home movie quality that gives it some more authenticity, it would be really great if it was done with more money on the alien designs."

— Stephen S. (4/5)

I "found" this very interesting and fun.

"A great low budget realistic movie. Great extras and well done."

— Jon B. (5/5)

Aliens at my birthday

"This is a bizarre low budget home video attempt at a real weird alien attack"

— chris b. (5/5)

Close Encounters of the Dull Kind

"The scariest and most authentic aspect was seeing the wicker paper plate holders. God, am I really that old? Anyways, I didn't mind the cheap alien costumes, or the dark, pioneering "camera work", but the reactions to witnessing the existence of extraterrestrial life/invaders were entirely unbelievable."

— Chance C. (3/5)