Sunn Classics Low-Budget Shockers Spoofed in UFO Mockrumentary

Back in the 1970s, Sunn Classic Pictures would take popular human interest stories dealing with UFOs, Bigfoot, Noah's Ark, or the Bermuda Triangle and turn them into sensational, you-can't-miss-this documentaries exploring the unusual topic. These pictures are saluted (and spoofed) in "The Top Secret UFO Project," filmmaker R. J. Thomas' parody of UFO documentaries.

"The 1970s Sunn Classic pictures would come to the neighborhood theater backed by lots of TV ads to proclaim that the film had some sensational new discovery," Mr. Thomas said. "They'd also say that the picture would run for one week only, so you'd better hurry on down and see it. Of course, the film would be held over another week and they'd say, 'Held over! One more week! This is you last chance!'"

The Utah-based company produced and distributed many popular low-budget schockudramas during that era such as "The Outer Space Connection," "The Mysterious Monsters," "Beyond and Back," "In Search of Noah's Ark," "The Bermuda Triangle," and "The Late Great Planet Earth."

"Some of these pictures were better made than others," Mr. Thomas said. "Many were cheesy. But they all had a certain charm, especially in hindsight. I wanted my picture to have the same tone."

Based on Mr. Thomas' 2004 novella of the same name, "The Top Secret UFO Project" chronicles the UFO-related events experienced by Jasper, a tiny Colorado hamlet south of Denver. According to the film, the town dealt with one unusual event after another in the summer of 1956. Scientists rushed into Jasper to investigate, reporters rushed in looking for stories, and government officials rushed in to keep it a secret from the world.

Billed as "the movie that the government does not want you to see," "The Top Secret UFO Project" has created some Internet buzz and landed Mr. Thomas a guest spot on "The 'X' Zone," Rob McConnell's internationally-syndicated radio program that deals with the unproven and the unexplained.

Mr. Thomas plays a documentary filmmaker who, in 2003, discovered (by accident) some top secret government films pertaining to the 1956 Jasper Incident. This inspired him to make a documentary about Jasper's UFO story, and to discover the truth behind what really happened that mysterious summer in Colorado.

"I hope I gave Sunn Classic Pictures an affectionate tribute with this one," Mr. Thomas said. "I think my UFO flick would do them proud."

"The Top Secret UFO Project" is on DVD at BooksAndSuchMart.com and available for download at Grapeflix.com.