UFO History: November 29, 1989

When deciding what to use for today in UFO history, I stumbled upon one of the most intriguing UFO/UAP flaps in history. While this event started on this day, it lasted for some time. Personally, this is quite fitting considering some of the activity that is being experienced today in 2024. 

The Belgian UAP wave was a series of sightings of triangular UAPs in Belgium, which lasted from 29 November 1989 to April 1990.

The Belgian UAP wave began in November 1989. Reports were filed, most many weeks after the events. Many of the reports related a large object flying at low altitude. Some reports also stated that the craft was of a flat, triangular shape, with lights underneath.

The Belgian UAP wave peaked with the events of the night of March 30th, 1990. On that night, one unknown object was tracked on radar, and two Belgian Air Force F-16s were sent to investigate, with neither pilot reporting seeing the object. No reports were received from the public on the date. But over the next 2 weeks reports from 143 people who claimed to have witnessed the object were received, all of them after the event. Over the ensuing months, many others claimed to have witnessed these events as well. Following the incident, the Belgian Air Force released a report detailing the events of that night.

At around 23:00 on March 30th, 1990, the supervisor for the Control Reporting Center (CRC) at Glons received reports that three unusual lights were seen moving towards Thorembais-Gembloux, which lies to the southeast of Brussels. Glons CRC requested the Wavre gendarmerie send a patrol to confirm the sighting.

Some later reports stated that, approximately 10 minutes later, a second set of lights were seen moving towards the first triangle. Traffic Center Control at Semmerzake tracked one object on its radar, and an order to scramble two F-16 fighters from Beauvechain Air Base was given. In reports after the event, multiple witnesses claimed that the phenomenon was visible from the ground, and described the whole formation as "maintaining their relative positions while moving slowly across the sky".

Over the next hour, the two scrambled F-16s attempted nine separate interceptions of the targets. On three occasions, they managed to obtain a radar lock for a few seconds, but these were later shown to be Radar-locks on each other. The pilots never reported seeing any of the claimed sightings, saw none of the claimed manoeuvres, and never got a lock on any objects apart from the other F-16.The other contacts were all found to be the result of a well-known atmospheric interference called Bragg scattering.

After 00:30, radar contact became much more sporadic and the final confirmed lock took place at 00:40. Following several further unconfirmed contacts, the F-16s eventually returned to base shortly after 01:00.

Members of the Wavre gendarmerie who had been sent to confirm the original report, describe four lights now being arranged in a square formation, all making short jerky movements, before gradually losing their luminosity and disappearing in four separate directions at around 01:30. They also reported that a low engine noise was heard and that it seemed to have a stick coming out one end with a turbine on it, which has led many to conclude the object was a helicopter.

Santa Sangre (1989)

As usual October has been a busy month,  vending both Monster Fest and Heroes Assemble. With both events finally done,  I can relax , continue enjoying horror,  and maybe even breaking through my writers block.  The next film up for review is the 1989 cult classic, Santa Sangre.

Plot: A former circus artist escapes from a mental hospital to rejoin his armless mother--the leader of a strange religious cult--and is forced to enact brutal murders in her name as he becomes her arms.

Let me start by saying that i have no idea why i waited this long to catch this film,  this one is truly amazing.  The artistic aspects alive would make it had above many of the surreaistic folks of the era.  However,  this one also boasts a tremendous atmosphere that takes full advantage of the unsettling imaging, violence,  and sexuality. There really isn't much that this one gets wrong.  Sure,  some of the appearace may feel dated when streaming,  but for me, that added to the experience. Plus,  the circus theme really hit a soft spot.  If you haven't seen it,  you are missing out. 

Pet Sematary (1989)

Yesterday I was searching for something to watch with the girls downstairs and decided to search my streaming services to find something. After some internal debate, I decided on the 1989 Stephen King adaptation Pet Sematary.

Plot/ Behind a young family's home in Maine is a terrible secret that holds the power of life after death. When tragedy strikes, the threat of that power soon becomes undeniable.

This is one of the Stephen King adaptations that have a place right in the middle of the catalog. While it is nowhere near as good as The Shining or Misery, it is not nearly as bad as Maximum Overdrive or Christine. For fans of King, this movie does have a better than average feel, mostly because King himself penned the script. The cast is an interesting mix, the scenery is amazing, the storyline interesting, the effects solid, and the performances are decent, yet even those positives cannot make this reach the potential that it held inside. Unfortunately, the characters feel underdeveloped, the atmosphere is flat, there really aren’t any scares, and a lot of the movie felt restrained to a point where things become overly predictable. In the end, this is another case where the book is much better than the movie adaptation. Is this a terrible movie? No, but it also isn’t anywhere close to being an effective horror movie.

Millennium (1989)

After watching the boy, I attempted to go back into Arthurian mythology, but I couldn’t sit through my low budget selection. Instead, I turned to some sci-fi from my formidable days, the 1989 time travel flick Millennium.

Plot/ An NTSB investigator seeking the cause of an airline disaster meets a warrior woman from 1000 years in the future. She replaces the people from airplanes before they crash with corpses with the same features.

Time travel movies can often be a mixed bag, and this one is no exception. A low budget sci-fi gem from the 1980s, this one actually has an interesting storyline and takes on time travel in an intriguing manner. The performances are solid, that cast is a fine mix, the scripting thought-out and layered, and for the era and budget, the effects are not that bad. Yes, there is some campiness and some of the elements are a touch over-the-top, the ending leaves a bit to be desired, and at one glance, you can tell the movie was shot in the 1980s, but those flaws do not bring the movie down. In the end, this is a good but not groundbreaking or memorable time travel film. Sure, it could have been better and the ending does hurt the overall feel, but for what it is, the movie is better than most of the low budget stuff that is forced upon us today.

DeepStar Six (1989)

With last weeks, math homework in the rearview and a couple days until my next assignment is due, I decided to just kick back and relax. Of course, it does help that my crusader kicked Diablo’s ass last night and I am now headed to destroy the reaper of souls. With that extra time, I decided to go retro for a couple movies, starting with the 1989 deep-sea flick DeepStar Six.

Plot/ At the bottom of the ocean, the DeepStar Six has just discovered a new and deadly alien menace.

So, I have been in a retro mood this weekend and decided to give this one another shot after quite some time. Honestly, what I found surprised me, as the movie was actually a lot better than I remembered. The acting is solid, the storyline clichéd but interesting, and the mixture of story and action was pretty good. Sure, there were some characterization issues, the creature was absolutely horrid, and some of it felt dated, but it definitely held up better than some of the creature features from the past. In the end, this one is definitely worth revisiting if you have not seen it in some time; it is an entertaining and dark trip to the bottom of the sea that should be seen.

The Horror Show (1989)

After enjoying my trip into the dark world of Rosemary’s Baby last night, I decided I wanted to catch something different tonight as I worked on some homework. First, I watched Left Behind, as some Antichrist vibe was needed as I worked on my project. When that was done, I ventured into the 1980s with the 1989 flick The Horror Show (AKA House III).

Plot/ Detective Lucas McCarthy finally apprehends "Meat Cleaver Max" and watches the electric chair execution from the audience. But killing Max Jenke only elevated him to another level of reality. Now Lucas' family is under attack, his sanity in question, and his house haunted. Aided by a disreputable college professor, can Lucas reclaim his mind, house, and family?

The Horror Show is nowhere close to the classic that I watched last night. However, it is a great example of the splatter/slasher craze of the 1980s. While it is far from perfect, it does have a decent storyline, some solid performances, and a large amount of blood, gore, and violence, all elements that made movies from the 1980s rock! Unfortunately, the pacing is off, the comedic allusions did not work, and the scripting was uneven. In the end, this one is nothing special and not worth searching for. Yes, it is entertaining and would be worth watching if you catch it on Netflix, but remember it is nothing spectacular.

The Terror Within (1989)

I have been caught up in watching the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mysteries over the past few days. I won't lie, Pamala Sue Martin was a favorite of mine in my youth and I am enjoying the chance to revisit that era. Of course, that does not stop me from checking out some horror. Tonight, I ventured into the world of Roger Corman for the 1989 schlockfest The Terror Within. 

Plot/ Experiments in biological warfare have destroyed all but a few remnants of the human race. Alone in a lab, eight students work feverishly to create a vaccine before they are forced outside in search for food. It is then that the surviving scientists discover creatures mutated by the plague. Now they prepare to do battle against their worst fear: The Terror Within.

Mentioning Corman and a movie title in the same sentence can often bring different results depending on who you talk to. Corman has the special place in many hearts as the king of low budget schlockfests. This one rates up there with some of his best 1980s fodder. Clearly a cliched Alien-influenced flick, this one features some solid acting, decent set design, and some interesting death scenes. This would have been a perfect drive-in flick. Sure, the story is full of typical cliche, the creature is one of the more hideous, and there are moments of over-the-top cheese, but that is just fine. In the end, this may not be a classic, but it is a solid low-budget creature feature from the 1980s and a flick that should be seen. 

Nightwish (1989)

After pulling a late night at the institute tonight, I wanted to find something fun, entertaining and different to unwind to. I really think that I have been pushing myself a bit too much with more serious stuff lately. After some thought, I decided to see what I could find on Netflix. What I found in Nightwish was a blast from the past.

Plot/ A professor and four graduate students journey to a crumbling mansion to investigate paranormal activity and must battle ghosts, aliens and satanic entities.

When I saw this on Netflix, I knew that I had watched it years ago when it came out, but could not place it. Once it started, I knew exactly what it was. Yes, this was a B-Grade horror flick from the late 1980s, but it was one that had an original and surrealistic concept that worked well in the all-encompassing script. This one had everything, and while, unbelievable, was able to pull it off. Sure, some of it was too over-the-top, with decent effects and campy visual effects, but, between the incoherent storyline, solid performances and heavy atmosphere, an entertaining flick was found. Sure, some of it was possibly too erratic, some of the scripting forced it to drag at points and the score is dated, but those things are easily overlooked. In the end, if you are looking for something off kilter and weird that can take back to a more open time in horror history, give this one a chance, it honestly has everything you could ask for.

Witchcraft (Video 1989)

I definitely had a long and interesting weekend full of movie watching, and as always this can be a mixed bag. Yes, I did see some good flicks, but there were also some bad ones. I wonder which category 1989s video release Witchcraft falls into.

Plot/ A new mother and her child move into her mother-in-law's dark old mansion. She soon begins to suspect that neither the house nor her mother-in-law are quite what they seem to be.

This movie was not quite as bad as I expected, but I cannot say it was good either. The acting was mediocre, the plot basic (almost stolen from Rosemary’s Baby), terrible scripting/character development, and the editing was poor. However, the effects (especially on the budget) were solid and there were a few creepy moments. Overall, the film is at least watchable, although I would only recommend that if there is little to nothing else available.

The Church (1989)

After my meeting about the New Jersey Zombie Walk, it was time to venture back into the world of horror. Tonight I decided on the 1989 Satanic / Demonic Italian horror entry The Church (La Chiesa).

 

Plot / A church is built during medieval times on top of a pile of dead bodies that were considered possessed. Hundreds of years later a young librarian unleashes the evil within, by removing a rock in the catacombs. Series of events occur meanwhile, everybody just does not seem to be the same. Father Gus is the only one not possessed, he must save the city from becoming a pandemonium, he must find the ancient secret of the church so it can crumble to pieces.

To me, this is a great little Gothic horror film! Based on a screenplay by horror maestro Dario Argento, director Michele Soavi created a film with a tremendously creepy atmosphere aided by a awesome soundtrack. While visually striking and packing a nice mix of violence and gore, the story seems a bit incoherent at times. It almost seems like the surreal aspects actually made the story a bit more confusing than it had to be. Still this remains an awesome flick that is a must-see for fans of Italian horror or goat-masked demons spreading their seed on an altar!

After Midnight (1989)

Friday Nights are usually scary movie nights, and this one was no different. The first movie of the evening was After Midnight from 1989.

Plot / Horror anthology about a college professor teaching a course called The Psychology of Fear He brings his students to his home, one dark and stormy night to tell scary stories. The first involves a young couple whose car breaks down by an old, abandoned house. The second has four trendy teenage girls being lost in a bad part of town, and chased by a pack of vicious dogs. Last, we have an operator confronting a stalker at the answering service where she works the night shift.

This was a lot more entertaining than I imagined it would be. Yes, the stories were not perfect and it was a lot moreTales From the Darkside, than horror, but, overall, I liked it. The soundtrack was creepy, and the atmosphere cried 1980s. Couple that with some steady acting and you have a typical movie from the era. The movie lacked gore and nudity and there was some uneven parts and sub par special effects (the skeleton at the end comes to mind). However, I definitely recommend this flick if you stumble across it, the movie is tame but entertaining.