Interesting and open to discussion the documentary Terror in the Skies gets its chance to make a statement on VOD and DVD this weekend. The film catches up on the sightings of huge birds that lures Cryptozoologists and sightseers to towns in Illinois and West Virginia. Using interviews, historical legend and actual video the movie lays a lot on the line.
Narrated by Lyle Blackburn and directed and co-written by Seth Breedlove the movie takes on the subject of sightings and human contact with huge birds larger than those known to modern man. The first town on their stop is Southern Illinois where the people of Lawndale speak up about what they have witnessed. Most of them had quick sightings and one family claims, with the use of old newspaper clippings, that a giant bird picked up a young boy carrying him for several yards.
At other locations including Alton, Illinois where there was a Confederate Prison reported strange hauntings of birdlike creatures. Most notable to historians of American Indians is that the Thunderbird that tops most of the totem poles was a real creature that resembles the sightings.
The film covers a lot of information and the most pointed is the Mothman of Chicago, Illinois with claims that sightings have been made of a flying man creature landing on top of buildings in the city. In other cities there’s the legend of Piasa drawn on the side of a cliff for all to see including a monument that explains what people are looking at.
But, what I liked most about the film is the history of the towns that are featured being filled with memories. Using photos and old film stock footage, it draws you back into the past with downtown shopping instead of malls and parks instead of theme parks. Memories to some people are the mom and pop stores like Berksons, Crown Drugs, Miller’s Thrift Drugs and Green’s Grocery. 1950’s cars line the streets and crowds of people walk along coming in contact with ordinary citizens of their city. Young boys and girls play alongside dirt streets with sign boards featuring Coca Cola 5 cents. Moving deeper into the past, photos show horse drawn buggies and muddy roads that lead up to a courthouse.
My take thinks that let birds be birds as the film does not make any real claims of people being killed by the proclaimed giants or if they really caused much damage. No one has ever captured one of the high flyers they call Thunderbirds and most claims use the identification of it looking like a Condor that’s familiar to the South America Andes Mountains.
Terror in the Skies has not been rated by the MPAA, but contains very little offensive material if any.
FINAL ANALYSIS: Not very exciting or scary, but it does inform. (1 out of 5 Stars)
Specifications and additional video information:
Cast as themselves: Ken Gerhard, Loren Coleman, Chad Lewis, Allison Jornlin, Kevin Nelson, Tobias Wayland
Narrator: Lyle Blackburn
Director and co-writer: Seth Breedlove
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Genre: Documentary
Running Time: 1 hr. 7 min.
Video Release Date: June 7, 2019
Language: English
Reviewed Format: DVD
Number of Discs: 1 disc
Distributed by: Small Town Monster
Released on: Amazon Instant Video, Vimeo On Demand, DVD and VIDI Space
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
