Phoenix Forgotten (2017) Review

Based on Shocking Untold True Events

Back on March 13th, 1997 a cluster of (still) unidentified flying lights were witnessed by thousands of people over a span of 3 hours across Arizona, Nevada and Mexico. A triangular formation of lights were seen passing over the region and a series of stationary lights were filmed hovering over Phoenix. The Air Force claimed the lights were flares that were dropped from a plane during a training exercise, which has since been debunked, and the governor at the time downplayed the hype but later admitted to believe the lights were "otherworldly".

Fast-forward 20 years and Ridley Scott (yes, that Ridley Scott) helped bring us Phoenix Forgotten, a found footage horror about three teens who vanished shortly after the mysterious light sightings.

I was hesitant to watch this, mainly because it's yet another found footage, but since Phoenix is my hometown it was hard not to give it a shot. I moved here a year after the sightings so I only knew about it from all the buzz it was still getting. Co-workers talking about it, new theories on the local news, etc. So the chance to see the incident in feature-length form was just too tempting to turn away from.

And I'm glad I didn't pass this one up, Phoenix Forgotten just happened to be a solid found footage. Shaky cam wasn't too distracting, there was a lot of backstory, full character development, a ton of tension building and no jump scares. Overall it was a gripping horror that was easy to get pulled into.

Worth Watching?