I absolutely love your website and have been visiting it daily since I discovered its existence! I've been knocking around the idea of sending in my own Name That Trauma for quite some time now, but I had always held off on it because I'm not sure how solid my memory of the scene I want to reference is, and also, I'm not entirely sure it wasn't just some crazy fever dream. But I decided, what the hey, I'll just submit it for some peace of mind and if someone knows what I am talking about, I will have ended a many, many years long mystery, which will be a relief!
I remember being 8 or 9, and I want to say the movie had to be from the mid-to-late ‘80s or early ‘90s. I remember that there was a class of children who made lanterns as a project and they were going on an evening parade to show off the lanterns to their parents and families. They went over a hill and disappeared on the other side. I remember being extremely creeped out by seeing the lanterns going over the hill, just little lights in the darkness, and you could barely see the children. There was a boy who was in bed when this happened, and he was watching out of his bedroom window. I think he had gotten in trouble or had not completed the project or some other thing, so he was not at the parade. He watched through those curtains with horizontal slats in his bedroom, and he saw the kids go over the hill and then saw a bright flash of light…he didn't know what had happened, but it was at that moment when the kids went over the hill that they all disappeared. Which makes me want to believe that this was some kind of alien abduction movie, or some other sci-fi flick. But that one scene is all I remember of this movie because it made me horrified to go outside in the dark – I might suddenly disappear like the kids in the movie, you know!
I apologize if it is a really well-known movie (or, for that matter, if it is not even a movie, and just something that I dreamed). I will feel stupid. But I do not typically watch alien movies or sci-fi movies…I'm much more into slasher flicks and survival horror. So forgive me if this is a common film…it just isn't in a genre that I usually watch!
If anyone has any ideas about what movie this might be, I would be so grateful! And please keep in mind that it was fifteen years ago and my memory of the scene may be shaky; so take my synopsis of the scene with a grain of salt. I'd appreciate anything that sounds at all similar, just for the leads, and who knows, it might be right!
Thanks so much for your help!
— Lizzie C.
If this was a fever dream, then you need to make this movie…because I wanna watch it!
Every time we get a "Name That Trauma!" about an alien abduction I believe it is a memory from a real abduction!
I agree Pinchy, if this is a movie I need to see it! The lanterns going over the hill is such a cool visual…
I know not everything fits, but could it possibly be Invaders From Mars? If it seems like it was from the 80's it was probably Tobe Hooper's 1986 remake
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091276/
Stevil1981, that's a great guess! I wonder if that's it!
Stevil1981, that may be it, but I can't say for sure – I am going to seek it out tonight after the kiddo goes to bed and give it a watch. I want to research any suggestions about what it could be because I am sure some of the details I am 'remembering' are muddy and/or inaccurate. Thanks so much for taking the time to make a guess!!! I will report back either way if it is correct or incorrect!
The thing about the lanterns going over the hill in the darkness is something that sticks in my mind because it was, to my childhood self, very visually striking, and very effectively creepy. I do feel kind of crazy, though…I have brought this movie memory up in social settings and gotten a lot of weird looks and 'I don't know' responses. But I have also gotten several 'It sounds really familiar, but I can't place it…' responses, so who the Hell knows.
Could it be LANTERN HILL? I've never seen it, but remember the commercials promoting it (it's a Canadian MFTV movie from the early 90's). No aliens, but lots of ghostly stuff. Seems like this scenario belongs in something based at turn-of-the-century instead of modern times. Just spit-balling here, not a firm guess.
The first thing I thought of was Something Wicked this way comes. I just think that's because there was a parade being watched out of a window in it.
I think I remember seeing this one as well, Lizzie. The actor in the photos is Christopher Walken, so maybe gong through his filmography on imdb might turn something up?