The tale of Barney and Betty Hill, who claimed to have been abducted by aliens in 1961, is the subject of a new film, Strange Arrivals, starring Demi Moore and Colman Domingo
Driving through the night on a remote New Hampshire road in 1961, Barney and Betty Hill were startled when a strange light in the sky appeared to follow them, eventually hovering directly above their car in the shape of a flying saucer. The newlyweds, returning home from a honeymoon at Niagara Falls, were soon alarmed by a loud buzzing sound — and then, seemingly in an instant, they were back home 35 miles away, unable to recall how they got there. Their watches had stopped, and their memories were hazy.
This bizarre experience would become one of the first widely publicised alien abduction stories. At the time, no one had spoken publicly about such encounters. But the Hills — Barney, a 39-year-old postal worker, and Betty, a 41-year-old social worker — believed they had been taken aboard an extraterrestrial craft.
Now, their story is being brought to the screen in the film Strange Arrivals , starring Demi Moore as Betty and Colman Domingo as Barney. Based on the podcast of the same name, the movie revisits the couple’s terrifying night and the events that followed.
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In interviews years later, Betty described undergoing a physical exam aboard the alien craft. She recalled the beings photographing her skin, examining her hands and feet, and testing her nervous system. Under hypnosis in 1964, she said they inserted a large needle into her navel as a pregnancy test — despite her protests.
Barney died in 1969 of a brain hemorrhage at age 46. Betty later became a well-known figure in the UFO community, passing away in 2004 at 85. Their niece, Kathleen Marden — who was 13 at the time and now a veteran UFO researcher — insists her aunt and uncle were telling “God’s honest truth”.
Kathleen recalls visiting the Hills two days after the incident. “Barney was visibly shaken. Their watches had stopped working, Betty’s dress was torn, and they refused to bring their luggage inside, fearing contamination,” she said.
According to Kathleen, Barney reported his shoes were so scraped he had to buy a new pair, and Betty’s torn dress showed signs of a struggle. During hypnosis sessions with psychiatrist Dr. Benjamin Simon, the Hills described being examined by humanoid beings aboard a disc-shaped craft. Barney spoke of floating toward the ship, while Betty described tissue samples being taken.
Their account gained attention after being leaked to a newspaper in 1965, and was later adapted into the best-selling 1966 book The Interrupted Journey and the 1975 TV movie The UFO Incident , starring James Earl Jones.
Despite initial scepticism, Kathleen points to supporting evidence: 16 eyewitnesses allegedly saw the same craft that night, and scientific analysis of Betty’s dress revealed unusual elements. Still, Dr. Simon maintained that their memories may have stemmed from dreams and trauma — particularly for Barney, a Black man navigating the racism of 1960s America.
Kathleen, who lived with the Hills for two years and serves as trustee of their estate, says filmmakers haven’t consulted her. She’s concerned the new movie might distort the truth. She says of Betty and Barney: “They experienced anxiety as a result of this experience, but they had no major mental illness.
“I’m fearful Betty might be portrayed as a delusional individual and that her husband loves her so much that he comes to believe her delusion.
“I’m going to be very upset if that is the case.”
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