Movie Reviews

‘On the Trail of UFOs: Dark Sky’ review: Exploring West Virginia’s lights in the sky

Take me home.

August 2, 2021

On the Trail of UFOs: Dark Sky is the follow up to the web series of the same name. Seth Lovebreed and Small Town Monsters team with paranormal researcher Shannon Legro head to West Virginia. The area is known for its being a hotbed of paranormal activity and the group are looking to find answers to the regions many legends.

The documentary covers a lot of familiar topics. There are stories of lights in the sky, government cover ups, and strange energy sources. Dark Sky also touches on Mothman and other local tales of encounters with cryptids. While some of it may not seem to make sense, these topics are mentioned to give background to the area and the film.

When Dark Sky focuses on the subject at hand is when it is most interesting. There are the expected interviews, but they also provide some interesting theories. The documentary goes into light pollution making it easier to see at night and how families may be targeted to explore reasons as to what may be happening in the area. These are nice touches not normally seen in these types of films.

Breedlove has always been good at presenting stories instead of trying to convince audiences to see things a certain way. That continues in Dark Sky (Legro even mentions she is a “collector of stories”). There is never a point when the documentary points out what they are presenting as proof. Instead, it lays out an interesting pattern and lets the viewer decide what they want to believe.

That being said, cynics will point out Dark Sky does not dispel anything that is stated as fact. While that is true, this is not that type of documentary. It is as much about entertaining as it is about uncovering truths. Anyone who goes into this with a closed mind, will not be able to find any enjoyment. This is not a documentary that expects people to watch and come out thinking about paranormal activity differently.