The REALL News

Magazine Overview

The REALL News, Volume 3, Issue 5, dated May 1995, features an article titled "The Curse of the Space Mummies" by Martin Kottmeyer. The issue opens with a quote from James Randi: "It's a very dangerous thing to believe in nonsense."

The Curse of the Space Mummies

Martin Kottmeyer's article critically examines UFO abduction accounts, focusing on the perceived similarities between the Betty Andreasson and Sandra Larson cases. Kottmeyer argues that ufologists, while diligent in spotting similarities, often overlook significant differences. He notes that while Fowler and Hopkins highlighted identical nasal implant operations in both cases, they remained silent on the dissimilar appearance of the surgeons. Andreasson described 4-foot tall gray-skinned entities with bald, pear-shaped heads, while Larson reported a 6-foot tall entity with metallic arms and head wrappings, which she called a "mummy."

Beyond the nasal implants, Kottmeyer lists several shared experiences: floating sensations, travel through walls, tummy exams, temporary caging in body-molded transparent enclosures, witnessing a barren, desert-like landscape with square buildings, traveling through tunnels, and being drawn into transport bubbles. However, he emphasizes the stark differences in the entities' appearances.

Kottmeyer then draws parallels between Andreasson's account and Egyptian imagery, noting her mention of pyramids with indentations similar to the Great Pyramid of Cheops and a "big head like the Sphinx." He also connects this to the Phoenix, a bird sacred in Egypt, which Andreasson encountered.

He revisits his earlier argument that similarities like nasal implants might indicate cultural borrowing rather than shared experience. Comparing Larson and Andreasson, he finds many disparities that weaken the case for shared experience. Larson was encased in a transparent cube, while Andreasson was molded and had liquid poured over her, a detail that echoes Louise Smith's 1976 Kentucky triple abduction experience described in the book "Abducted!". This book also includes Larson's case. Andreasson's claim of having an eye pulled out of its socket is compared to a magic trick performed by Filipino psychic surgeons, as explained by William Nolen.

Kottmeyer suggests Andreasson's account may have been influenced by the 1971 film "The Andromeda Strain," particularly its decontamination procedure involving brilliant light and body hair removal. He notes that Andreasson's aliens, with their hairless, pear-shaped heads, are conventional and resemble those from "The Outer Limits" and, more directly, the aliens from the 1975 TV movie "The UFO Incident" (an adaptation of "The Interrupted Journey"). He points out specific alterations in Andreasson's drawings that align with the movie's alien design, such as eye socket angles, pupil size, and disparities between left and right eyes, and even a needle insertion in the navel, mirroring a scene in the movie.

Kottmeyer questions why Andreasson would favor "The UFO Incident" aliens over space mummies, suggesting the visual impact of the movie might be a factor. He wonders why Larson, who also saw "The UFO Incident," did not borrow from it. He posits that Larson's case might be linked to her involvement with APRO, which had a special interest in the Pascagoula abduction of 1973. APRO emphasized the mummy-like appearance of the Pascagoula entity, a detail that enhanced its credibility for them. Larson, reportedly new to UFOs, might have absorbed these motifs from conversations with UFO buffs or researchers.

Kottmeyer contrasts the Pascagoula case with others, noting that only two particulars—tummy exams by mummies—seem reprised. He then discusses the question of why Charles Hickson, involved in the Pascagoula case in 1973, opted for "space mummies" when "The UFO Incident" was not yet released. He suggests the verbal description might have been vague, and the drawing in "The Interrupted Journey" was crude. The tale of a woman undergoing a horrific pregnancy test might also be an incongruous choice for a male abductee.

The article highlights how the Lorenzens connected the Pascagoula entity to a case from Peru involving a man designated C.A.V., who encountered three mummies. The description of C.A.V.'s mummies—joined legs, featureless faces, and pincers—matches the Pascagoula entity remarkably well. Kottmeyer agrees that the odds against happenstance are too remote.

He challenges the Lorenzens' argument about the choice of "space mummies" being less acceptable. He points out that "UFOs Over the Americas" was widely distributed. The Lorenzens themselves noted the differences between C.A.V.'s case and Hickson's, such as C.A.V.'s disc-shaped UFO versus Hickson's fish-shaped craft, and the entities' differing behaviors. C.A.V.'s entities engaged in conversation and discussed endangering the universe, while Hickson's entities did not conduct tummy exams.

Kottmeyer identifies the fish shape of the craft and the tummy exam with the eye as critical clues. He notes that a June 1959 incident from Buenos Aires described an object shaped like a huge fish, and the eye over the tummy is a composite from cases on page 206 of "UFOs Over the Americas," including an 1880 incident and the Hill case. He suggests that the blending and distortion of elements are akin to how dreams remix memories.

The choice of "mummies" by Hickson's mind is linked to the chapter title "The Flesh Crawlers" in the book, which described the scariest-looking alien. Hickson's personal account in "UFO Contact at Pascagoula" includes the line, "My flesh crawls when I think about those three things that appeared through the opening."

Regarding C.A.V.'s case, Kottmeyer explains that Peruvian culture, with its pervasive reverence for mummies and Incan leaders, would make the idea of space mummies more believable and resonant than in the USA. He notes that C.A.V. saw a psychiatrist who suggested hallucination or dream, possibly due to stress from his businesses. Richard Greenwell, who interviewed C.A.V., found the experience "unreal - but interesting."

Kottmeyer concludes that C.A.V.'s gliding space mummies are a product of Peruvian culture that illuminates the processes of cultural transmission and story formation in abduction experiences. The Lorenzens introduced this into America, influencing Hickson, and subsequently Larson. Andreasson almost included it but chose "The UFO Incident" aliens instead. The entities in "The UFO Incident" walk, while in Andreasson's remix, they glide, similar to the Lorenzens' space mummies. Kottmeyer states that the pattern of similarities and differences suggests that humans, not aliens, are responsible for these narratives, rendering the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH) untenable without significant modification.

An asterisk notes that "Spock's Brain" was rated the worst episode of Star Trek in Entertainment Weekly's collector's edition. The article originally appeared in "Promises and Disappointments" and is reprinted with the author's permission. Martin Kottmeyer is identified as a frequent contributor to The REALL News.

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme is the critical analysis of UFO abduction narratives, challenging the literal interpretation of similarities as evidence for extraterrestrial contact. The editorial stance, as presented by Kottmeyer, is skeptical of the Extraterrestrial Hypothesis (ETH) and leans towards psychological, cultural, and media-influenced explanations for UFO experiences. The magazine appears to favor in-depth, critical examination of paranormal claims rather than uncritical acceptance.