The Alien Autopsy 1995, officially debunked, is quite the rabbit hole. There's missing pieces and obfuscated information. Dive into the rabbit hole, and tell me what you think?
I started thinking about this again while watching the Netflix documentary Unsolved Mysteries S5E4 The Roswell UFO Incident. At 23:27 Sappho Henderson, wife of Pappy Henderson, one of the pilots that allegedly flew the bodies from Roswell said: My husband told me the bodies were small, the heads were larger, and the eyes were rather sunken and a little slanted.
Something about the sunken eyes connected to the 1995 Alien Autopsy video. The first time I saw it, I reacted with the feeling that it lacks the common artistic interpretation. All artists add a visual flair to their works, bring in an aesthetic and their interpretation of the subject. Even the best sculptures look exaggerated, and very few artists can filter this out to make the work look real.
For example, have a look at Michelangelo’s David, it looks like a comic book character. Even realist sculptor Ron Mueck definitely makes artistic, stylized interpretations of the subjects. All artists struggle with mundane realism, without any form of exaggeration or coolification. The alleged autopsy hoax sculptor John Humphreys adds a lot of obvious style to his work, not aligning with the nuanced features of the alien body, as seen in the later and way higher-funded sculptures he made of the alien for the comedy film and later for his own artistry.
References of hyper-realistic work: https://blog.artsper.com/en/get-inspired/tour-hyperrealist-sculptors/
Here's some collected info, I won't fact-check, just aim a flashlight in the general direction. Pretty strange in my opinion.
In 1995 the Alien Autopsy: Fact or Fiction aired around the world and was released on video. At the time they said that the video was obtained by Ray Santilli in 1992. While looking for private footage of Elvis Presley, reaching out to the public, he came in contact with a retired U.S. military cameraman who presented the autopsy material and who sold him several rolls of film.
The main Alien Autopsy video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pukbzCC3cfQ
Full aired/video documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFGFfnLy-nc
Santilli pre air on Art Bell:
1:34:28 Santilli claims they have 30 minutes of good footage
The Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_Autopsy_(1995_film))
A deep dive article in Nexus Magazine, Volume 3, #6 (Oct–Nov '96), by Michael Hesemann, (C) 1996:
https://archive.sacred-texts.com/ufo/aautopsy.htm
Highlights in the article:
Several journalists have spoken to the cameraman. Journalists Gary Shoefield of Polygram, Philip Mantle, John Purdie of Channel Four (UK), and the secretary of David Roehring of Fox Network, USA.
The cameraman claim: The crash occurred between Socorro and Magdalena, not Roswell. The cameraman had great knowledge of the area of Socorro, while Santilli did not and called it "Sorocco." Suggested more than one autopsy was filmed.
Master Sergeant Bob Allen: Said he saw several related films of three autopsies with footage looking from the same film stock.
Sgt. Clifford Stone: Said he saw bodies and living beings in other footage and mentioned footage shot inside a tent.
Several surgeons speak in favor of the body being real, perhaps a human with some kind of disorder.
During the discussions, there were more videos surfacing:
The tent footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kro5njzup0s
Later claimed as the team's first try to make an alien autopsy hoax.
The body carried away, outdoor clip with several soldiers:
Claimed to have been made by Ray Santilli and later added to the 2006 fictional comedy movie.
Did they also record this in a London flat? It doesn’t seem they claim they recorded this for the movie.
1996 Santilli released an interview with the cameraman that aired on Japanese TV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gX5igoaueo&t=1s
Notes and links below: At 32:45 in Eamonn Investigates, Santilli says it’s a poor guy (later said homeless) they picked up off the streets and used prosthetics. In Spyros’ video comments it is said it’s Los Angeles and the cameraman is played by Moose Carlson, and that you can recognize him.
The autopsy procedure has been criticized, but this post explains it as German-style practice:
https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/11urmbw/the_alien_autopsy_film_of_ray_santilli_might_be/
Dr. Leir speaks in favor of this being real, but hosted by Spyros:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmMiYsHCxZI
In 2006 the hoax/alleged recreation was exposed in Eamonn Investigates, as well as a fictional comedy movie released based on the wonky and very funny circumstances.
Eamonn Investigates (EI), The Alien Autopsy – Documentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMOlA4bYmQw
This is the first time the artist John Humphreys takes credit for making the sculpture of the alien, at 18:20. Santilli and Gary Shoefield stand listening and seem quite nervous. Also, pay close attention: they are quite vague, and it’s not clear if they reference the work on the comedy film or the original autopsy released in 1995. There is quite much room for dual realities and obfuscation here.
In this documentary, they said they made two alien bodies. At 24:31 it contains images from a different autopsy, an alien without the leg wound.
They also claim it’s a recreation/restoration, as the original film deteriorated. Sure, it can all be a lie, because Santilli sold the material as real and if he says it’s all fake, people might want a refund.
They also claim to have forgotten a lot of the details. (EI) 28:00, they don’t remember where they recorded the video, etc.
The comedy film, that Santilli and Shoefield were involved in to some degree, released in 2006 must have been in production since a few years prior.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF-ezFh0Pmk
Ray Santilli, Gary Shoefield talk about the making of the comedy movie (2010).
Still claiming that this is a restoration from material they got in 1993, not mentioning John Humphreys but crediting a brilliant team, and that the comedy movie is based on true events, and that serious threats and danger were involved at the 1995 release.
They end the interview teasing that they have a huge library of material that they won’t commercialize or release.
John Humphreys is the sculptor of the alien in the comedy film. Here are photos of the process as well as a later grey version:
https://johnhumphreyssculpture.com/page11/index.html
Note this is not the original alien, and quite different. The curves are more rounded, proportions are exaggerated, and the general shape is more wobbly. The original alien lacks the John Humphreys aesthetic and visual cues, and looks more realistic but made on a shoestring budget.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLKNRRJ15Ag
John Humphreys speaks at 21:28.
Claims to have seen excerpts of the original film to use as reference. Is he talking about the current sculpture or hoax sculpture? He also talks about keeping it as subtle as possible while standing next to his exaggerated version.
In this link, in the image section, there’s a mold from the making; the same mold is featured in (EI) at 19:42.
https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2020/8/23/ep-186-alien-autopsy-part-1
It’s said that he used his son as a starting point for the cast. In 1995 or 2006? How old is his kid? The cast looks more stylized.
First stated as 3.5 weeks’ sculpture production at a budget of £30,000, sheep carcasses, sheep brains in jelly, and chicken entrails. Sheep’s knuckle joint for the leg. All bought from the butcher in Smithfield Market, John’s mate Trevor. When Eamonn asks the butcher, he tells him all about it in detail. Remember, this interview is 9 years or more after the video, so the butcher likely talks about the 2006 film?
Then later stated production as 4 weeks, $39,000.
Speaking with The Sun, Melaris revealed he had been given a $54,000 budget:
Spyros revealed he was given a £30,000 budget and set to work creating the set, props, and "contamination suits":
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7622761/roswell-alien-autopsy-fake-film-footage-revealed/
Budgets differ depending on the article. news.com.au states that Melaris was friends with John.
Approx. current-day costs and timing for a single body according to ChatGPT:
$8,000–$20,000+ and 4–8 weeks.
Remember, they did two of these with great paint jobs and autopsy functionality.
The hoax was allegedly directed by Spyros Melaris, and he and Santilli seem to have been at odds for several years. His account is told in Alien Autopsy: The Greatest Hoax of All Time:
https://www.writersquill.co.uk/spyros-melaris.html
as well as his homepage: https://www.digitalbiz.cards/spyrosmelarisnews2.html
He argues that he owns the rights to the material, and that Santilli "stole" the profits, and that he regrets the hoax:
https://nypost.com/2017/09/26/alien-autopsy-filmmaker-regrets-hoax/
Here he explains the hoax:
https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2020/8/23/ep-186-alien-autopsy-part-1
2016: An article in time.com
https://time.com/4376871/alien-autopsy-hoax-history/
2017: Santilli shares original negatives to express.co.uk
https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/860020/Roswell-alien-autopsy-genuine-alien-image-Ray-Santilli
"It was not a hoax—Fox put up a million-dollar reward for someone to come forward and say it was fabricated, and it was 20 years before anyone spoke."
2019: Leaked memo from CIA scientist Kit Green. Summary: The Alien Autopsy film/video is real, the alien cadaver is real, and the cadaver seen in the film/video is the same as the photos Kit saw at the 1987/88 Pentagon briefing.
According to The Sun, which was able to obtain photos of the memo, the document was leaked via email to British UFO investigator Philip Mantle. It was believed to have originated from the archives of former NASA astronaut and ufologist Edgar Mitchell.
The whole memo:
https://imgur.com/a/alien-autopsy-proof-email-communication-7D5xIGk
2025
Upcoming documentary by Louis Theroux Mindhouse for Sky:
Spyros Melaris sues Louis Theroux Mindhouse after working with Santilli on an upcoming Sky documentary:
https://deadline.com/2025/10/louis-theroux-mindhouse-sued-alien-autopsy-sky-1236595087/
Spyros lost the case: https://www.mlex.com/mlex/articles/2446529
Spyros Melaris sues Daily Mail:
https://tidmanlegal.com/spyros-melaris-copyright-infringement-case/
Side note: Apparently "Victor" was so provoked by the Alien Autopsy that he, in anger, arranged the release of the real footage, The Alien Interview. I can’t find the source, I heard it in some podcast or perhaps in the Victor interview. Anybody?
The Alien Interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvamS6X5l2I
Perhaps confusion and a different species?
—
2023 In this post's comments there is an alledged death bed confession of the cameraman
https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/11urmbw/the_alien_autopsy_film_of_ray_santilli_might_be/
by magneticlakegames