The truth is out there, and the cryptozoological documentary team, Small Town Monsters, helmed by director Seth Breedlove, attempts to find the truth surrounding the presence of possible alien life forms and UFOs in their latest documentary, On the Trail of UFOs: Dark Sky. Breedlove, again, invited host, Shannon Legro, as they hit the trail in the towns and backwoods of primarily West Virginia. Interviewees include local residents, as well as author Mark Muncy, paranormal historian Susan Sheppard, Mark Matzke, and others to give further insight into the phenomenon.

Questions during eye-witness interviews are led by the stoic but endearing Shannon Legro, who proves to be an excellent host and narrator exploring the bizarre and unexplained anecdotes and clues around the UFO phenomenon. Beginning in West Virginia, a state they explain has a reputation for UFO sightings and other supernatural creatures of Appalachia legend, Shannon Legro and Seth Breedlove trudge through select locations collecting stories and researching the cultural backgrounds of these areas to determine why these specific towns are UFO hotbeds.

The re-enactment videos made for On the Trail of UFOs: Dark Sky are some of the best I’ve seen from documentaries done by Small Town Monsters. Compared to any of their previous videos, this film shows clear progress in the methodology of how director Seth Breedlove is putting together these documentaries. Though On the Trail of UFOs: Dark Sky is not necessarily their most compelling documentary, as far as the evidence presented, it is certainly one of Small Town Monster’s best productions as far as quality. The only production gripe I have is the non-uniform body mics being visible on the eye-witnesses, which could have been hidden for a better aesthetic.

According to Native American legend, the West Virginia area is associated with skulls and is an area prone to both gruesome and weird happenings throughout history that continue into the present day. Stories of lights in the sky and strange beings are on the tips of the tongues of many West Virginians, who share their harrowing stories, some even equipped with home video, of glowing orbs and interactions with strange humanoids. On the Trail of UFOs: Dark Sky also has a segment on the men in black, made famous during the 1960s as eyewitnesses claimed to be questioned and sometimes intimidated into silence by black-suited, Buick-driving shadowy figures.

Legro and Breedlove do an excellent job of wrangling together all of the fantastical stories and dramatic reenactments. Though I had hoped that there would be more facts-based information given, like maybe something out of The Phenomenon (2021), the anecdotal evidence is typical to the Small Town Monsters style of researching from the local level of resources. Set to be released August 3rd, On the Trail of UFOs: Dark Sky goes over the eastern areas of the US not yet discussed in the team’s previous installment of the series.

6.75 out of 10