The Avis Family's Eerie Encounter on the Essex Countryside
The crisp autumn air of October 27th, 1974, held a chilling secret for the Avis family as they drove along a quiet country lane near Hornchurch, Essex. Two of their children were fast asleep in the back, while their middle child, Kevin, gazed out the window. It was Kevin who first noticed the strange light, a pale blue, oval-shaped glow hovering above the nearby houses, moving in the same direction as their car. At first, John and Elaine, Kevin's parents, dismissed it as a helicopter, but the light's erratic, stop-start motion quickly convinced them it was something far more unusual - a UFO.
As they continued their journey, a sense of unease settled over the car. Passing a local pub, they were gripped by a feeling that something was terribly wrong. Suddenly, the car's engine fell silent, the tires ceased to hum, and the only sound was the static crackle of the radio. This eerie silence, a phenomenon often reported in paranormal encounters known as the "Oz effect," heightened their anxiety.
Rounding a bend in the road, they were confronted by an even more unsettling sight: a thick, dense green mist, no more than 30 meters ahead, completely engulfing the road. Just as they spotted the mist, the radio began to smoke and crackle violently, prompting John to rip the wires from the dashboard. Then, they were plunged into the fog.
Elaine later described the car jerking violently as the mist swirled around them. Inside the fog, an unnatural light illuminated the interior of the car, and an intense cold permeated the air. A tingling sensation prickled their skin, and an oppressive silence reigned. The car jolted again, as if it had driven over a humpback bridge, and then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the mist dissipated.
The entire experience within the fog seemed to last only a few seconds. Yet, when the Avis family finally arrived home, they were shocked to discover it was 1 AM. Three hours were unaccounted for – a classic case of missing time.
The encounter had a profound and lasting impact on the Avis family. They underwent significant life changes. John suffered a nervous breakdown and changed his career path, while Elaine decided to return to college. Both parents gave up meat and alcohol, claiming they now made them ill, and John, a heavy smoker, quit his habit cold turkey. Kevin, previously struggling in school, suddenly began to excel.
The strange events didn't end with the missing time. The Avis home became a site of unsettling phenomena. Objects levitated on their own, clicking noises echoed through the house, and the sound of Morse code filled the air. Kevin even reported seeing a strange, clown-like figure beside his bed one night. Both John and Elaine were plagued by vivid dreams in which they were examined on long tables by unknown creatures.
Under hypnosis, John recalled a chilling experience within the mist. He remembered a bright beam of light lifting the car off the ground and being transported to a large room. There, he encountered tall, peaceful beings dressed in seamless, colorless suits, their faces devoid of mouths, their eyes a piercing pink. They communicated telepathically, placing him on a table and running a bar-like instrument over his body. He also saw a small, furry being that made chirping sounds.
When John asked the beings why they visited Earth, they responded simply: "No visit. We are here always." They refused to disclose their origins, stating it was unnecessary, and that they had no need to return home.
The Avis family's story, as we discussed on the podcast, is a captivating puzzle. Missing time, strange transformations, poltergeist activity, hypnotic regression... it has all the hallmarks of a classic UFO encounter, yet the details remain stubbornly elusive. Did the Avis family truly experience contact with extraterrestrial beings? Or is there another explanation for the profound changes they underwent?
What are the implications of beings who claim to be "always here"? We explored these questions on the show, and we're still left wondering. What do you make of it? Share your theories in the comments below.
Check out this story and more on Episode 6 of our Podcast here