
Known For
Directing
Dean Alioto
Biography
Director and writer Dean Alioto is an award-winning filmmaker and documentarian with an impressive track record across film and television. He has produced acclaimed specials for A+E, Bravo, and Discovery, and served as a consultant on James Fox’s hit UFO documentary The Phenomenon. Dean’s groundbreaking work in the genre has earned him a place in the Paramount+ documentary Unknown Dimensions: The Story of Paranormal Activity, where he is celebrated as the creator of The McPherson Tape, the first-ever found footage film. He is also known for the enigmatic Paramount TV movie Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County, which has become a cult classic in the UFO and paranormal storytelling space.
Movie Appearances

Unknown Dimension: The Story of Paranormal Activity
as Self
2021

L.A. Dicks
as Harold
2007

Quarries
as Cody
2016

MoniKa
as Andy
2012

Beyond the Spectrum: Being Taken
as Filmmaker
2018

Shadowheart
as Spider
2009

UFO Abduction
as Michael Van Heese
1989

The Found Footage Phenomenon
as Self
2021

Complacent
as Mr. Capilano
2012

Content
as Stranger #1
2025
Man With a Movie Camera: The Found Footage Legacy of 'Man Bites Dog'
as Self
2025