We ARE the center of the universe? THE PRINCIPLE |1.56|
FILM ON THE FRINGE: Magic Myth & Movies
Release Date: 02/16/2017
FILM ON THE FRINGE: Magic Myth & Movies
What if a dream could kill you? We revisit Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and the real-life sleep phenomena that inspired it. We explore how Freddy Krueger emerged from Craven’s own childhood fears and reports of mysterious deaths among Hmong refugees. We also get into the strange science of sleep paralysis, the folklore of the “Old Hag,” the phenomenon of the Hat Man, and the viral mystery of This Man, a face reported in dreams around the world.
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Blade Runner is more than a sci-fi classic — it’s a meditation on memory, identity, and empathy. We explore Philip K. Dick’s 2-3-74 mystical VALIS experience, the meaning of the Voight-Kampff test, and why the film still resonates today as a cinematic awakening.
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From vodou to viral spores, zombies have always evolved with us. In this week’s episode of Film on the Fringe, we uncover the real roots of the undead—myth, science, and metaphor. 🧟 Highlights & References: The Last of Us and the real-world science of Cordyceps fungus White Zombie (1932) and the colonial legacy of the Haitian undead Vodou, slavery, and the soul in Haitian cosmology Clairvius Narcisse, Wade Davis, and The Serpent and the Rainbow Romero’s undead allegories: race, consumerism, class warfare 28 Days Later, Shaun of the Dead, Warm Bodies, Kingdom,...
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Dr. Atom takes you behind the scenes of JURASSIC PARK—literally. After a personal story of working alongside the filmmakers, we explore the science of cloning dinosaurs, the truth behind amber-trapped DNA, and modern de-extinction efforts using CRISPR and AI. Then we dig into the 19th-century Bone Wars, Victorian dinosaur mania, and Arthur Conan Doyle’s THE LOST WORLD. Along the way, we follow a strange fossil trail into the world of young Earth creationism, Cambodian stegosaurus carvings, and fire-breathing beasts from the Book of Job. It’s science, history, and myth—all tangled up in...
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Gremlins on the wing, goblins in the woods, and strange little beings at your window. From WWII aviation lore to Spielberg’s unmade alien siege story, this episode traces the evolution of mischievous trickster creatures through folklore, pop culture, and real-life encounters—including the night something came calling in Kentucky. Featured Films: Shadow in the Cloud (2020) Gremlins (1984) Poltergeist (1982) E.T. (1982) The Twilight Zone (Nightmare at 20,000 Feet) Amazing Stories (“The Mission”)
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Venture into the murky space between psychological manipulation and the supernatural. Today, we’re talking about The Quiet Ones (2014), a Hammer Films horror throwback inspired by one of the strangest real-world experiments ever attempted: the Philip Experiment. We’ll unpack how a group of researchers in 1970s Canada set out to create a ghost, explore Derren Brown’s Seance as a modern reinterpretation, and finally, discuss whether collective belief can actually influence physical reality. Coming up: 4/3/2025 – GREMLINS: From WWII Folklore to Spielberg to Shadow in the Cloud 4/10/2025...
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Let's explore The War of the Worlds — the iconic novel by H.G. Wells and the countless interpretations, adaptations, and conspiracy theories it inspired. We discuss: The 2005 Spielberg movie and the 1953 George Pal version The long-forgotten SEQUEL published only a year after the original The 1938 Orson Welles "panic broadcast" Wernher von Braun’s alleged warning of a staged alien invasion Project Blue Beam And finally, we ask: What would a real alien invasion look like? The War of the Worlds continues to fascinate because it reminds us of the fragility of our...
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Let's dissect The Conjuring 2 and the real-life case that inspired it—the infamous Enfield Poltergeist. Was it a genuine supernatural event or an elaborate hoax that spiraled out of control? Join me as I explore how this case became one of the most documented hauntings in history. Ed and Lorraine Warren: Paranormal Pioneers or Masters of Mythmaking? Before discussing the Enfield case, I take a brief detour to talk about the legendary (and controversial) ghost-hunting duo, Ed and Lorraine Warren—from their involvement in the Amityville Horror to a bizarre court case where they...
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Enter the eerie world of artificial intelligence—from the sleek and unsettling Ex Machina to real-life AI developments that feel ripped straight from science fiction. We’ll explore the rapid evolution of AI, the ethical dilemmas that come with it, and some unsettling cases of chatbots behaving… strangely. Are we on the verge of creating a sentient machine? And if we were, how would we know?
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Explore the wild world of werewolves, from the cult classic Ginger Snaps to real-life sightings of “dog men.” We’ll discover the folklore behind our moon-dappled friends, look at how pop culture molded them into the creatures we recognize today, and figure out what exactly makes a man-wolf tick.
info_outlineForget everything you thought you knew about cosmology. This film posits that our world actually IS the center of the universe, and that everything we've been taught these last 500 years is flat wrong.
Yes, there is actual evidence for this theory. Is it conclusive? Of course not! But it does make for some interesting speculation...