Terrors of the Mind: Edge Science, Cold War Fears and Weaponized Psychic Savants in Horror Films of the 1970’s and 80’s (Online)

In the 1970s and ‘80s, excitement about the study of the paranormal spread across the globe. Curiosity about supernormal phenomena permeated popular culture in the form of the New Age movement, but neither academia nor world governments were immune to the craze for extrasensory perception and psychokinetic power. Fueled by escalating Cold War tensions, a quiet arms race began on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and eventually this ostensibly “Top Secret” research bled out into civilian life. The figure of the weaponized psychic savant has since became a common archetype in the science fiction and horror genres. This class will examine the historical facts that inspired films such as THE FURY (1978), THE MEDUSA TOUCH (1978), SCANNERS (1981), and PHENOMENA (1985), in which scientific experimentation exposes, and often encourages, the deadly potential of psychic abilities. We will also develop a framework for exploring the symbiosis between the pop cultural trends these films represent, and various corporate, government, and NGO-funded programs. This approach will illuminate the ways in which declassification of official documents can shed new light on familiar cultural tropes.