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Firestarter, a 1984 film based on a Stephen King novel, heavily influenced Stranger Things with its psychic superhuman theme. Both Firestarter and Stranger Things were based on real, bizarre experiments that the US government conducted using drugs, torture and hypnosis, including MKUltra and Project Artichoke. Firestarter highlights the widespread influence of real government experiments on popular media, and Stranger Things is the most famous recent work in that genre.

There are many real cases of the American government performing experiments that most people would consider absurd, and over the years, these experiments have become the basis of many science fiction tales. Most recently, these stories inspired the plot of the appropriately named megahit TV show Stranger Things.

However, beyond these real-life experiments, Stranger Things is heavily influenced by the media that itself was influenced by MKUltra and other such projects. Of that long list of parapsychology-related books, films, TV shows and more,...

First Sight, the new science fiction short film from Venus director Andrew McGee, is in its last couple of hours on Kickstarter.

A friend of The Companion, McGee wrote for us recently about his journey as an independent filmmaker. He recently expanded on the importance of getting First Sight funded in an update on the film’s Kickstarter page:

There are very few avenues for film funding (and the arts in general), especially within this genre, so to get this far is wonderful. When I last crowdfunded for Venus, the idea of finding a global audience invested in the story enough to chip in, and collectively bring a film into existence, was exciting - it’s much more fulfilling (and less lonely!) to have a so many people actively involved in the process from the very beginning, so I really hope we'll be able to go through the production together!

Venus director Andrew McGee is back with another ambitious science fiction short, funding now on Kickstarter.

Though not as overtly cyberpunk as McGee’s previous short film, First Sight – which he compares to Black Mirror – explores some themes that have been core to the genre since its inception: how all-pervasive technology forces its way into human relationships, and the role played by private companies.

The synopsis reads:

After the loss of her partner, Luna is finally ready to re-enter the world of dating, turning to smart contact lenses to overcome her anxiety. But when her quest for love takes a dark turn and her vision is held for ransom, she must outsmart a mysterious hacker to save her sight... and her date night.

Kickstarter rewards include art prints, posters, T-shirts, and an art book, and the project is already £4,000 of the way towards its £15,000.

For a taste of what’s in store,...