BLADE RUNNER, Philip K. Dick, and the Search for Reality: Cinema as Gnosis [Film on the Fringe 9 of 10]

04/23/25 • 30 min

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.

Shownotes

Shownotes

Previous Episode

THE LAST OF US and the Evolution of Zombies from Voodoo to Viral [Film on the Fringe 8 of 10]

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, Train to Busan
Forgotten classics and deep cuts: Raising Stony Mayhall, Pontypool, The Night Eats the World

Shownotes

Next Episode

From Magical Mystery Radio to FILM ON THE FRINGE

Once known as Magical Mystery Radio, this podcast has transformed into something new. Here we lay out what to expect from Film on the Fringe and why the shift happened.

If you’re interested in movies, folklore, speculative science, or the strange truths hidden in fiction, you’re in the right place.

Thanks for listening! Doctor Atom