Category Archives: science fiction

Fox Plans “Rise of the Apes”: Future Biting Social Commentary or Burton-esque Blunder?

May 11th, 2010 | Posted in Planet of the Apes, science fiction

Various media outlets have reported that Twentieth Century Fox is planning to produce another installment in the Planet of the Apes series of films. This one is tentatively titled Rise of the Apes which will represent a reworking of Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972), and is set for a June 2011 release. […]

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Paul Meehan: Alien Abductions and Sleep Paralysis

May 2nd, 2010 | Posted in alien abduction, aliens, Old Hag, Paul Meehan, science fiction, sleep paralysis

Paul Meehan is a contributor here at TheoFantastique as regular readers will recall. He is the author of a number of books including Saucer Movies: A UFOlogical History of the Cinema (The Scarecrow Press, 1998), Cinema of the Psychic Realm (McFarland, 2009), and Tech-Noir: The Fusion of Science Fiction and Film Noir (McFarland, 2008). He has […]

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Avatar: Psychedelics and Shamanism

April 27th, 2010 | Posted in Avatar, psychedelics, religion, science fiction, shamanism

In our age of re-enchantment in response to decades of secularization it is common for elements of ancient religion and spirituality to surface in pop culture, many times shaped into new forms. Erik Davis comments of this in his book Techgnosis: myth, magic + mysticism in the age of information (Three Rivers Press, 1998): The […]

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Stephen Hawking: Aliens May Pose Risk

April 25th, 2010 | Posted in aliens, horror, science fiction

Over the decades science fiction and horror have alternated in their depiction of alien visitation between concepts of invasion and attack on the one hand, and the benign or loving, at times divine sage on the other hand. Some filmmakers have even wrestled with both treatments, such as Steven Spielberg, who for many years presented […]

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Douglas Cowan – Sacred Space: The Quest for Transcendence in Science Fiction Film and Television

April 21st, 2010 | Posted in Douglas Cowan, science fiction, transcendence

Hopefully those who want to explore horror in more depth have read Douglas Cowan’s fine book Sacred Terror: Religion and Horror on the Silver Screen (Baylor University Press, 2008). Now, Cowan has turned his attention to science fiction with Sacred Space: The Quest for Transcendence in Science Fiction Film and Television (Baylor University Press, scheduled […]

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Paul Meehan on Tech-Noir: The Fusion of Science Fiction and Film Noir

April 13th, 2010 | Posted in Paul Meehan, science fiction, tech-noir, Uncategorized

Paul Meehan is a friend and frequent source for interesting explorations of the fantastic at this blog. In the past he has visited here to discuss his books Saucer Movies: A UFOlogical History of the Cinema (The Scarecrow Press, 1998), and Cinema of the Psychic Realm (McFarland, 2009). He has also been a guest contributor […]

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Robert Geraci: Robots and the Sacred in Science and Science Fiction

April 11th, 2010 | Posted in artificial intelligence, robotics, Rudolf Otto, science fiction, The Idea of the Holy

I recently came across a great source for research and reflection in Robert Geraci’s work. Geraci teaches at Manhattan College in Religious Studies. The college website describes his research and teaching interests, including the power of religion in contemporary culture, particularly with regard to the interaction between religion and technology. His past research focused upon […]

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Obama in Science Fiction Imagery

March 31st, 2010 | Posted in political commentary, science fiction

My satirical post comparing Obama’s health care legislation to The Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man” led to my surfing the Internet for how the President has been depicted in science fiction imagery. I found several examples from my favorite sci-fi films and television that speak for themselves without any need for written commentary.

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The Church of Jediism and Religious Conflict in the Workplace

March 21st, 2010 | Posted in Adam Possamai, hyper-real spiritualities (or fiction-based), Jediism, pop culture, science fiction

While catching up on various blogs and websites dealing with the fantastic in the blogosphere I came across a news item at SF Gospel. It touched on a conflict between a religious group and an employer on appropriate attire in the workplace. What sets this conflict apart from others that have taken place in the […]

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Avatar, Hollywood, and Warring Worldviews

March 12th, 2010 | Posted in Avatar, James Cameron, religion, science fiction

In my previous post I commented on Hollywood’s lack of public recognition of the significance of films of the fantastic as demonstrated through the Academy Awards. Although three such genre films were nominated, including District Nine, Star Trek, and Avatar, predictably none of them won in major categories, and Avatar did not win Best Picture. […]

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