The Secrets of Videodrome

Videodrome is one of those elusive films that conceals a deeper conspiracy; without awareness of it, the plot becomes difficult to understand. It is one of my favorite movies of all time; I recommend you all watch it before reading this article.

The technology behind the Videodrome was created by what's likely a secret branch of the CIA (or, at the very least, a CIA contractor). Thus, the movie is about a satanic conspiracy against the American people, and the protagonist is a mere guinea pig.

Videodrome works by sending low vibrational waves to one's brain through depictions of extreme violence and sex (through snuff movies). Dr. Brian O'Blivion (Brian is an anagram of brain; so, his name means 'brain oblivion') explains that the Videodrome technology operates by targeting the spine and brain - an allusion to the concept of (false, satanic) Gnosis. This symbolism is further underscored by the number 33; the human spine has 33 vertebrae and serves as a conduit to the brain.

By exposing the subject to the frailty of the flesh, the technology fractures the illusion - the simulacrum - of reality. As a result, the subject enters a dream-like mental state where hallucinations begin to take over. These visions are violent and perverse, a consequence of the subject's prior desensitization through television - depicted in the film as an instrument of mass psychological programming. The Television works to dehumanize people, to desensitize them, to make them vulnerable to psychological programming. The eyes are windows to the soul.

While the subject is in this dream-like state, the scientists can implant any programming they desire into his brain. They are even able to observe the hallucinations his mind generates, using them as a basis for further manipulation. For example, the protagonist envisions a grotesque hole in his abdomen resembling the cassette slot of a tape player. Once the scientists become aware of this hallucination, they exploit it by pretending to insert videotapes into his stomach. During this surreal episode, as the subject sinks deeper into his delusion, the scientists reinforce the programming by repeating key phrases in a hypnotic, mantra-like cadence.

(''We want channel 83, Max. Kill your partners. Kill them. Kill your partners, Max.'')

The Videodrome is a hybrid of technology and black magic; and the snuff scenes are like satanic rituals that generate negative energy, which manifests as low vibrational waves through the television screen as the spectator watches it.

These occult themes are hidden in plain sight throughout the film. Dr. O’Blivion (who is an 'Old Nick', devilish businessman-type figure) heads an institution that appears to offer a charitable service: free television access for the homeless. But beneath this benevolent facade lies a mass psychological operation aimed at programming and dehumanizing the most vulnerable through media.

The organization is called the “Cathode Ray Mission” - a name evoking a Christian missionary effort, with television screens cast as the new missionaries. Its logo even mimics the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This operation subverts Christianity by weaponizing its symbols for mind control.

It's interesting to note that Dr. O'Blivion's office is decorated like the houses of powerful elites like Epstein; it is filled with sculptures and paintings of archetypal, mythical figures and stories.

Those who looked into Videodrome all died, for they knew too much. Nicki was a freak, so she allowed herself to be captured, tortured and killed by them; and the snuff footage they recorded of her was used in Max's programming. Masha investigated Videodrome for a brief while, and was captured and killed as well - possibly by Max himself when he was under a state of hypnosis. Max found her dead in his bed, cuffed and gagged.

His employee - who was an undercover agent for Project Videodrome - denied seeing her there to trick Max.

The agents wanted to steal Channel 83 from Max to use it to spread Videodrome to his audience of people that were already highly desensitized to pornography. Since not too many people watched Channel 83, the snuff footage wouldn't cause too big a controversy.

Channel 83 is named after the year of the movie's release, indicating metalinguistic commentary. The movie is programming us; we are like the spectators of Channel 83. Hollywood is a vehicle of the real life version of Project Videodrome.

Interestingly, Spectacular Vision pretends to be a regular glasses-making company. They literally and metaphorically are in control of the views of the American People. Their symbol is the all-seeing eye, the eye of Luciferian Gnosis.

In the movie's third act, a fully programmed Max becomes a Golem-like, mindless hitman for Videodrome. He kills his partners and breaks into the home of Dr. O'Blivion's daughter. O'Blivion himself was murdered after he had finished developing the technology for the CIA; the next target was to be his daughter.

But she manages to avoid her execution by re-programming Max to hunt her enemies instead.

In a highly symbolic scene, Max shoots the main conspirator - an Oz-like controller-type figure - during a live show for the elites. The phrases ''The eye is the window to the soul'' and ''Love comes in at the eye'' are seen at the stage. The performance was quite degenerate and occult in nature. Behind the dancers is the painting of Michelangelo ''The Creation of Adam'', which depicts the Demiurge touching Adam's finger - a scene that symbolically pictures Gnosis, as god and his angels represent the brain; his extended arm being the third eye.

The movie ends with Max ending his own life, as he was programmed to do.

The idea of the ''new flesh'' - of the programmed individual dying or killing himself and living through video - is an inversion of the Christian idea of eternal life in Paradise; it is the subversion of the notion that matter, that flesh is a liability, a jail to the soul, and thus, through martyrdom and Christ one can attain true freedom by ascending to Heaven.

Dr. O'Blivion, a foolish satanist, was so infatuated with the notion of the new flesh that he recorded thousands of tapes of himself so he could exist eternally within cassete tapes.

Ironically enough, David Cronenberg is not too dissimilar from the antagonists of the movie.

Before ending this post, I want to highlight some of the most esoterically charged sets of the film.

Spectacular Optical's front exhibits a smiling sun wearing sunglasses, which could mean a few of things, such as the Dark Sun, the false gnosis, and the blind Demiurge.

Max's room is very emblematic of his life. In a subtly ironic scene, he looks through his door's spyglass to see if there's anyone there, while being surrounded by glass windows; anyone could spy on him at any moment - and someone likely was throughout most of the movie - and he is too oblivious to realize.

There are various posters containing hidden messages, such as one that says ''Modern living'' and features the all-seeing eye.

There is one featuring an astronaut on the moon and a strange collage of a giant, exposed finger holding a different picture of the moon. I won't elaborate on this, but I recommend you all read David McGowan's book Wagging the Moondoggie.

And finally, this poster depicts the human psyche - a seemingly unsolvable black and white labyrinth.

And this is it for this post. Thank you for your continued support! The next Dark Souls 2 video - which will be about Vendrick, Aldia and the Bearer of the Curse - will come out later this week.