A Dark Science History Series Linking Elon Musk’s Rocketry to the Spirits
Posted by Jonathan Klotz | Published
The only thing stranger than science fiction is science fact. Dark Things: Twisted But Truea short-lived documentary series hosted by genre legend John Noble, surpassed this in 2011.
Every episode chronicled the real history behind extraordinary scientific experiments and breakthroughs, from the origins of lobotomies to brain transplant experiments, and how the origins of rocketry were tied to the Occult. After catching a few episodes, you’ll think that science fiction doesn’t go far enough.
Ghostly Death and Deception Are Only Part of the Series
Dark Things: Twisted But True he stuck to the formula, Noble’s introduction, historical images, and characters combined to tell a twisted story, and then the finale, usually, is either sad or scary and often, both. The Season 3 finale tells the story of John Parsons and the Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL), which developed the first rocket engine. In an effort to advance his research, Parsons began to take the teachings of Aleister Crowley seriously, converting to Thelema and using the rituals of sexual magic to power his experiments. It worked until he pushed it too far, losing his position in the academic community, his marriage, and all his money.
The first episode included part of the Philadelphia Experiment, the alleged disappearance of the USS Eldridge, which served as the basis for the movies even Stranger Things. It’s a mild story compared to the rest of Season 2’s Dr. Robert Cornish, a researcher in the 1930s who was convinced that the dead could come back to life, although his human experiments did not work. The lengths to which men and women of science have gone to prove a theory or push the boundaries of human knowledge sound ripped from the pages of a dime store novel, but they are true.
John Noble’s gravitas adds to each part of the Dark Stories: Twisted But True; no matter how ridiculous or how crazy the researcher has become, his soothing yet hauntingly unsettling vocals elevate each performance. Once you start watching, you will go through the whole series in one night. There is something insidious about the dark science stories you hear about in school.
It is in danger of being lost forever
With the growth of true crime literature over the past decade, it’s clear that there is a huge audience for true stories that aren’t afraid to show how original science can be. New standards and closely monitored research made it impossible for anyone out there to experiment with brain transplants or try to bring the dead back, but for centuries, science was the wild west. There is no telling how many strange stories there are.
Dark Things: Twisted But True it aired 19 episodes between 2011 and 2012, and currently, only Season 3 is available for digital purchase. It’s a shame that this series is so close to being lost media, and even more so that there haven’t been any new episodes in the last 14 years. Dark Things: An Extra Twista series of remixed episodes with additional scenes, more information, and “deeper details,” aired briefly on the Science Channel as well, but has since disappeared into the digital aether. If you can find it, the series is a joyous indulgence despite the disturbing content. If nothing else, John Noble’s portrayal The Fringe’s mad scientist Walter Bishop makes a lot of sense when you consider the long, messy history of mad researchers who have shaped our understanding of the universe.
