Get Out (2017) & Possessor (2020): Losing Control of Your Own Body

Get Out (2017) & Possessor (2020): Losing Control of Your Own Body

Author: James Payne March 26, 2026 Duration: 1:06:32

In this episode of Journey Through Sci-Fi, we dive into the terrifying idea of mad science controlling the human mind through two modern sci-fi horror films: Get Out (2017) and Possessor (2020).

Jordan Peele's Get Out hides a chilling science-fiction twist beneath its social horror story, revealing a sinister procedure designed to take over another person's body and consciousness. Meanwhile, Brandon Cronenberg's brutal cyberpunk thriller Possessor imagines a world where corporations use technology to possess people's minds and carry out assassinations.

We explore how both films tap into classic sci-fi ideas about identity, consciousness and control, while pushing the mad scientist trope into disturbing new territory.

Expect discussion on:

  • The terrifying sci-fi twist behind Get Out

  • The mind-transfer technology in Possessor

  • How horror and science fiction overlap in the mad science genre

  • Why stories about losing control of your own body remain so powerful in sci-fi

🎧 Listen now for our deep dive into mind control, body swapping and the dark side of scientific ambition.


Ever wondered how a silent film from a century ago connects to the spectacle you saw at the multiplex last weekend? That’s the kind of thread Journey Through Sci-Fi: A Science Fiction Film Podcast follows, tracing the entire arc of the genre from its flickering beginnings to its CGI-drenched present. Hosts Matt and James act as your guides, not just reviewing movies but unpacking the ideas that fueled them. They’re interested in how a particular film’s design changed movie-making, or how a story from the 1950s reflected the anxieties of its time, creating a conversation across decades. You’ll hear detailed discussions that place each film within a larger historical tapestry, making connections you might have missed. This isn't a random list of reviews; it's a curated, chronological expedition. By focusing on one film per episode, the podcast allows for a deep dive into the context, the production challenges, and the lasting cultural footprint of each title. Whether it's the pioneering special effects of a classic or the philosophical questions posed by a modern epic, Matt and James explore how science fiction cinema holds a mirror to our own world. Tune in for a thoughtful analysis that appreciates both the artistic ambition and the pure entertainment value of the genre, discovering how every spaceship, robot, and alien visitor tells us something about ourselves.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Journey Through Sci-Fi: Science Fiction Film History
Podcast Episodes
A Message from Mars (1913): The First Friendly Alien [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:04
Where does the friendly alien begin? Not with E.T., but with a Martian exiled to Edwardian London to reform the most selfish man alive. Journey Through Sci-Fi returns with a brand new series. We Come in Peace traces the…
We Come in Peace! Series Trailer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:39
Some of them came to warn us. Some of them just wanted to go home. We Come in Peace is a new series from Journey Through Sci-Fi, tracing the friendly alien across a century of film and television. We start in the earlies…
Disclosure Day: Spielberg and the Return of Friendly Aliens [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:22
A little bonus transmission from the JTSF Patreon feed. We've been chatting about Spielberg's Disclosure Day, and because our next main-feed series is all about the history of friendly aliens in sci-fi cinema, this felt…
The Mad Science Movie Awards: 58 Films, So Many Bad Ideas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:34:00
We close out our Mad Science series the only way we know how: with a very serious, deeply prestigious and completely unofficial Mad Science Film Awards. After 58 films and more than a century of sci-fi cinema, we look ba…
Mad Science in Star Trek: Khan, Bashir and the Eugenics Wars [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:37
This week on Journey Through Sci-Fi, we head into the Star Trek universe to explore one of its most enduring mad science taboos: genetic engineering. From Space Seed and the rise of Khan to Enterprise's Augments arc and…
Frankenstein (2025) & The Bride! (2026): Mad Science Comes Full Circle [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:32:05
What happens when one of sci-fi's oldest stories is reimagined for a modern audience? In this episode of Journey Through Sci-Fi, we return to the origin of mad science — Mary Shelley's Frankenstein — through two new adap…
Hulk (2003) & Iron Man (2008): When Scientists Become the Experiment [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:08
Two Marvel origin stories. Two very different mad scientists. Only one built a cinematic empire. This week, we revisit Hulk (2003) and Iron Man (2008) to explore the science behind the superheroes and why one experiment…
Splice (2009) & Mimic (1997): Playing God with DNA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:14:12
This week on Journey Through Sci-Fi, we're heading into murkier, creepier territory as we pair Mimic and Splice - two films that take mad science out of the lab and straight into body-horror nightmare fuel. Directed by G…