The Invasion Of Thunderbolt Pagoda: Mylar Hallucinations & Sonic Drones

Originally screened in 1968, The Invasion of Thunderbolt Pagoda is one of the most evergreen time capsules from the apex of the psychedelic movement. Shot on 16mm and directed by poet and photographer Ira Cohen, the twenty-two minute long film showcases Cohen’s signature use of “mylar photography,” an optical technique has since become a kind of aesthetic shorthand for psychedelia; visually synonymous with the “tune in, drop out” philosophy of the hippie counterculture.