Ever wished you could forget the ending of your favourite movie just to experience the surprise all over again? A cinema in the Netherlands is preparing to find out whether hypnosis can make that possible.
Dutch cinema chain Pathé has recruited 30 moviegoers for an unusual experiment in which a hypnotherapist will attempt to make them temporarily forget films they have already watched.
The experiment, called Pathe REWIND, will take place on November 9 at the company’s Buitenhof cinema in The Hague.
Participants will undergo individual online hypnosis sessions with Victor Kraemer, a hypnotherapist with more than 30 years of experience, before receiving another session shortly before the screening.
They will then watch one of four films: The Matrix, Se7en, La La Land or Interstellar. The final selection will depend on participants’ preferences.
The idea is to see whether viewers can experience familiar scenes, unexpected twists and emotional moments without remembering what happens next.
However, there is no guarantee the experiment will work.
Previous research has shown that hypnosis can temporarily interfere with people’s ability to recall certain information, particularly among individuals who are highly responsive to hypnotic suggestions.
In one study, participants who were hypnotised struggled to remember details of a documentary they had watched, but their memories returned after the suggestion was reversed.
That does not mean hypnosis can erase an entire movie from someone’s memory.
Pathé has acknowledged the uncertainty, describing the event as an experiment rather than a proven method of controlling memories.
Applications closed on October 29, with selected participants offered free admission.
For movie lovers who wish they could experience a favourite plot twist again without knowing it was coming, the results could be particularly interesting.
