Was “The Quiet Ones” Based on a Real Scientific Experiment?
The Quiet Ones (2014) bills itself as loosely based on real events - and loosely is the key to that claim. While there was a real-life experiment that took place to study a similar thesis as the one in the film, that’s largely where the similarities end.
The Philip Experiment was a parapsychology experiment conducted in 1972 to “determine whether subjects can communicate with fictionalized ghosts through expectations of human will.” The experiment yielded inconclusive results and is denounced for its poor control groups. It was conducted by Dr. Alan Robert George Owen.
The real-life study didn’t involve anyone like Jane Harper (Olivia Cooke), nor was it centered around someone with any unique qualities. It was based entirely on a fictional character created by the researchers. The real research group consisted of eight people, only one of which was a student, one of which was Dr. Owen’s wife, and none of which inspired any of the characters in the film. There was no son who lived in an asylum, no satanic or cultist references, and no unorthodox scientific practices as all appeared in the film.
Truly, aside from the overall premise of the experiment, and the fact both the real and fictional experiments were filmed for posterity, there are no similarities between the two.
The film is based on truth in the same way Forrest Gump (1994) could claim to be based on truth. “Forrest went to the Vietnam War, which was a real war.” That’s about as deep as it gets.