"Politics and science make the worst of friends.” That pretty much sums up the plot of MK Ultra, the latest psychological thriller movie based on the CIA’s Project MK Ultra program from the 1960s. The plot follows a brilliant psychiatrist, Ford Strauss, who gets entangled in a dangerous government experiment that involves brainwashing and the use of psychedelic and other mind-controlling substances on American citizens. Formerly known as Midnight Climax, MK Ultra is written and directed by filmmaker Joseph Sorrentino, who is best known for his previous projects like The Sacrament of Life, Coyote, and Mother of George. Sorrentino also serves as a producer on the film, along with Lee Broda, Brian Mercer, Andreas Schilling, Jerry Tankersley, and Seth Willenson.

The psychological thriller features Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds star Anson Mount in the lead role of psychiatrist Ford Strauss, appearing alongside Jaime Ray Newman (Bates Motel), Jason Patric (The Vanished), Jen Richards (Mrs. Fletcher), Alon Abutbul (Snowfall), Matt Nolan (Argo), and David Jensen (Queen Sugar), among others. If you are a fan of government conspiracies, dark psychological thrillers, or even political thrillers, then this latest movie might interest you. MK Ultra takes inspiration from real-life events, focusing on a government agency that ran a series of drug experiments that became a huge controversy during the 60s through early 70s, but more on that later.

Read on to find out how you can watch MK Ultra, and where and when it's releasing.

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Image via Cinedigm 

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Watch the MK Ultra Trailer

The trailer for MK Ultra, released this August, highlights the events that form the premise of the movie. But a fair warning for viewers is in order. From the trailer, it's evident that this is a dark and terrifying story and, needless to say, disturbing as well in some places. So, watch this only if you are up for something psychologically challenging.

The clip moves fast between scenes and characters, raising enough suspense and intrigue for the audience to want to see the movie. We also see Mount’s Ford Strauss as the psychiatrist, who is thrown into a complex and convoluted project where he is intrigued but also scared of its outcomes, testing his moral, ethical, and professional boundaries. Besides the overarching premise of a government conspiracy, the plot seems to focus on Strauss and his endeavors on finding the right balance between his professional demands and his personal motivation.

Is MK Ultra Streaming Online?

There is no official update on whether MK Ultra will arrive on any streaming service at the moment. However, as is the trend, this thriller movie might find a place on any of the popular streaming services sometime later in the year or early next year. But until then, your only option for watching this movie is to either visit your local theaters or get it on VOD.

Is MK Ultra in Movie Theaters?

MK Ultra releases in select theaters across the United States on October 7, 2022, as well as on video-on-demand on the same day.

When Will MK Ultra Arrive on Digital, DVD, and VOD?

MK Ultra is getting a simultaneous theatrical and video-on-demand release on October 7, 2022. But there is no news on its physical media release yet. You can probably expect that to happen in 3-4 months as most movies do. But again, this is not confirmed yet. You can keep checking this space for more updates.

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What Is MK Ultra About?

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Image via Cinedigm 

To give you an idea of what MK Ultra is all about, here’s a little background on the eponymous experiment. Back in the 1950s, the United States Central Intelligence Agency was working on various methods of interrogation. They ran several such human experimentation programs, including Project Bluebird and Project Artichoke, and finally landed on their biggest project, codenamed Project MK Ultra.

These experiments used brainwashing techniques and drug-induced procedures to determine if substances like LSD or psychological tortures could weaken individuals and manipulate their behaviors. The program used several severe methods to alter the subjects’ mental states. It was only by the mid-70s, that this dangerous experiment was brought to public knowledge and got shelved, though even rumors of it inspired works like the original Ipcress File. While most files and documents of the program were destroyed, as you would expect, some of them survived and were declassified in 2001.

To date, very few people know the details of the experiment and what exactly happened. The movie aims to shed light on those horrifying events of the 1960s using a larger-than-life setting. Ford Strauss is an exceptional psychiatrist who gets recruited by the government to run an experiment at the Mississippi Mental Hospital. But soon he discovers the reality of the project and finds himself entangled in a treacherous conspiracy. You could say that MK Ultra is kind of an exposé on what went down with the project and how it came to light for American citizens.

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More Films You Can Watch Before MK Ultra

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Image via Alameda Entertainment

The project MK Ultra has been a major source of inspiration for many psychological and political thrillers and dramas for a long time. To learn more about the project and its aftermath, you can check out these two titles that also explore the MK Ultra experiment in their own ways.

American Mind Control: MK Ultra: This documentary film, directed and written by Philip Gardiner, explores the inner workings of Project MK Ultra. It follows the aftermath of WWII and shows how the CIA formed the program and carried out top-secret experimentation on its own citizens, without anyone’s knowledge at that time. In the film, experts also explore the possibility of the program still running in the background.

The Banshee Chapter: This 2013 psychological horror movie follows a journalist, Katie, searching for her missing friend, James. James has been investigating Project MK Ultra with the belief that the CIA experiment is still alive and uses himself as a subject. But when he suddenly disappears and Katie starts investigating, she finds out that this whole affair goes way deeper than she imagined. Loosely based on H. P. Lovecraft’s From Beyond, The Banshee Chapter is written and directed by Blair Erikson and stars Ted Levine, Katia Winter, and Michael McMillian.