Overview
A viral video portraying apparent telekinesis has renewed questions about claims that some UFO and contact experiencers possess genuine psychic abilities. The footage, however, was not a documentary account of paranormal activity. It was a carefully engineered promotional stunt created to advertise the 2013 remake of the horror film Carrie. The campaign was staged at Snice Coffee Shop in Manhattan’s West Village and designed to capture the unscripted reactions of customers who were unaware that they were participating in a production.
The discussion surrounding the video asks viewers to consider whether alleged contact experiencers have ever demonstrated abilities comparable to those shown in the prank. The author also states that they have personally witnessed psychokinetic events. No independently verified evidence is provided in the material to substantiate those personal observations or to establish that any UFO experiencer has demonstrated authentic telekinesis.
How the Illusion Was Created
Behind the apparent supernatural episode was an extensive combination of set construction, mechanical devices, stunt work and hidden surveillance. Production crews installed a false wall inside the coffee shop to conceal a lift system. A stunt performer wore a concealed harness connected to a pulley arrangement, allowing him to appear to be thrown against the wall and suspended several feet above the floor.
Other objects in the café were modified to respond to remote commands. Tables and chairs were fitted with motorized mechanisms that enabled them to slide or overturn at carefully timed moments. Bookshelves and picture frames were equipped with spring-loaded systems designed to eject their contents during the scene’s climax. Hidden cameras, including equipment disguised as plants and cameras positioned behind two-way mirrors, recorded customers’ reactions from multiple angles.
The Staged Incident
The sequence began with two actors performing a scripted confrontation. After a man supposedly spilled coffee on a woman’s laptop, the woman appeared to become enraged. When she gestured toward him, the concealed equipment propelled the male actor upward and held him against the wall, creating the impression that she was using telekinetic force.
The scene then escalated. Tables appeared to move away from the woman, chairs were thrown across the room and other objects shifted without an obvious physical cause. At the height of the performance, the actress released a high-pitched scream, triggering the spring-loaded props and sending books and framed pictures flying through the café. The timing of each effect was coordinated to make the events appear connected to the woman’s movements.
Reactions and Marketing Strategy
Customers responded with visible shock and confusion. Some moved toward the exits, while others raised their phones to record the apparent disturbance. Their reactions were genuine, but the event itself was not. At the conclusion, the production revealed that the incident was an advertisement for Carrie, which was released in theaters on October 18, 2013.
The campaign used the hashtag #FlexLikeCarrie and exemplified “experiential marketing,” a strategy that places audiences inside a staged real-world scenario before revealing the commercial purpose. By combining hidden effects with authentic reactions, the campaign generated a highly shareable video that could circulate online as both entertainment and apparent evidence of extraordinary abilities.
Context for Paranormal Claims
The video demonstrates how convincingly telekinesis can be simulated when mechanical effects, concealed performers and editing or camera placement are carefully coordinated. It therefore provides a useful caution when evaluating footage or testimony involving alleged psychic phenomena. A dramatic presentation, a personal account or a viral response is not the same as independently replicated evidence. Claims involving UFO contact experiences or psychokinesis require controlled testing, transparent documentation and verification by qualified observers before they can be treated as established fact.
