Though Paul Thomas Anderson insists that The Master is in no way supposed to be a thinly-veiled version of the early history of Scientology, he did admit to using the religious group as an inspiration. The Aberree, a home-made newsletter (an O.G. zine, if you will) from the 50s and 60s served as particular inspiration. The publication was put out by early Scientologist adherents, couple Alphia and Agnes Hart. Billing itself as “the non-serious voice of Scientology”, The Aberee is pretty goofy – joking around and at times delving into hocus-pocusy subject matter. UFOs anyone?
In an extensive interview with the Village Voice, Anderson stated – “It really was the best possible way to time-travel, reading these newsletters…and to kind of get a sense of not just Hubbard, but the people who were really interested in the beginnings of this movement, because they were very, very hungry to treat themselves and get better, and they were open to anything. They were so incredibly optimistic.”
Read the full archive of The Aberree (and check out some wild cover illustrations) here.
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