William Cassidy

William "Bill" Cassidy (pseud. Spider Nevi) was an American alien experimentee and conspiracy theorist of the 20th and early 21st centuries. For 39 years following an encounter with an extraterrestrial life form, Cassidy was psychologically tormented through telepathic communications and sleeplessness brought on by a desire to prevent the aliens from seizing control of him and forcing him to perform various unusual tasks. With the coming of the internet, he became known as a controversial conspiracy theorist with a focus on astronomy and expectations of the end of the world. He invested time in keeping himself anonymous online, and ensuring people could not trace his real identity.
Shortly prior to his death, an email was sent from his account contacting Joe Sullivan, a documentary filmmaker, to come speak with him. An expected coronal mass ejection more powerful than the Carrington Event occurred, downing an extraterrestrial vessel and attracting troops under the employ of Dr. Tobin. After being captured by her troops, Tobin attempted to torture Cassidy into revealing his knowledge of extraterrestrials. The downed extraterrestrial seize psychic control of Sullivan, using the journalist as a vessel. After being begged by Cassidy, the alien finally removed any extraterrestrial influence from his body, allowing Cassidy to find peace through death at long last.Ejecta - Tony Burgess - Foresight Features - Release date 3 August 2014 - Retrieved 5 January 2025
== Notes ==
=== Behind the Scenes ===
* Cassidy was played by Canadian actor Julian Richings.Ejecta - IMDB - Retrieved 5 January 2025Julian Richings - IMDB - Retrieved 5 January 2025
=== Reception ===
* Richings' performance as Cassidy was praised. Leslie Hatton of Everything is Scary stated "As Cassidy, Julian Richings is as superbly creepy as usual. He’s gaunt and haunted and the idea of having something inside of your brain that you can’t get rid of is truly terrifying."It Came From Within: Ejecta - Leslie Hatton - 13 October 2015 - Everything is Scary - Retrieved 5 January 2025 - Archived 5 January 2025 In a negative review of the film, Trash Film Guru stated that Richings was "the only member of the cast with the chops to transcend the inherent weakness of the material."International Weirdness : “Ejecta” - trashfilmguru (Ryan C.) - 28 August 2015 - Trash Film Guru - Retrieved 5 January 2025 - Archived 5 January 2025
=== Trivia ===
* Cassidy can be assumed to be American given his mention of having crossed state lines. Beyond that, licence plates are deliberately obscured, and Cassidy's stated residence of Kingsmill could correspond with either Kingsmill, Ontario, or Kingsmill, Virginia. Newspaper clippings in Joe Sullivan's room include "Lakes under stress" and "Liberals split on leadership", presumably referencing the Great Lakes and the Liberal Party of Canada. Those three points are the sole evidence for a Canadian setting, and given the dialogue it's much more likely that he is simply an American.
== Appearances ==
* Ejecta (first and final appearance)
== References ==
Category:Humans
Category:Heroes
Category:Conspiracy theorists
Category:Subjects of alien experimentation
Category:American characters
Category:Film characters
Category:Characters played by Julian Richings
Category:Deceased Characters
Category:20th century births
Category:21st century deaths
Category:2014 debut
Category:Creator: Tony Burgess