Jamie Campbell Bower has revealed the chilling real-life inspiration behind Mr. Whatsit in Stranger Things season 5.

The 37-year-old actor plays the villainous Vecna/Henry Creel/One and now Mr. Whatsit in the fifth and final season, though all the characters are different sides of the same man, more or less.

Keep reading to find out more…

But Mr. Whatsit is initially introduced as Holly Wheeler’s (Nell Fisher) imaginary friend who soon kidnaps her along with many other children because he needs the kids to help him achieve his grand plan of combining his world of the Abyss and the real world into one.

Given the nature of this character, who has to be charming enough to lure children in, while also being deeply unsettling, it’s not too surprising that Jamie chose Jim Jones as a reference point.

Jones was the leader of the Peoples Temple cult, eventually leading his followers to commit mass suicide in Jonestown, Guyana.

“Jim Jones was an early reference for me,” Jamie told Variety. “He was on the mood board, even with regard to certain things that he’s saying when the kids are all in front of him. There were points where I thought, ‘Do I say the word “you” or do I use the word “we”? We’re a family now.’ That’s really grim! It totally can remove the idea of autonomy, so definitely there had to be that level of cult leader-esqueness about him.”

He also teased what’s to come in the series finale, which will premiere on December 31.

“The end of 7 is an incredible setup for what is to come. And if you think you know what is to come at the beginning of 8, you’re probably wrong,” said The Mortal Instruments star. “It really does blow the f–k up. Whatever you think you know will be exceeded.”

Jamie recently made a surprise cameo appearance in the Stranger Things: The First Shadow play as Henry Creel!