Oct 28: Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Synopsis

Following The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), we go back-to-back with Silence of the Lambs, the screen adaptation of the Thomas Harris novel by the same name and sequel to the 1986 film, Manhunter (itself an adaptation of the Harris novel Red Dragon). Both films (as well as the trilogy-completing novel/film, Hannibal) feature Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant and cultured psychiatrist turned man-eating serial murderer. Silence of the Lambs begins with FBI trainee, Clarice Starling, assigned to interview Lecter in the hope of providing information on a serial killer at large known as “Buffalo Bill” who has murdered 5 women and is believed to be holding a Senator’s daughter. Lecter, who is imprisoned in a “hospital for the criminally insane,” agrees to assist Starling, provided she acts to facilitate his transfer from the facility and discloses details of her troubled childhood. Although Lecter’s assistance proves invaluable in Starling’s search for Buffalo Bill, his ulterior motives eventually become clear.

At Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, a triple feature of Psycho (1960), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), and The Silence of the Lambs is required viewing given that Ed Gein inspired the creation of all 3 films. Ed Gein, the Wisconsin Butcher, was a serial killer and body snatcher who fashioned trophies and keepsakes from the bones and skin of his victims.

THE PSYCHIATRY OF SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

Throughout the series, Thomas Harris repeatedly uses early childhood trauma as a catalytic event in producing personality and psychopathology (presented in greater detail in the novels). Notably, Hannibal Lecter, Jame “Buffalo Bill” Gumb, and Clarice Starling have all suffered abandonment by their parents and subsequent trauma.

Lecter was born to a wealthy family in Lithuania where his parents were killed by a Nazi air raid at age 11. He and his sister, Mischa, survived, only to be captured by Nazi sympathizers who murdered Mischa, cooked her remains, and fed them to Lecter.
Buffalo Bill is revealed as having been orphaned by his mother, an alcoholic prostitute, and was in foster care for 10 years before being adopted by his grandparents, whom he later murders. Following the killing of his grandparents, he is sent to an inpatient psychiatric facility where he learns to be a tailor and discovers his issues with gender identity.

Around the age of 10, Starling’s father, a town sheriff, was shot and killed after responding to a robbery. Her distraught mother was unable to provide for her and sent Clarice to Montana to live on the family farm. However, the sound of sheep being slaughtered was too much for her to bear, haunting her dreams into adulthood.

At the outset of the film, Gumb has murdered 5 women, removing swaths of flesh from each of his victims in order to create a patchwork bodysuit made of women’s skin. While Gumb is a crossdresser who has previously been denied gender reaffirming surgery due to psychiatric instability, the vast majority of sufferers of gender dysphoria are not violent toward others, though there is increased risk of self-destructive behaviors, substance abuse, mood disorder and suicide. Gender dysphoria is a new diagnosis to the DSM-5, with distinct differences from its DSM-IV precursor, Gender Identity Disorder. [Notably, the DSM-III (published in 1980 and in use at the time of the book and film) was the first edition to address incongruence between anatomic sex and gender identity specifically denoting a difference between gender identity (self-image) and gender role (outward portrayal of gender).] In DSM-IV, Gender Identity Disorder is classified as a sexual disorder, with diagnosis based on incongruence in identity. The DSM-5 takes a more progressive stance, accepting that gender identity incongruence in and of itself may not be pathological, but that distress arising from such circumstance is a specific diagnostic entity that may necessitate specific treatment goals and therapeutic strategies and social support.

Both Hannibal Lecter and Jame Gumb demonstrate behavior and attitudes consistent with Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD). This personality disorder is characterized by violent tendencies, disregard for laws and social norms, and a failure to feel guilt or remorse. While not all persons with APD demonstrate a propensity for violence, they frequently show blatant disregard for the rights and feelings of others, often acting to exploit others for their own personal gain. While the terms “sociopath’ and “psychopath’ have no consensus definition, they are often used interchangeably in the context of APD. The disorder is often seen with comorbid substance abuse and is common among incarcerated persons, with some estimates nearing 80% of all male prison inmates and 25% of female inmates.

Oct 21: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

Synopsis

Today, October 21, 2015, is Back to the Future Day. It’s also the date we’ll pay homage to another movie about time travel; The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British classic rock musical, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O’Brien. Over the decades, a cult of fans has cheered for “lips” (Science Fiction, Double Feature) to usher in the fantastic tale of the wild and untamed Victor Frankenstein-meets-Count Dracula. Author Jeffrey Weinstock asserts that O’Brien’s reference to George Pal (and his bride) is a mistake, as Pal was the producer of When Worlds Collide and not its star. Ironically, this gaffe also happens to be a foreshadowing of the film’s central theme.

But When Worlds Collide,
Said George Pal to his bride,
“I’m gonna give you some terrible thrills,” Like a…
– Science Fiction, Double Feature

THE PSYCHIATRY OF THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW

“Worlds Collide” relates to the battle between the id and superego symbolized by the main characters in the movie. The film begins with Brad and Janet, a traditional, all-American couple suffering a flat tire in the middle of nowhere on a stormy night. When they knock on the door of a nearby castle hoping to use the telephone, they are taken prisoner (a la Jonathon Harker) by the occupant, Dr. Frank-N-Furter, an allusion to Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

According to Freudian psychodynamic theory, the superego is the component of the personality composed of our internalized ideals acquired from our parents and from society (e.g. teachers). The superego works to suppress the urges of the id and tries to make the ego “behave morally.” It is relevant that Brad and Janet were on their way to meet Dr. Scott (their former professor) when they got the flat tire.

In addition to basic psychodynamic theory, Frank-N-Furter serves as a case study for Transvestic Disorder, a paraphilia (sexual deviancy) characterized by recurrent and intense sexual arousal from cross-dressing (Sweet Transvestite). The condition may be associated with Gender Dysphoria (DSM-5). Dr. Frank-N-Furter reports that he’s from Transsexual (of the galaxy Transylvania), his planet sharing its name with the DSM-IV forerunner of Gender Dysphoria. The new DSM-5 diagnosis emphasizes the phenomenon of “gender incongruence” rather than cross-gender identification per se. The risk of Gender Dysphoria is increased in Dr. Frank-N- Furter since he’s sexually aroused by thoughts and images of “himself” as a female (autodynephilia).

Frank-N-Furter exists in a world where everything pretends to be something else, and in which the present is pasted together from the bits and pieces of movies past, so that life becomes an
endless vaudeville revue. Fashioned after Dr. Frankenstein, he creates a simulation of a person in the form of Rocky Horror, who is intended to be a living symbolic arena for the acting out of sexual desires. Rocky’s central theme is the adolescent turmoil experienced when searching for sexual identity, and the role confusion (represented by Brad and Janet’s puzzlement following the bedroom scenes) that results when things go awry (e.g. getting a flat tire).

References

  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the Emergence of Recreational Evil, http://www.transparencynow.com/Evil.htm
  • “Rocky” for Tiny Fools who Quake with Fear by Alex Blaze.
  • Lem, Stanlislaw. The Futurological Congress, trans. Michael Kandel (New York: Avon Books, 1974) pp. 96-102.