blog 5 : the demonisation of mental illness
The demonisation of mental illness in horror and thriller films
In honour of it being the halloween season, I felt it only appropriate to write a post about two of my favourite genres: horror and thriller. However, I couldn't decide on one film to do so instead, I decided on writing about a few that all have something in common. Horror films are made intended to elicit fear or disgust within their audience, whereas thrillers are made to make the audience feel suspense, anxiety, and anticipation. Although, there are a lot of crossovers between these genres in films.
As I started watching more films portraying mental illness, I noticed a trend in that many of them were often from either the horror genre, or the thriller genre, and typically, the character who had the mental illness being portrayed was also the antagonist, or the 'bad guy'. I started thinking about how this could negatively impact the way in which mental illness is perceived in society, especially those that are less talked about in educational systems. Upon research, I found that many other people, from film fanatics to mental health professionals, had also noticed this trend. Following this, I settled on two films to write about and explore their portrayals; Split and Joker. However, the demonisation of mental illness in films such as Halloween, The Shining, and Psycho can also be explored, the two films below are just examples I decided to use.
! Potential spoiler warning ! If you've read my other posts, you'll know the drill by now. In case you haven't, I'll include it. This post is likely to include spoilers for the four films mentioned in the previous paragraph. I will try my best to avoid any major spoilers, however sometimes it will be necessary. Also, I am in no way saying these are bad films, shouldn't be watched, or anything like that. I am merely exploring the way in which they portray mental illness, and only that. They are all great films and I would recommend them all, but do not base your opinion of mental illness on the way they are shown in these films, and any others! I will include some helpful resources on mental health and mental illness at the bottom for anyone who is interested:)
Split (2017)
Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is classified as a severe form of dissociation which produces a lack of connection to a person’s sense of identity, including thoughts and memories, and is also characterised by having two or more distinct identities. Common symptoms of DID include memory loss, a blurred sense of identity, a feeling of detachment from yourself and others, other mental health problems, and distorted perceptions of life. Many films have portrayed dissociative identity disorders in their characters, such as Fight Club (1999), Sybil (1976), and Primal Fear (1996), and employ use of different genres in order to show their characters complexities. More recently, M. Night Shyamalan’s 2016 horror film Split stars James McAvoy as Kevin, a man diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder who kidnaps three young girls. The girls must work out which of his 23 personalities they can rely on to help them escape, before his 24th personality is unleashed. Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, and produced by renowned horror production company Blumhouse Productions, the film received praise from critics however strong criticisms from mental health advocates for how it portrays dissociative identity disorder. There are some positives; the characters of Kevin and Casey are given a good amount of depth. We learn about Kevin's childhood, and how it may link to his development of alternate personalities in order to protect himself. We also learn about Casey's childhood, and frequently see flashbacks to her traumatic experiences of her uncle and legal guardian. The showing of her scars towards the final scenes of the film ends up being what saves her from Kevin's 24th personality, the Beast, due to how they both had trauma from their childhood. Throughout the film, Kevin is shown to be in therapy sessions with a therapist called Dr Fletcher. Her existence provides some sort of educational element for audience, as before her death, she is commonly seen discussing various aspects of DID; from what it is to how some deny its existence.
However, one of the main critiques from mental health advocates was the use of stereotypes for Kevin’s character, which further the stigmatisation around dissociative identity disorder. More specifically, the way that Kevin’s 24th personality is labelled ‘The Beast’, and is the most dominant and menacing of all his personalities, heavily stigmatises that DID is a dangerous disorder to live with, and can lead to those living with the disorder to be at an increased risk of discrimination. The way that Kevin's DID is used as the primary reason/excuse for him kidnapping three girls is harmful in itself, as it furthers the negative notion that dissociative identity disorder naturally causes those with it to do bad things, such as abduction or murder. Which is not the case. In reality, people living with DID can often function highly, something not shown in the character of Kevin. Instead, his illness is used as the root of his violence and harmful behaviour, and shown as the sole reason.
Following the release of Split, a study into dissociative identity disorder was completed by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation which found that of 173 people, only 3% were charged with an offence, 1.8% were fined, and less than 1% were in jail or probation over six months. Many psychiatrists have also said that the likelihood of someone with DID to be violent towards others is rare, with harm towards themselves being more likely. From this research, and many others, it's clear to see how Split is a harmful depiction of what dissociative identity disorder is, and how it affects those with it. The tropes used within the film are not all that original, with DID having historically been misrepresented through dramatization and sensationalisation in the media, casting a negative shadow over the illness, and potentially causing those uneducated on the disorder to see those with it as dangerous.
Joker (2019)
Director : Todd Philips
I'm pretty sure that a large majority of people have seen Joker, whether they wanted to or not, and it gained mass praise when it came out, with Joaquin Phoenix winning an Academy Award for his performance as Arthur Fleck/The Joker. However, the depiction of mental illness has been largely debated and discussed, due to the harmful nature of it. Joker portrays a dangerous link between psychotic illness, going off medication, and violence, which comes with furthering this stereotype that already exists within the real world.
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