“He [Norman] only half-existed,” the psychiatrist stated after taking a look at Norman himself (Psycho). Norman Bates is a character in the movie Psycho, whose mental illness caused him to turn murderous. Psycho is not the only film that uses a mental illness to produce a villain. The Joker from the Batman series is diagnosed by the viewers to be psychopathic, and he is known to be a mass murderer. From the 1960 film to modern movies, many producers create their villains with mental disabilities. Because the mentally ill are portrayed as villains, this causes the viewers to classify them as capable of turning monstrous and harming those around them. This stereotype leads to the vilification of all those with a mental illness. Producers create …show more content…
Norman’s mind housed two personalities, his and his mother’s. After his father had died, Norman and his mother had lived “as if there was no one else in the world.” A few years later, Norman’s mother met a man that she planned to marry. Driven with jealousy, Norman murdered both the man and his mother because he had felt replaced. The guilt ate him up and caused him to pretend that his mother was still alive. In order to do this, half of him became his mother. Just as Norman was jealous of any man who came near his mother, the mother half of Norman was also jealous of anyone that aroused Norman himself. Therefore, when Marion came to stay at the Bates Motel, owned by Norman, he was attracted to her, and his attraction spurred the mother half of him to become jealous and murder Marion. Sometimes Norman would dress up as his mother when reality came too close and threatened his illusion. Since his mind was housing two personalities, there was a battle, and eventually his mother won and completely took over Norman. Norman was gone, and his mother has fully taken over (Psycho). The viewers realize that Norman Bates never meant to hurt anyone. It was his jealous emotions stemming from his mother that caused him to murder Marion. In Norman’s case, his mental illness was to blame for his vile crime. Through this portrayal, the viewers are more likely to view mental illnesses negatively. Because Norman’s …show more content…
Many recent movies contain this same concept, one of which is The Dark Knight. The most famous villain in the Batman series is The Joker. The Joker is considered a mass-murderer, a psychopathic killer, and an unstable character. Like Norman in Psycho, “…the Joker has often been casually diagnosed with schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder,” showing that through how the villain is portrayed, the viewers classify them with a certain disorder without fully being aware of what the actual symptoms of the disorder is (John Goodwin and Izzat Tajjudin). As people are classifying mental illnesses with no background information other than what is given in the movie, stereotypes for mental disorders are formed. These stereotypes vilify those who are mentally ill because they have a predetermined outlook on each illness based on a movie. Because the movies have mentally ill villains, like the Joker, the viewers will automatically think that the mentally ill are very capable at turning into a psychopathic killer. Therefore, movies like the The Dark Knight cause the viewers to believe that those who have a mental disorder can easily become monstrous due to their state of mind. The movie does not give them a chance to prove it
In the film, American Psycho, Patrick Bateman was a wealthy investment banker who also happened to be a serial killer. He was highly intelligent and was charming which attracted many of the women who came his way. Unlike most people in the world, he lived in constant pain. He was rarely happy with himself, and also hated everyone around him. He felt that he needed to inflict his pain on others in violent ways. He always had something disgusting to say such as, “I like to dissect girls; I am utterly insane.” It is outside of the norm to speak in this way, therefore he would be considered deviant. He displayed feelings of distress as he became frustrated very easily with himself and others. Everything
The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry is a book by Jon Ronson, where he investigates the idea of psychopathy and the many individuals involved. Psychopathy is defined as “a person who is mentally ill, who does not care about other people, and who is usually dangerous or violent.” Ronson visited mental health professionals and psychopaths in order to determine the right way to control the diagnosis of mental health disorders. Throughout the novel, Ronson focuses on three main themes, which are the definition of madness, unnecessary mental diagnoses and the problem with confirmation bias.
In his research, Wahl used the film One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest and measured the difference of his students attitudes toward mental illness before watching the movie and after. Results prior to the movie show no significant differences in attitudes towards mental illness, but after results strongly skewed towards the negative outlook on mental illness. Domino then showed a documentary of real life mental hospitals juxtaposing One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest to students who had watched One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest and those who had not. “Those who watched the movie opinions still skewed significantly towards negative attitudes, but those who had just seen the documentary were skewed towards the positive side. Thus showing the impact of the film, that is fictional severely impacted individuals to not trust reality of mental hospitals depicted in the documentary” (Wahl 348-349).
People are constantly bombarded with negative images of people with mental illness. In movies especially this is seen. Most horror movies are centered around a character with mental illness who goes unnoticed and performs horrible crimes because of their illness. People who are portrayed as being depressed, anxious, or compulsive in media are usually seen in a negative way, whereas the characters who are carefree and have no emotional problems are seen in a more positive way. Media is significantly adding to the stigma of mental health.
Facts: Norman Bates is getting treated for depression and occasional psychotic episodes by Dr. Joe. Norman Bates has a roommate named Marshal Mathers, who has a sister named Cindy who regularly comes over to the apartment. Norman Bates revel to Dr. Joe that God told him to kill Cindy. Dr. Joe calls police for Cindy safety. The police meet Norman who appeared to be rational, and no action was taking. Dr. Joe and Norman Bates session were no discontinued. Dr. Joe did nothing more about the dream Norman had. Cindy dies month later by Norman who told the police that god told him. Cindy’s parents filed an action against Dr. Joe based on negligence.
In Alfred Hitchcock’s famous “slasher” movie, Psycho, the audience is introduced to Norman Bates. Like many ot...
Perhaps no other film changed so drastically Hollywood's perception of the horror film as did PSYCHO. More surprising is the fact that this still unnerving horror classic was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, a filmmaker who never relied upon shock values until this film. Here Hitchcock indulged in nudity, bloodbaths, necrophilia, transvestism, schizophrenia, and a host of other taboos and got away with it, simply because he was Hitchcock.
Norman Bates is arguably the most unforgettable character in the horror genre. His movements, voice and aura at first radiate a shy young man but transform into something more sinister as the movie Psycho (Hitchcock, USA, 1960) progresses. How has the director, Alfred Hitchcock, achieved this? Norman Bates was a careful construct: the casting, body language, lighting and even the subtle use of sound and mise-en-scène created the character.
Horror, crime and thriller movies are three entirely different genres, but they share some similarities. Crime movies typically focus on a hero and the pursuit of a criminal. In the end, the protagonist solves the crime. On the other hand, horror movies usually focus on the dark side of life. Evil spirits or supernatural powers often creates destruction, but the protagonist defeats them. The end of the film, however, suggests that such forces will likely come back. The horror films are designed to get frightened and give panic attacks to the viewers. Again, the thriller is a genre that revolves expectation and suspension. Marion Crane and Norman Bates crimes, guessing
The 1960’s horror film, Psycho, was directed by the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. The all star cast consist of Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, and John Gavin. Janet Leigh portrays Marion Crane, A real estate agent in Phoenix, Arizona who is fed up with her lackluster life. Marion’s one wish is to marry her lover, Sam Loomis, but due to Sam’s recent divorce he is trumped in debt and the two cannot afford to tie the knot. Like any normal Friday, Marion strolls back into work after her lunch break expecting a normal day in the office. Shortly after Marion’s entrance George Lowery, her boss, enters with a new client. The client drops 40,000 dollars in cash on Marion's desk and instructs her to deposit the money into the company's bank account.
There is an umbrella of different mental disabilities that are not shown on television. Common disorders are usually depression, anxiety, and less often, bipolar disorder (Bastién 12). Even more common, when disorders such as schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder, and antisocial personality disorder are portrayed on television, they tend to give off a negative connotation on mental disorders. Not all people with mental disorders are “idiosyncratic serial killers” like Hannibal or “grotesquely destructive characters” like Elliot on Mr. Robot (Bastién 13). If society is not developing a stigma of those with mental
Norman Bates is the antagonist of the movie Psycho. Norman Bates is a handsome young gentleman-like individual. However, even though he has a shy but eerie persona, we can’t imagine that this turns into a creepy murderer. The reason that ultimately leads to his insanity is his strange attachment to his mother. Besides being plain old Norman Bates, Norman’s other character is his mother. Norman dresses like his mother and can even have a conversation with himself shifting from one persona to the next. In the movie, we find out that Norman killed his mother and the mother’s partner because he was jealous of her. After killing his mother, he coped with the murder by physically having his mom’s corpse in the house and mentally absorbing per personality. The significant point in Psycho comes when Marion’s comments in the lounge threaten Norman’s mother, when she refers to him leaving her forever. Norman leans forward to defend his mother/himself from Marion. Throughout their discussion his posture changes, his emotions and words alternate between passive and aggressive. Although the slight sexual references between Norman and Marion are nothing more than harmless flirting, Norman is unable to separate his desires from his mother’s judgments. Norman is unable to mention words that are associated with sex. The bond Norman has with his mother is so strong that it makes it impossible for him to have an intimate relationship with women, the exception being that his brain has been programmed to move from words to action, white to black with nothing in between. His mother’s influence has caused all sexual thoughts to trig...
Most people gather what they know about mental illnesses from television and film. Unfortunately these media portrayals are inaccurate and create stigma. They depict people suffering from mental illnesses as different, dangerous and laughable. Characters are often addicted to drugs or alcohol, are violent, dangerous, or out of control. Horror film characters like Norman Bates in Psycho, Jack Torrance in the Shining, or Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs associate the typical 'psycho- killer' with people who suffer from a mental illness. But dramas and horror films are not the only film genres that create stigma. Comedies like What About Bob and many others not only stigmatize, they also make fun of mental illnesses and the people who suffer from them. This paper will discuss how the film Me, Myself & Irene is an inaccurate, offensive and stigmatizing portrayal of an individual suffering from schizophrenia. It also discusses what can be done to counteract the stigma created by these types of films.
Psycho (1960) is filled with grisly shocks and disconcerting moments throughout this picture. A filmmaker’s film must give the ability to appeal to mass emotions and be an entertainer at the same time. Thus, famous director Alfred Hitchcock was the right individual for the direction of Psycho. Hitchcock is a veteran of adding disturbing images and frightening audiences by creating unique plot, characters, and tricking the camera. Hitchcock does this by establishing identification with characters like heroine Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) and a sensitive yet perplexing antagonist Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins). The cinematography in Psycho manipulates audiences across the globe by building the suspense slowly and inexorably towards the films conclusion. Hitchcock delivers the cynical picture to life by using these cinematic techniques: elements of lighting, framing, and creating tension. Hitchcock knows how to portray the perfect yet spine-chilling moments.
The film Psycho (1960) was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and portrays Norman Bates, a character isolated from society. Norman has an interest in taxidermy and shares an unnaturally close relationship with his mother. He is diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder (DID), which was known as multiple personality disorder in the past. Those suffering from DID have two or more distinct personalities that are also called sub personalities, wherein each personality features a unique set of memories, behaviors, thoughts, and emotions (Comer, 2016). Throughout the film, each of Norman’s sub personalities takes center stage and dominate his functioning. He uses his own recessive personality and his mother’s primary persona.