Steve Becker raised the issue of psychopaths in movies a few months ago – I’d like to raise it again. I’ve been watching the second series of the TV show ‘Dexter‘. For those who don’t know it, Dexter is a serial killer who operates according to a code taught to him by his father. Dad, a cop, realised that Dexter was different (socially inept, blood lust, etc.) and so instilled in him the principle that he was not to hurt people in general, but to work at getting along with them. Dexter is permitted to kill only those who deserve it, e.g. killers who’s escaped justice.
Commentators automatically call Dexter psychopathic. That’s what these words seem to mean in the general public: psychopath = serial killer = psychopath.
Hannibal Lector seems to be the association. Either him or a character like Chigurh in ‘No country for old men’. In fact he’s portrayed like a schizoid automaton – where’s the famous psychopathic charm? Only in the scene where he verbally torments the old store-owner get a whiff of psychopathy. It’s not helpful; it’s just one of the reasons regular folks can’t/won’t understand what psychopathy is really like. (For starters, psychopaths aren’t by any means all killers.)
This despite the fact the Dexter himself feels most understood at a program for addicts. (To my mind he’s a pervert.) His girlfriend Lila, though, does seem to me to be a psychopath, though with a definite female bent. A clue, Dexter is wholly likeable whereas Lila is terrifying. A bit like Sante Kimes as depicted in ‘A little thing called murder’.
This public confusion occured around ‘The Sopranos’ too. Donna Andersen has argued that Tony is not a psychopath (she prefers the term sociopath). I agree. (My diagnosis: narcissist – not that it would matter if he had you in his sights.) To me his buddy Paulie ‘Walnuts’ is the true psychopath.
Lovefraud readers have earned the right the hard way to know what is and what isn’t a believably psychopathic. Which movies/shows/books do you think get the essential quality?
Indigoblue
I saw Silence of the Lambs 6 times in the theater , I have the Movie on disc . I can still sit through the hole thing .
I want to remind everyone it’s a movie for entertainment and not a documentry on Psycos .
It is superbly done ! Anthony Hopkins nails it ! who would you put in Dustin Hoffmans Place for Rainman?? Jody Foster nails it too ! The vilian I appologise for not knowing his name but He is great !
But possibly the Greatest Movies are STAR WARS !
I will let you think about why? LOVE jere
Stargazer
Well, just in time for Halloween, I was thinking about one of my favorite cult movies–Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’m pretty convinced that the main character Frankenfurter is some sort of narcissistic sociopath. He enjoys toying with people for his own personal gain and only shows emotion (cries) when his plan fails.
Another little known movie about a very clever and cunning sociopath is House of Games, where Joe Montegna plays the part to perfection. I highly recommend this movie for all the twists and turns.
Jen2008
Dr. Steve said: “like Chigurh in ’No country for old men’. In fact he’s portrayed like a schizoid automaton – where’s the famous psychopathic charm?… It’s not helpful; it’s just one of the reasons regular folks can’t/won’t understand what psychopathy is really like.”—
Although I supposed in the movie his portrayal was supposed to show the emotionless aspect of the psychopath while he was on his murder rampage, in real life, if this dude acted that cold, emotionless, and robotic in other settings (besides during a murder), it is unlikely he would be able to victimize any woman romantically, cause he wouldn’t even be able to get a DATE. lol..
But yeah, alot of people seem to think when people talk about the cold emotionless aspect of the psychopath, that that is how they act all the time–bland– and that they never display any sort of emotional quality. If that was true, the problem of spotting them and not getting involved with them would pretty much be solved.
James
The movie “Rocky Horror picture show” is one of my favorites. I will need to watch it tonight. Yes I agree Dr. Frankenfurter is one “sick” puppy. If you remember he kills Eddy because this “creature ” turn against him and didn’t do what he wanted. So what does Dr. Frankenfurter do? Well builds another creature to fill the place of Eddy. Very psychotic and sociopathic to say the least.
Wini
Tolle’s book “A New Earth” touches the subject about why people are mesmorized with the horrors that H-wood churns out … due to our pain bodies … have to get that fix for our pain bodies … he state’s everyone has pain bodies from their childhoods … and carries those pains with us through our lives … not realizing, what they are, or how we got them … his book nails it.
A must read.
I like Tolle because he tells it like it is, from the perspective of hitting rock bottom (like how we are blogging on this site, telling it like it is, as our lives hit rock bottom) in his life … wanted to commit suicide, but due to his religion … he knew this was a NO GO … so he got down on his knees and prayed to God to help him with his predicament (the pain in his life) … and the book is a result of his prayers. He state’s he did not write the book, he just put the words down on paper.
Peace.
neveragain
Maybe this has been mentioned before, I’m new to the board, but I think Thomas Crown in The Thomas Crown Affair is a psychopath….delighting in pulling one over on everyone and causing his girlfriend needless pain with the way he handled restoring the art and meeting her again. And testing her loyalty, causing her needless pain. And not being forthright with anyone. Sadly, some psychopaths, ARE hugely successful financially, which makes them just that much harder to spot.
Wini
justaboutheadled: Yeah, and Steve McQueen isn’t with us any more.
Peace.
nightmare
HI ALL .
OH MY …. I WATCHED 1 OR 2 EPISODES OF DEXTER AND IT CREEPED ME OUT. …. IT WAS THE ONE WHERE HIS GIRLFRIEND WANTED TO HAVE SEX FOR THE FIRST TIME AND HE DID IT . AND WHEN WE THE AUDIENCE HEAR HIS THOUGHTS IT WAS FULL OF NOTHINGNESS. HE FELT NOTHING NO FEELINGS TOWARDS HER. IT WAS JUST PHYSICAL………
THAT WAS ENOUGH FOR ME. AND ITS A BIT GORY WHEN HE KILLS THE BAD GUYS.
LOL
RATHER NOT WATCH……….
Ox Drover
One of the best portrayals of a P is in “There Will be Blood” and Daniel Day-Lewis plays a character named Daniel who is a psychopath, who adopts a foundling child as a “cover” as a family man and becomes a wealthy and crooked oil man back in the early days of oil drilling.
It’s one of the most “realistic” stories of a psychopathic life.
Glinda
I realize it was more of a documentary than an “entertainment” film, but I was always fascinated by the Ted Bundy story, “The Deliberate Stranger” with Mark Harmon as Bundy. Let’s face it, Mark Harmon is HOT. It was “ground breaking” so to speak, because serial killers are EVIL and therefore shouldn’t be capable of being handsome and charming while raping and killing many (admitted to 36 I think) women and having a girlfriend he didn’t murder. I remember hearing discussions regarding the movie not being believable because Mark Harmon was too handsome and his character too charming. And of course people blamed the girlfriend for not knowing she was involved with serial killer- I mean, “How could she not know?” (Gack.)
I really identity with that portrayal as the xs was charming to me (and around and in front of me) and evil pretty much everywhere else.
While not necessarily a movie DrSteve was looking for, it’s the one I thought of and wanted to mention it.