Psychopaths. They’re rather fascinating people, aren’t they? They’re almost like a different species entirely. Incredible manipulation skills to trick anyone into anything, superficial charm so you’re the darling of the house and nobody suspects a thing, grandiose sense of self-worth so nobody can bring you down, lack of empathy so your conscience doesn’t butt in and you can actually go batshit crazy without batting an eye. And if that is coupled with intelligence, those are some damn good superpowers for people to dream of. And these aren’t as hard to come by as you think.
1 per cent of the entire population meets the criteria for psychopathy. Yup, it doesn’t exactly sound like a lot but that means 1 in every 100 people you know is a psychopath. Watch out, kids. They’re a lot more normal than you think. That popular kid from class could be one, or your sweet neighbour who always greets you in the elevator could be one, heck you could be one. I mean who would’ve thought of Ted Bundy as one, a handsome young chap with an educational background in law and psychology who came from a seemingly normal family?
A phenomenon as interesting as psychopaths, of course, we have a plethora of films, series, and tv shows on them. These are a few of them you ought to watch.
1. Hannibal (NBC TV Series)
This series by far has to be the best one ever when it comes to psychological thriller drama. Everything about this series is impeccable; the cinematography, dialogues, acting, music, editing, story and even the set design. Every aspect of this series is made to perfection, just like Hannibal’s dishes. A brilliantly terrifying psychiatrist who’s also a cannibalistic serial killer and an FBI profiler who has an uncanny ability to relive others’ realities momentarily and use it to sniff out killers. Their relationship is one of the most absurdly intimate ones and probably the most fascinating one you’ll encounter on screen.
It’s one of those rare instances when the character on screen is immensely better than the book. Hannibal Lecter is a bloody good example of a poised, extremely complicated and deranged but very well put-together psychopath. With every episode, you’ll grow fond of him, yes not only will you grow fond of this callous, anthropophilic madman but also root for him when he’d go on a grisly killing spree. If you’re into awfully disturbed minds, tons of gore, and a chilling storyline that’ll stay with you long after you’ve seen it, then this one’s for you. And even if you’re not, you must at least watch it once for this is a stunning masterpiece and it’d be a shame to have missed it.
2. American Psycho
This is a classic and for all the right reasons. A Wall Street banker who loves dissecting girls and J&B on the rocks. Christian Bale portrays Bateman’s character quite accurately, with respect to the book from which the film was adapted. He brings out the different sides of Patrick Bateman very effortlessly. Thanks to this, Christian Bale has been engraved in our minds as Patrick Bateman. He’ll always be the American Psycho.
Although it’s a film that came out in 2000, it looks nothing like it. Bateman’s monologue is crafted very well and it’s one of the prominent things in the film which makes the viewers understand the psychopath’s perspective better. The cinematography brings out the 80s setting and the way New York was during the time. His spiral into complete insanity as he gives into his lethal tendencies is very fascinating to watch and is one of the few things that makes this film a cult classic. Although it’s a dark film, there are quite a lot of humorous moments in the film. The business cards part is probably one of the best scenes in the film. There’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn't watch this one.
3. A Clockwork Orange
This one has to be Stanley Kubrick’s most fascinating work. The film follows a young sadistic psychopath, Alex DeLarge in this futuristic society who goes about the city with his droogies committing acts of rape and murder but ends up getting caught. He signs up for an experimental therapy conducted by the government in exchange for release. But it turns his life upside down. He walks out of the experiment a different man than he was before.
The use of Beethoven’s music in this film has been done brilliantly, especially for Ludovico's technique. The most interesting aspect about this film though has to be the oddly cryptic language. All thanks to Anthony Burgess who wrote The Clockwork Orange. He was a polyglot and thought that basing his vocabulary primarily on Nadsat vocabulary which had elements of Russian, rhyming slang, compound words, and so on, gave birth to this uniquely absurd yet attractive dialect. As Alex would’ve said, ‘Viddy this film my brothers, it’ll be a real horror show indeed.’
4. The Good Son
Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin is the good son and nothing about him is good. This film explores psychopathy in kids who have no history of abuse or trauma, which is generally the cause of psychopathy tendencies as a coping mechanism. “If I let go do you think you could fly?” Culkin nailed his performance as the evil kid. Usually, the evil kid is always the adopted one or someone who’s new to the place, but not this one, and it works perfectly. Kids are inherently savages, Lord of the Flies will certainly attest to it. But sadistic behaviour in children who come from a normal, somewhat hurdle-free and relatively healthy environment definitely trudges on abnormality.
This film helps clear out the misconception that kids from broken families are the only ones who can become rotten, whereas kids from well-off families are unproblematic and would never steal or hurt a fly. Although it was a film with child stars as leads, most of the parents were against their kids watching this one, despite it having the Home Alone star. And well it’s all about perspective, Kevin McCallister did nasty things like dropping irons on faces, sticking nails and glasses on their feet, swinging paint cans on their faces and blow-torching heads, not that far a stretch from The Good Son don’t you think?
5. Ichi The Killer
Takashi Miike’s Ichi the Killer certainly isn’t easy to stomach. To call it extremely violent and graphic would be a massive understatement. This film is a funhouse of sadomasochism, vehemently weird but intriguing characters, and hardcore gore. The CGI is a bit outdated but it adds to the eccentric nature of the film and fits perfectly. For a film that came out in 2001, it not just touches but even delves deeper into topics which we barely talk of even now. The music, the camera movements, the plot, the colours, this film has got it all. It’s a fairly disturbing film, sure, but it is morbidly fascinating. Although it’ll be overwhelming to watch, you’ll find yourself unable to take your eyes off the screen.
Terrible jokes are always a good note to end on. What would you call a film starring Jake Paul and a Psychopath? Dumb and Dahmer.
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