Movies influence violence

Whereas it’s not fair to say that movies have created psychos, we can’t ignore the fact that they have played a role in some of the violence that has happened in the world. We can’t say that if movies were banned all the psychos in the world would disappear either. But some of the horrific crimes that have happened have been committed with such artistry that only a movie could have provided the plot. The Scream face is one the most instantly recognizable devices of modern horror cinema. A simple black robe and white mask, it has inspired hordes of Halloween costumes ever since the release of the movie Scream in 1996. And, although the film deliberately undercuts much of the horror genre, it has unfortunately inspired several bloody murders. Perhaps the most notable of these is the Belgian case of Thierry Jaradin, a truck driver who murdered his neighbor Alison Cambier. When she stopped by to drop off some videos, he tried to pull a few lines and dance moves at that on her but got rejected for being overzealous. He then decided to dance to a different groove, strode into the next room, donned his Scream costume and returned with two kitchen knives, stabbing Alison 30 times. You have to notice that after he was turned down; he went and got the mask even though she had already seen his face. What was the purpose of the mask then? It is simply psychotic behavior. The Deer Hunter is a film that is also accused of influencing copycat deaths, but instead of murder it is said to inspire suicide. The movie is about American soldiers captured by the Viet Cong army and forced to play Russian roulette. One of the soldiers, Nick, becomes so affected by his time in captivity that he instead remains in Vietnam where he repeatedly plays the game for money. Eventually, probability catches up with him and he ends up dying. There seems to be something almost hypnotizing about Russian roulette – who knows whether this stems from a morbid curiosity or simply the adrenalin rush from flirting with death? Mickey Culpupper shot himself in the head after a round of “playing Deer Hunter” in 1980 and similar reports have come from the Philippines, Finland and Lebanon. Also in 1980, a man was captured and tortured in a similar way to the Viet Cong torture scene. Despite being critically acclaimed, The Deer Hunter has inspired many to becoming critically maimed. These are just a few examples of the way movies play with peoples psych. Let a twisted person watch an even more twisted movie and the result could be deadly. Sure, violent movies can not be run out of business because some psycho might take things a little too far. Besides, right now the world is at a point where violence rules and drive by shootings have become a sport. This brings me to the scriptwriters and directors of these movies. The Saw Franchise is made up of movies about a sadistic killer, Jigsaw, who sets victims torturous tests that require them to self harm in order to escape death. It is gory at its best and not for anybody who can’t stand the sight of blood. How someone comes up with this stuff is beyond me. Hollywood directors like Wes Craven and Quentin Tarantino have a fetish for violent movies even though their work is extremely commendable and nothing short of genius. But much as we watch and actually enjoy these movies, the question is, how disturbed can one be to consistently direct or write movies only based on severe violence? So maybe they have an over active imagination I guess. And if we question these people’s sanity then we have to question the watchers too because they are the ones who take the movie to a whole new level! Romantic comedies are great but apparently violence sells more, after all, a man has to eat. These directors know where the money is and don’t need the likes of Steven Spielberg getting all the credit. rachelgaruka@yahoo.co.uk