By: Greta Mongyik 19/02/2018 Can Silence Of The Lambs be categorised as horror and is it portraying psychopathy realistically? Dissertation Synopsis This dissertation will talk about horror as a genre, and focus of on serial killers and psychopaths. Moving on from horror, the dissertation will explore on psychology, of both the audience (why are we interested) and psychopaths/serial killers (what makes them what they are). Finally the writing will focus on Silence Of The Lambs (1991) and discuss what makes the film horror, does it portrays psychopathy realistically. Chapter 1 - Synopsis Define horror as a huge topic; talk about its history, as it has appeared not only as films / movies, but novels, books, music etc. Focus on films and introduce sub-genres and different categories. Talk about how audience's interest has moved on from giant animals and monsters / supernatural to serial killers and psychopaths. Move on to explore how we know monsters are not real, but human insanity and cruelty is, which makes serial killers and psychopaths scarier, the knowledge of it could happen to anyone and the unpredictable. Chapter 2 - Synopsis Explain what is / makes a psychopath and how it can be confused to other terms such as psychotic or sociopath. Explore on how people can become psychopaths and how it can be passed down through generations. (Maybe look at some infamous real life cases.) Introduce Sigmund Freud's ideas of the mind and personality, and how people develop. Look into the conscious / unconscious and Id , Ego and Super-Ego. (focus on Id) Are all psychopaths killers and dangerous? Why are we actually watching these movies, what is our fascination with maniacs, psychopaths, sociopaths and serial killers? Why we find them scary, why might they be scarier than monsters? Chapter 3 - Synopsis Introduce the film Silence Of The Lambs (1991). Talk about what it is about and explore on some scenes and characters; why could it be seen as a horror / thriller movie. Discuss the character of Hannibal Lecter; is he portraying a psychopath correctly or rather realistically, or is he something else? What makes his character fascinating and terrifying at the same time? Research Pro-forma • Author: Stephen T. Asma • Subject/Key Points and potential use: Discusses history of monsters and what • Critical Position: Professor of function they had and will have in the Philosophy future; explores logic behind them and • Title: On Monsters: An Unnatural different era's fascination and common History of Our Worst Fears fears.
• Publisher/Publication: Oxford University Press • Quotation:
• Place of Publication: Oxford "The term monster is often applied to
human beings who have, by their own • Date: 2011 horrific actions, abdicated their • Chapter: 13 – Criminal Monsters: humanity" Psychopathology, Aggression, and the Malignant Heart Research Pro-forma • Author: Wheeler Winston Dixon • Subject/Key Points and potential use: Discusses the horror genre and its • Title: A History of Horror history alongside with origins of • Publisher/Publication: Rutgers iconic and classic characters, it also University Press touches on Silence of the Lambs.
• Place of Publication: New Jersey • Quotation:
"Horror also became a part of the human • Date: 2010 landscape during the late 1970s, '80s, • Chapter: 4 – New Blood: 1970-1990 and '90s, with psychopathic killers stalking the streets on search of victims." Research Pro-forma • Author: Wayne Wilson • Subject/Key Points and potential use: Talks about Hannibal Lecter and his power • Critical Position: Professor of as a psychopath; and what makes him a Psychology strong. • Title: The Psychopath in Film • Publisher/Publication: University • Quotation:
Press of America "The compleat evil of Hannibal Lecter
(Anthony Hopkins) in the Silence Of the • Place of Publication: New York Lambs (1991) allows him to feel suffused with power from within: his overwhelming • Date: 1999 intelligence;' his considerable charms at • Chapter: Materialism: The Power Of misdirection; his ability to dupe and distance others from the truth." Plenty - Psychopathic Power Research Pro-forma • Author: Sigmund Freud • Subject/Key Points and potential use: Explores the mind and personality and • Critical Position: Neurologist and discusses the conscious/unconscious, as the founder of psychoanalysis well as Id, Ego and Super-Ego.
• Title: The Ego and the Id
• Quotation: • Publisher/Publication: Norton "We have said that consciousness is the • Place of Publication: surface of the mental apparatus; that is, we have ascribed it as a function to a • Date: (Originally 1923) 1962 system which is spatially the first one reached from the external world - and • Chapter: The Ego and the Id (But spatially not only in the functional sense but, on this occasion, also in the other chapters could be very useful sense of anatomical dissection." too) Research Pro-forma • Author: Sigmund Freud • Subject/Key Points and potential use:
• Critical Position: Neurologist and Explores and explains psychoanalysis
the founder of psychoanalysis and Freud's theories of dreams, sexual development, neuroses, and other • Title: A General Introduction to key aspects of psychoanalysis. Psychoanalysis • Publisher/Publication: Read Books • Quotation: Ltd • Place of Publication: • Date: (Originally 1917) 2014 • Chapter: Research Pro-forma • Author: Yvonne Tasker • Subject/Key Points and potential use: Explores the horror and thriller genre • Critical Position: Senior Lecturer and how they aid to portray insanity and in Film Studies crime in films. Identifies the audience's interest of police procedure and serial • Title: The Silence of the Lambs killing, madness and belonging. • Publisher/Publication: British Furthermore contains great details of the film and its characters. Film Institute / Palgrave BFI • Place of Publication: London • Quotation: • Date: 2002 "Lecter's sense of time is palpably • Chapter: different: both his speech and his movements are careful and measured." Future Research • John Watson: Behaviourism • Carl Rogers / Abraham Maslow: Humanism
• Movie Psychos vs The Real Thing: with Dr. James
Fallon Bibliography • Asma, Stephen T. (2011). On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears: Oxford University Press, Oxford. • Dixon, Wheeler W. (2010). A History of Horror: Rutgers University Press, New Jersey. • Freud, Sigmund (1962). The Ego and the Id: Norton. • Freud, Sigmund (2014). A General Introduction to Psychoanalysis: Read Books Ltd. • Wilson, Wayne (1999). The Psychopath in Film: University Press of America, New York. • Tasker, Yvonne (2002). The Silence of the Lambs: Palgrave BFI, London.