Following most psychological thriller conventions, the protagonist has some sort of mental illness - most commonly schizophrenia. I found this interesting article mentioning a review of 41 movies released from 1990 to 2010 that featured one main character with the mental illness who engaged in dangerous and violent behavior. Obviously, movie producers intensify the negative stereotype of schizophrenia in order to attract an audience and give films more substance. Reverting back to this WebMD article which I had linked in a previous post, most schizophrenia patients are not necessarily violent. They prefer to be isolated and withdraw from any social contact. Even though some patients do experience psychosis, it is not as common as the entertainment industry makes it out to be.
With that said, I know understand why schizophrenia is so commonly associated with horror and thriller movies. For the purpose of the project, I followed the guidelines any psychological thriller would normally follow, hence the hinting at suicide and violence.
The purpose of this film opening is to establish the character of Pandora as exhausted, confused and easily manipulated by her illness. If the film were to become reality, the story would go alone the lines of her trying to battle these evil forces and ultimately finding her true self.
Sources:
Psychiatric Services 63:655–659, 2012. "Portrayals of Schizophrenia by Entertainment Media: A Content Analysis of Contemporary Movies." Psychiatric Services. American Psychiatric Association, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2017. <http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/appi.ps.201100371>.
"Schizophrenia: An Overview." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017. <http://www.webmd.com/schizophrenia/guide/mental-health-schizophrenia#2-4>.
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