Elephant Man - True Story

(source: The True Story of the Elephant Man)

• 123 Whitechapel Road, London, 1884 - "early days of his career as a professional freak"
• Joseph Carey Merrick - manager Mr Tom Norman at the time

Psychology - Nature Vs Nurture Debate

What is a psychopath? - "traditionally described as a personality disorder characterised by enduring antisocial behaviour, diminished empathy and remorse and disinhibited or bold behaviour." -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy
- http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/10737827/Psychopaths-how-can-you-spot-one.html
- Not all psychopaths are killers; Jordan Belfort is an example of someone who has psychopathic/sociopathic symptoms and is very successful as he doesn't care who he steps on to get what he wants and to get successful is all he cares about. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/reel-therapy/201312/the-double-edged-sword-narcissism

• http://www.newhealthguide.org/Difference-Between-Psychopath-And-Sociopath.html
• Psychopathy is hereditary and from genetics - sociopaths come around from environmental factors. 
• What appears to be forgotten by many people is that psychopathy and sociopathy are mental health disorders much like bi-polar, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and ASD (Autistic Spectrum Disorder). 
• The label of "PCL-R" is cut off at age 25 in the UK and 30 in the US but does a mental health disorder just disappear when you hit a certain age, does it become dormant or does it just stay there? Is it safe to assume that they're just suddenly better? Or is this simply avoiding the fact that some disorders can never be reversed?

Changing my topic

I have decided to change my topic from the truth behind based on a true story films - I found myself more interested in what drove some of the killers to become what they did. I was more interested in the psychology so this is why I have decided to make my EPQ about psychology and mental health.
I also have a personal connection to this subject as I have grown up with a family which has Autism, ADHD and Bi-polar.

Films that claim to be true - Actually completely fictional

Paranormal Activity (2007)

• This was an overnight success and had marketed that it was a completely true story and this is actual found footage. 
• However, simply watching the film itself shows the audience that this is fictional as in the credits the usual "Any character that appears similar to any persons alive or dead etc..." 
• And as it has spawned 5 sequels (including a Japanese sequel) and one spin off - the audience have become aware that the "true story" of this film is actually a hoax and it shouldn't be taken seriously. It should be taken with a pinch of salt.

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

This film was the staple of the "found-footage" sub-genre. To make this film seem really authentic they took 3 unknown actors, used their names in the film and placed posters like the one below to market the film:























They also made this film look really authentic by getting the actors to actually hike through the woods - actually pitch a tent and sleep in it and get them to film it all. The directors didn't give them a script so much of the dialogue was improvised and a lot of shocks and surprises were in store for the three principal actors involved as set up by the directors. Again, this can simply be debunked by fully watching the credits as it informs that the film is a fake. Also, simply looking up the actors on imdb.com shows that the actors have done work since this film and they are not dead or missing.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - True Story

• "The film which you are about to see is an account of the tragedy which befell a group of five youths, in particular Sally Hardesty and her invalid brother, Franklin. It is all the more tragic in that they were young. But, had they lived very, very long lives, they could not have expected nor would they have wished to see as much of the mad and macabre as they were to see that day. For them an idyllic summer afternoon drive became a nightmare. The events of that day were to lead to the discovery of one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre."  - This is the opening narration from the infamous famous horror film "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Supposedly, this film is based on a true story that happened on the 18th August 1973, however, this film was actually filmed before this date which shows it to be fake and already it is telling lies. It was only made to be on that date to make the film seem modern and scary to the target audience at the time.
• www.imdb.com
• Would this film still have been successful if they didn't try to suggest it was a completely true story?
  Elmer Wayne Henley

Ed Gein

• Born August 27th 1906 in La Crosse County, Wisconsin - not even from Texas.
• Died July 26th 1984 in  Madison Wisconsin.
• Nicknames: The Plainfield Ghoul, The Mad Butcher
• Found "Not Guilty by reason of insanity".
• Inspired the characters Norman Bates (Psycho), Jame "Buffalo Bill" Gumb (The Silence of the Lambs),  "Jed"Leatherface" Sawyer/Thomas "Leatherface" Hewitt (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise) and Dr. Oliver "Bloodyface" Thredson (American Horror Story: Asylum)
• Date apprehended: !6th November 1957
• Scolded by parents - especially his mother - when he tried to make friends with other children at his school. - http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/notorious/gein/begin_2.html
• 
  

General Observations

• The label "Based on a true story"/"Based on true events" seems to be very present in the horror genre. This attracts people as there is an odd fascination with the macabre of certain events and people's curiosity drives them to ultimately see the movie - only really to be disgusted and shocked by what they see. For example when the Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" came out, people were drawn to seeing such a new development to the horror genre which scared new audiences and still manages to today because it doesn't seem too far fetched as what ghosts do. People are the real monsters and certain horror movies remind people of this fact.
• Also present for uplifting movies, or amazing true stories that are unbelievable but real. For example "The Impossible" or "The Blind Side"

The Conjuring - True Story

The Conjuring is a 2013 horror film directed by James Wan starring Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson. The film is "based on a true story" but how true is that?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1457767/synopsis - written by a user of IMDB (not very reliable - however I have seen the movie and this is very true to the plot line) 

• The film begins like the typical haunted house film - a young unsuspecting family move into a new house (which ironically looks scary and sinister) and horrible events begin to unfold. It begins with the death of the family dog which, in the beginning, refused to enter the house. Then it escalates to the point where a powerful entity attacks the eldest daughter after her little sister repeatedly bangs her head on the cupboard which was there before they moved in. This sparks them calling in help from Ed and Lorraine Warren - a married couple who paranormal investigators. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/10169312/Lorraine-Warren-ghosthunter-extraordinaire.html 

• This is an actual interview with the woman who has seen all this first hand. A quote from the article was 'A lot of [the film] is very accurate,’ which is quite a bold claim. 
• Looking at the reliability of the source; it is not a personal webpage, it's from a prestigious newspaper known at The Telegraph. The domain is .co.uk. The person who wrote it is jane Mulkerrins, a journalist for The Telegraph newspaper. The date of the article is 13th July 2013. Yes, there a few links to different websites that involve the Warrens, their business and outcomes because of it. The evidence could be considered biased as they are actual quotes from Lorraine Warren, who could be lying to keep up appearances. However, it would be impossible for one to ever know. The site's global ranking on www.alexa.com is 220 and it's ranking in the United Kingdom is 21. Jane Mulkerrins seems to be a freelance journalist who works with other newspaper websites for her articles. This article was put on the web to help sell the new movie "The Conjuring" and to also inform people on the real Lorraine Warren and other things she has witnessed and done. I think, for reliability I would rate this website a 7 or 8 out of 10 because it is a well known and respected newspaper but even then newspapers bend the truth and use quotes out of context for their own ends.

In the film there is a sub-plot involved with a doll called Annabelle. This is the real doll. 

The doll in the movie has obviously been made to look more menacing and sinister to make the audience frightened with watching the film. Especially with the opening shot; an extreme close up of the Annabelle doll showing half of its creepy and terrifying face which is held for an uncomfortable period of time which almost becomes unbearable to watch.

• http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2013/07/22/conjuring-true-story-perron/2457209/ Andrea Perron has 3 books out about the Perron's family life.