[Editorial] Soul Destroying Sunday: Childhood Trauma and Disturbing Behaviours

There was a trend happening on social media for a while where people disclosed their toxic traits and they weren’t necessarily what you would have expected - instead they became slightly unrelated and within the film world quite interesting. When I thought about my own personal ‘toxic trait’ it was quite easy to recognise what that was, and immediately it became clear that what could be considered one of my toxic traits (because let’s be honest there are many) was somewhat peculiar but also reciprocated by others too. 

That toxic trait is watching what could be described as ‘soul destroying’ films on a Sunday to gain some form of cathartic feeling. It might seem backwards to watch films that are designed to cause the soul extreme emotions, but in some ways it feels like a purge or a cleanse of one’s mind - to remind us that the world is not as cruel as it could be. Or perhaps I’m just trying to justify being a little bit problematic and indulging in behaviours that could potentially be viewed as damaging. Who knows. 

After posting a series of tweets about my soul destroying watchlist on a casual Sunday it became clear that not only do other people indulge in similar behaviours but even those who don’t, were interested in the films that were on the list. Therefore comes a new series on Ghouls Magazine all about those films. They are not always fully fledged horror films, but they touch some of the darkest corners of the human condition and therefore could be perceived as horror films in their own way. 

We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)
Dir. Lynne Ramsey

This is not an easy to watch film, and it should certainly come with warnings around the content matter as it can be triggering and disturbing. The film is based on the novel of the same name written by Lionel Shriver, which was my first introduction to the story of Eva Khatchadourian and her son Kevin, and completely took my breath away. Admittedly, it wasn’t until the second try that I finally got into the book but once you do, you cannot put it down because the ferocity of Eva’s story is so compelling, dark and heartbreaking. 

Ramsey took those desperate emotions from the book and straight into the film, focusing on the plight of a mother who is burdened with a son that commits mass murder. Tilda Swinton stars as Eva and perfectly depicts the struggles of becoming a mother and not understanding the emotions attached to having a child who from the outset you don’t particularly like. Ezra Miller stars as Kevin and is brooding, dangerous and downright terrifying - his gaze is enough to stop you from sleeping. 

We Need To Talk About Kevin isn’t a film that is easy to watch in any sense. I would expect that if you’re a parent it is even more difficult to watch because it really gets into the nitty gritty of how difficult parenthood can be, but even more so how hard motherhood can be. I am yet to see another depiction of motherhood that so closely represents personal fears of raising a child. This one really does need careful consideration when it comes to viewing, but it is a thought-provoking film that will really leave you thinking about life.

Mysterious Skin (2004)
Dir. Gregg Araki

This film was completely unexpected for me as I went in fairly blind and came out completely devastated. I was in a Facebook Group all about extreme horror films and someone mentioned that whilst this film is not categorised as horror as such, it touched on some of the darkest and most depressing aspects of humanity and therefore could nestle itself within the genre in some ways. The interesting thing about horror is that it is a very subjective genre, and with a modern move towards more ‘humanity’ focused storytelling, films such as Mysterious Skin fall into that category. 

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars Neil and Brady Corbet stars as Brian, both of whom experience a similar childhood trauma but find themselves differently affected and looking for escapism as they grow into their adolescence. Even though they do not fully comprehend the events that happened to them as children, they both are in some ways aware that it has led them to their retrospective paths and changed the lives they could have had. Neil finds himself prostituting to much, much older men without giving much care to the dangers that as a young teenage boy he is putting himself in, whilst Brian regresses into a fantasy world in which he was abducted by aliens and cannot believe anything other than their existence. But as the boys move forward in these different worlds, they start to collide and realise that both are trying desperately to heal from the trauma that they experienced, 

Mysterious Skin is a film about child abuse that will completely break your heart. Both Gordon-Levitt and Corbet are mesmerising on screen, and bring a certain sense of melancholy that isn’t always easy to achieve. The film has some of the most uncomfortable and disturbing scenes I have ever seen in a film, and there is a particular scene towards the end that made me feel physically sick. It’s not a film of gore and torture, but it is a film that shows the horrendous affects of trauma and how the sick actions of others can destroy lives.  

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos

It does not matter how manny times I watch this film, everytime I am completely overcome with the sense of dread and sheer terror at this understated story of revenge. The interesting aspect about The Killing of a Sacred Deer is that it is a quite, slow and somewhat uneventful film but one that feels like having a deadly disease ever so slowly taking control of your body until you are paralysed, but without there being anything you can do about it. This is a film that doesn’t go out of its way to shock the audience, but instead gradually reigns terror in the mind and holds that place long after the story has been told. 

The film is based on ancient Greek mythology and tragedy, most likely influenced by the director’s heritage. Colin Farrell stars as father Steven and Barry Keoghan as Martin, both of whom are the centralised characters that we follow. Steven is a surgeon and is guiding the teenage Barry after his father died during surgery, in which Steven was the operating surgeon of that day. The relationship is a strange one from the offset, but it seems that Steven has good intentions and they are well received by Martin. However, this a false perception and we quickly begin to learn that Martin has disturbing plans for revenge, and wants to ensure that someone from Steven’s family, comprising of wife Anna (Nicole Kidman), daughter Kim (Raffey Cassidy) and son Bob (Sunny Suljic), will die a horrifically painful and slow death. But the catch is that Martin has planned this revenge in a way that Steven must choose who of the three dies, and commit the act himself. 

I absolutely adore this film, although I have seen much criticism that it’s boring and far too slow. Personally there is something more terrifying in a gentle descent into horror than one that feels completely over the top. Lanthimos presents the film almost entirely devoid of emotion, settling the audience into a realm that feels both tangible and completely dreamlike, making it hard to distinguish between reality and fiction. If you’re wanting a film that will leave you feeling creeped out beyond belief then this is the one for you.

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