THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, DRESSED TO KILL, and the Problem with Labeling Films “Problematic”

These ruminations were inspired by my recent viewing of Brian De Palma’s masterpiece DRESSED TO KILL with its murderous, insane transgender villain. DRESSED TO KILL is, as anyone knows who has seen it, De Palma’s love letter to Alfred Hitchcock’s PSYCHO, another movie that gets accused of being “transphobic”. The one most frequently attacked for it, though, is THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS. None of these films is transphobic, because none of them suggests that *all* transgender people behave like the villains in the movies. They are movies that feature villains who happen to be transgender. (One could argue that Norman Bates doesn’t really want to be a female, that he is just playing dress-up, but the bad guys in the other two flicks are more obviously trans.)

Those who complain about these movies might say, okay, but why is it the only time we ever see a transgender person in a movie, they’re a psycho? *That* is a valid point. The solution to it is to feature more transgender characters in movies, books, and television programs who are trans and *not* psycho. That’s the *right* way to address the issue, and it does seem to be happening now, albeit slowly, and acknowledging that it should have been the norm long before now. Trying to ban movies like the three mentioned above, though, which is what the most extreme of the PC wankers want to see happen, is the *wrong* way to address the issue. It’s also fascist thinking, which is ironic seeing as it’s coming from the extreme Left.

By The Evil Cheezman

WAYNE MILLER is the owner and creative director of EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS (www.evilcheezproductions.blogspot.com, www.facebook.com/evilcheezproductions), specializing in theatrical performances and haunted attractions. He has written, produced and directed (and occasionally acted in) over a dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and Crime genres. His first novel, THE CONFESSIONS OF SAINT CHRISTOPHER: WEREWOLF, is available for purchase at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/734763 MORTUI VELOCES SUNT!

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