Drug Addiction and the Treatment of Addicts in Horror
TW: addiction, drug use, suicide, death, needles, violence
When I was around the age of ten, I realised that my mother had a problem. I didn’t know much about drugs, but I knew that weed had control over her and that it was more important than I was. When I was eighteen, my younger brother was born addicted to methamphetamines; he had to spend the first few weeks of his life being weaned off of crystal meth, living in a humidicrib. I knew at that point that the addiction that my mother had was a lot worse than I ever thought it was. My siblings later told horror stories of finding needles in our mother’s bedside table. When I was twenty, my mother told my father about my recreational drug habit⸺guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree⸺because I refused to sell her ecstasy. He called me one night to punish me, made me swear on my grandfather’s grave I wouldn’t touch drugs ever again. I was two pills deep and he was ruining my high. Drugs have always had a dominant presence in my life. They have always been around, from the moment I was born up until now where I depend on prescription drugs to help me function daily. Spending four years studying the criminal justice system at university turned me into an advocate for addiction and rehabilitation. I’ve spent years talking about the decriminalisation of drugs to remove the stigma that our society has attached to addicts and their struggle. For a long time I had no compassion for my mother: it wasn’t because I was invalidating her struggle, it was because I struggled to admit that she was an addict.
The depiction of addiction and addicts in horror movies is something that is incredibly important to explore. Over the years of consuming horror movie after horror movie, I have watched addicts being trodden on, murdered, stigmatised, and shamed for their illness and addiction. It’s an element and trope of horror that hurts to see still used on the silver screen and as a reason to hurt or kill an individual. Whilst there are films that explore drug addiction in a way that promotes recovery and support, these moments are rare. It’s the films that treat addicts and addictions with disdain, supporting the ostracisation and misunderstanding of addicts and their fight against the illness ravaging their bodies and minds.
In Saw, victim Amanda Young is brought into the franchise and is fighting for her life because of her addiction, forced to remove a key from a man's stomach in order to free herself from the reverse bear trap on her head. When Amanda discusses her traumatic experience with Detective Tapp, the detective tells Amanda that she was chosen because she is an addict. This experience in Jigsaw’s eyes is what “rehabilitates” Amanda and rescues her from her addiction and, in the process, makes her “grateful to be alive.” In Saw II Amanda returns having relapsed. This entry into the franchise demonises a common occurrence in addiction by making Amanda face her struggle in a horrific way⸺a pit full of needles. Amanda is expected to get a key attached to a glow stick at the bottom of the pit, therefore securing the antidote from behind a locked door. This is where addiction is misunderstood in a detrimental way: addiction cannot be cured by scaring it out of the addict. Thompson (2018) makes an interesting observation in regard to this particular trap in Saw II, that this scene reflects common misconceptions about the treatment and symptoms of addiction. In the film’s harmful depiction of rehabilitation, Jigsaw neglects the nuances of addiction, its complexities and its trauma.
This particular line of thinking brings me to another film that depicts addiction and the misguided good intentions that friends have in helping a friend into recovery. The 2012 horror/science fiction release Resolution focuses on the relationship between two friends Michael and Chris (a suspected drug addict). Michael essentially forces Chris to abstain from drugs by locking him to a pipe in Chris’s run-down cabin. The film starts with showing Chris’s erratic behaviour that suggests that he has been using methamphetamines. Thompson (2020) argues that Resolution demonstrates the severity of the lack of access to proper treatment and rehabilitation. This is absolutely reflected in Michael's actions , who naively believes that by keeping his friend away from drugs that his addiction will be cured. We do witness Chris go through the motions of withdrawing from his drug of choice: feelings of apathy, lethargy, and psychosis (American Addiction Centers, 2021). Michael’s character reflects how people forget that addiction is both physical and psychological and that addicts' mental health needs to be addressed alongside physical dependence. The exception to this oversimplified depiction occurs during one of the most important conversations in the film, in which Chris confronts Michael about his role in enabling his addiction. Resolution shows the complicated impact that addiction has on relationships and how addiction has a cyclic nature.
The search for realistic representation is something that we all find relatable and a journey that we have in common. When watching Mike Flanagan’s Midnight Mass I felt such a strong connection to the character Riley and the way in which he discusses addiction with Father Paul (Hamish Linklater). My own struggle with addiction was a brief one, but one I still feel the repercussions of to this day. When I was in my mid-twenties I was consumed by prescription medication, opioids to be exact⸺they made me skinny, helped me disconnect, and caused time to fly by so my weekends came quicker. It was a fling, but one that could have cost me my life. The conversations between Riley and Father Paul resonate as they lean towards developing empathy for yourself as an addict and speak volumes about what empathy can do for those impacted by addiction. It was when I had spent two years in therapy that I was able to show myself compassion and forgiveness for the destruction I had inflicted on my mind and body. Midnight Mass seems to nail it right on the head with Riley understanding that the only person he needs to be accountable for (and to) is himself.
Horror movies are not kind to addicts and provide out-there representations of treating addiction. This is shown through extreme measures such as the games that Jigsaw forces Amanda into, attempting to shock her into being grateful for being alive. Personally, I think that the major representation that is missing is the dialogue between addict and non-addict, which is shown with respect and dignity throughout Midnight Mass. As someone who has had addiction impact me and my family closely, it is the apt representations that I appreciate, the movies that show struggle with compassion and empathy, and these mean the most to me.
References:
American Addiction Centers. (2021, September 29). Meth Withdrawal: Signs, Symptoms & Treatment. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/meth-treatment/withdrawal
Earp, J. (2021, October 11). ‘Midnight Mass’ Is The Show That Gets Addiction Right. Junkee. https://junkee.com/midnight-mass-addiction/310554
Falls, B., Jr. (2020, October 1). Resolution (2012): Drug Addiction, Rural Marginalization, the Pressures of Constructing a Narrative Identity. Horror Theory - Horror Film Reviews, News, Commentary, Merch and Guided Marathons. https://horrortheory.com/resolution-2012-drug-addiction-rural-marginalization-the-pressures-of-constructing-a-narrative-identity/
Thompson, E. (2018, January 2). Most People Are So Ungrateful to be Alive: Addiction in the Saw Franchise. The Backseat Driver Reviews. http://www.thebackseatdriverreviews.com/most-people-are-so-ungrateful-to-be-alive-addiction-in-the-saw-franchise
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