We’ve all heard of Robert Louis Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The story of a scientist who creates a beverage that divides the goodness of his personality from the bad side of himself. This duality, present in literature since the eighteenth century, is frequently known as the Doppelgänger Theory, which you might have heard of as well. Many think this term refers to two identical beings or to the fact that every person has a “double” out there. However, this idea, which became popular thanks to Gothic literature, has two different variations.
The first one –the one we’re more familiar with– portrays the doppelgänger as an alter ego, or identical double. In this case, a person becomes victim of a sort of identity theft or begins to see themselves in unexpected places due to hallucinations or mental illness. The latter can be applied to Dr. Jekyll. The main differences between both types of doppelgänger are the mental processes involved and the relationship between both identities.
Individuals with an alter ego are constantly struggling and where the dominant personality is seen trying to suppress the new identity. However this power struggle proves futile since at the end of the day they’re the same person. On the other hand, a split personality tries to unsuccessfully merge these identities or choose on over the other. No matter how hard they try, the individual realizes they are one with the doppelgänger. In this great universe of the “evil twin” we see stories of supernatural beings mimicking the protagonists, different people sharing the same identity patterns, or even a person developing a new character that will allow them to explore their darker, more macabre side.
The split personality or “dark half,” is actually the most common type of doppelgänger. Many gothic stories embrace this variation, which is why we get enthralling and enigmatic characters like Jekyll and Hyde.
This theory has been widely explored by the field of psychology, and Freud was no exception. In his eyes, the doppelgänger is a metaphor of the struggle we have between our Id and Superego, or in simpler terms, between our primitive and morally upright psyches. As toddlers, the Id rules supreme and as years go by the other structures gain more power and influence. So how can the Id manifest itself when it has to compete with two other structures? Well, according to Freud, the monsters and supernatural beings symbolize those repressed projections of our most primal nature. The following stories highlight those repressed instincts and show how this duality is a threat to a person’s identity and is a terrifying reality that is completely unavoidable.
The Tenant (1976) Dir. Roman Polanski
Trelkovsky is a young man that rents a room in a very suspicious-looking building. As soon as he moves in, he learns that the former tenant attempted to commit suicide by jumping from the window. Disturbed by this he decides to visit her at the hospital, but soon she passes away. Totally shaken by what happened, he develops an unhealthy obsession with the woman until his psyche begins to crumble and fragment.
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) Dir. Don Siegel
With hints of science fiction and horror, Invasion of the Body Snatchers presents a setting where suddenly the people of a town start believing that their loved ones have been replaced by impostors. At first, psychiatrists think it’s just mass hysteria, but soon Dr. Bennell begins to uncover a set of puzzling and disturbing clues. Have aliens really taken over this sleepy town or is the human psyche falling apart?
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Vertigo (1958) Dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Scott is a detective who suffers from vertigo. Being incapable of continuing with his job, he’s hired to follow the wife of an ex-peer, Madelaine. Since she believes she is possessed by the spirit of her great-grandmother, she jumps from a bell tower killing herself, just like her ancestor did. Scott then meets a woman named Judy who is inextricably linked to Madelaine. What is the connection between these two women and is there something darker lurking underneath?
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Before I Hang (1940) Dir. Nick Grinde
Starring the unique Boris Karloff, the movie revolves around a scientist working on a serum to restore youth, but after one man dies in the lab, he’s charged for murder. He continues his experiments in prison and manages to create a new formula with one of the inmates’ blood and tests it on himself. What will be the consequences?
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Secret Window (2004) Dir. David Koepp
After discovering that his wife has been cheating on him, Morty Rainey goes to his cabin in the woods to write. Soon, a mysterious man who calls himself Shooter goes to Mort’s cabin and accuses him of plagiarism. Convinced that he wrote and published his story before this man, he tries to find the evidence to prove it. However, strange things happen around him. He gets a copy of Shooter’s text and realizes that, indeed, the stories are almost identical, except for the ending. How can two people write almost the same?
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Horror movies appeal to us in so many levels. Whether it’s because they reflect a part of our unconscious or due to their ability to make us understand hidden aspects of society, horror films will always find a way to move us. If you want to know more about the characters of this genre or you just simply want to expand your catalog, take a look at these:
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The Origins Of The Vampire, The Most Seductive Horror Creature
10 Nightmare-Inducing Horror Movies Based On True Stories
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Sources:
Double Dialogues
The Guardian
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