Pt. 12 56-60
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| TRAVIS BICKLE |
Who's he?: Just another Vietnam vet who stumbled on the streets of New York, in the mid-seventies. Luckily, Travis was able to land a job as a cab driver.
How bad is he?: Let's be honest, here, there is nothing wrong with Travis that years of intensive therapy couldn't put right. Unfortunately, therapy wasn't an option with Travis. 1970s New York was a very strange to be, Travis just had to be stranger to survive. Take one isolated ex-military + loneliness and isolation + soul crushing job + sex and violence and you've got a recipe for disaster. In fact, you start to wonder why Travis is the only one homicidal loony currently around.
What happened?: Travis snapped. Driven by madness and self-righteousness, Travis went on a rampage and killed a pimp and some of his entourage. Apparently he was lauded as a hero, or maybe he wasn't.
Appearance: Taxi Driver (1976)
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| DR. ZAIUS |
Who's he?: Dr. Zaius is the Minister of Science and the Guardian of the Faith of Ape City, somewhere in AD 3978. At that time, Apes have become the dominant species while humans have reverted to a more primitive state.
How bad is he?: Apparently, Dr. Zaius does not see any conflict of interests in his twin job as Head Science Guy and Head Religion Guy. As long as science fits religion (and definitely not the reverse), everything's peachy keen. Woe to you, however, if you should come along with strange, theories about simian evolution, supported by odd evidence found in a strange cave down that ol' Forbidden Zone. In that case, Dr. Zaius will put the fear of Ape God into you by destroying your career, and your artefacts, for the sake of protecting the Social Food Chain (Orang Utangs first, all the rest below). Zaius could have gone on for years (and most likely had been) if not for some talking man from the past calling shenanigans on his lot.
What happened?: Against his better judgment, Dr. Zaius followed a military expedition in the Forbidden Zone because...hey, why not? He found a refuge peopled by human mutants who happens to have a god of their own...a nuclear missile. Remember that talking man from the past? He decided that the Planet of the Apes was not for him and detonated the missile. Hilarity ensued.
Appearances: Planet of the Apes (1968), Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1969)
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| ROBERT RUSK |
Who's he?: To the police, he's the Necktie Strangler that's been bugging them for some time, For everyone else, he's a fruit and vegetable trader.
How bad is he?: Necktie Strangler should be a dead giveaway. Mr. Rusk gets a sweet kick by seducing women, strangling them and then taunt them as they lay dead before him. When the police suspects a friend of his of being him, Rusk spends no effort in making his buddy, one Richard Blaney, the fall guy for his crimes. What are friends for, eh?
What happened?: Blaney was released when the DI in charge of the case began to realise he had the wrong guy. Suspecting Blaney to "have a few words" with his best pal, the DI follows him home, and sees him looking at Rusk's latest victim. Before Blaney could utter the infamous "it's not what you think", Rusk comes along with a trunk to get rid of the body. It's all in the timing, folks.
Appearance: Frenzy (1972)
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| NURSE RATCHED |
How bad is she?: This is really, really getting a bit depressing. Some of the monsters I've already discussed might be up for some sympathy, even understanding, and perhaps acceptance, hoping forgiveness might help them see the errors of their ways. Others, like Nurse Ratched, deserves nothing of the sort. She doesn't actually want to make anybody feel better and leave the hospital to return to their normal lives. Nooooo, Nurse Ratched likes her patients exactly where they are: under her thumb. She's a cold, unfeeling psychopath who's main thrust is the power conferred by her job and the fact that her patients are mentally ill, making them less than reliable witnesses. If push comes to shove, beware, for Nurse Ratched will not hesitate to humiliate you until you commit suicide.
What happened?: There was this guy, MacMurphy, and he proved to be quite a challenge to her authority. We can't have that, can we? When he failed to strangle her, he was lobotomised. She returned to her post the following morning as if nothing happened.
Appearance: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
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| MAX CADY |
Who's he?: Oh, the usual scumbag. Serial rapist, murderer and all-around bad guy.
How bad is he?: So bad, even his defense attorney did not want to see this piece of shit walking the streets again. Cady knew something wasn't right, so, once inside, he started to beef up his knowledge of the American legal system. Once Cady realised his attorney voluntarily botched his defense to secure a prison sentence, revenge was in the making.
What happened?: Cady was finally released after serving his full sentence. He seeked out his lawyer, to discuss the finer points of legal defense. For Cady, this meant harassing his attorney's family, seducing their underage daughter, and finally deciding to kill the lot of 'em.
Appearances: Cape Fear (the 1962 original and the 1991 remake)
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