Claudia: Medical Form.

IN PATIENT REFERRAL FORM TO PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTION.

NAME: CLAUDIA GLASS.

DOB: (UNKNOWN ESTIMATED YEAR 1940).

GENDER: FEMALE.

ADDRESS: UNKNOWN.

MARITAL STATUS: UNMARRIED.

TEL NO: UNKNOWN.

FAMILY/ FRIEND NAME: QUENTIN SMITH.

RELATIONSHIP: FRIEND.

ADDRESS: 49 WILLOW CLOSE, JUPITER, FLORIDA.

CONTACT NO: -

REFERRING HOSPITAL: -

WARD: -

REFERRING WARD DOCTOR: -

CONTACT DETAILS: - 

DATE OF ADMISSION: 12.03.1959

DATE OF REFERRAL: - 
                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                                          

VOLUNTARY:  -       INVOLUNTARY:  YES.       ASSISTED:  -      URGENT:  -


FORMS: (please tick those forms accompanying patient)

INVOLUNTARY:

Masters in Health Care Administration:

Level 04: -

Level 05 x2: -

Level 06: -

Level 07: FAIRLY DANGEROUS.

Level 11: -

MEDICAL HISTORY:
Unknown in full, has been to doctors about mental illness but never received a follow up appointment. Doctors notes describe erratic behaviour and trouble sleeping.

CURRENT MEDICAL TREATMENT: 
none.

Taking inspiration from images I have found on the internet I decided to make a little character background profile for Claudia based on the beginning of her time in the mental asylum. I wanted her to be able to have a fitting back story and so I made this admissions form for Claudia who has just been checked into Briar Cliff Sanitarium. The form basically describes how Claudia has had no treatment no one really knows that much about her and Quentin found her and checked her into the institution: he didn't leave a contact number and he doesn't know much about her family relationships. The doctors do not know the full extent and severity of her illness/ possession, I think this sets up the background for my story well. 

Mental Institutions of the 1960's.

• The first psychiatric hospitals began in 1773.
• Prior to this patients would have been put in prison and been mistreated because people didn't understand them.
• Before the development of psychiatric drug therapy the most common therapies used were; electroshock therapy, Insulin coma therapy and lobotomies. 
• Drugs developed for psychiatric treatments came about around 1954.
• 600,000 people were affected by the harsh conditions of mental illness hospitals in 1960.
• In 1963 John F Kennedy signed a document allowing 150 million dollars to help fund new techniques used to treat mental illness.
• By this time there were now laws in place for the protection and well treatments of the mentally ill, however some institutions still failed to follow these rules and continued the inhumane treatment on there patients. 
• The number of patients in mental institutions by 1975 declined by 62%.

Accounts of living in an institution for the insane.

ACCOUNT NO1.

William Carney:

"Grace New Haven hospital, a private hospital where I spent several weeks in 1960, was the first of my hospital experiences in New England. Although little active treatment was provided, I did receive some group therapy, and both the treatment and the environment proved to be better than most of my subsequent experiences."

"Discharge planning and follow-up treatment were notably absent from most of my hospitalization experi- ences in the 1960s. The process of transfer from one hospital to another was difficult and painful."

"Bellevue was a nightmare—extremely crowded, with many patients’ beds in the hallways. The conflicts among the patients were never-ending. My treatment consisted of my old standby, chlorpromazine, with Stelazine (trifluoperazine) added. The trifluoperazine made me extremely agitated, so I spent most of my time at Bellevue pacing the floors."

"My first stay at Mayview had been the worst experience of my life. This experience began with a brief hospitalisation at a local community hospital in 1961, followed by an abrupt transfer to Mayview, where I remained for six months. The hospital used an assembly-line technique to administer electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). I could see many people in front of me getting treatment and go- ing through convulsions. I saw about five of these treatments before actually getting to the gurney myself. After the shock treatments I was given chlorpromazine and forced to work in the bakery without pay. I was forced to carry soiled laundry from building to building, my payment being a candy bar at the end of the day."

To read the full article go to this link: 
http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdf/10.1176/appi.ps.56.12.1499

  

ACCOUNT NO2.

Annemarie:

Locked up for having sex before you were married, or for being gay. Often the diagnoses that got people put away were meaninglessly vague: imbecile, or feeble-minded (where the only proof might be having got pregnant out of wedlock). Those who are alive and able to recall the banging on the windows and cold baths are survivors; many died behind the locked doors, and some are still unable to talk about their time inside.

After the death of her son Annemarie began to punish herself:

'I just drifted. Then one day the police picked me up near Chatham and put me in hospital. They told me I had to stay there because I was a danger to myself. I attacked myself with razor blades, broken bottles; I used to put my hands through glass.' 

'They thought that was good therapy, many moons ago. They'd inject you with insulin and you'd go into a coma. Then they'd wake you up and feed you, and after you'd go back to sleep. I was given ECT. I didn't sign up for it. I was told I had to have it, and I had no one to fight the battle for me. They said it made you forget, but it was worse afterwards, to be frank, when it all came back. I used to think, Why haven't I got anybody? And I used to hate Annemarie more and more.'

ACCOUNT NO3.

Edna Martin:

'I thought to myself, "I'm not, I'm not those things", and I retaliated against everybody - the doctors, staff, everybody. So I got put in a side ward and I got doped for it. They gave you paraldehyde to sleep at night, but if it was for punishment, it was the needle.'

'I was put in a straitjacket on the isolation ward. I was naked underneath: they kicked the chamber pots into you and you had to manage as best you could. The windows were shuttered, so it was dark. They also kicked in your food on a tin plate and you had to eat it off the floor.'

'They used enemas for punishment. I was once sitting with my legs up under me, and a nurse pulled out the chair from underneath me so I fell on the floor. I asked what she'd done that for, and she marched me to the bathroom.'

'There was no privacy. There were two baths, and the nurse would stand in the middle and, all the time, she'd be passing remarks about your body. They thought nothing of giving you a cold water bath for punishment. Or they'd get a wet bath towel, put it under a cold tap, twist it, and hit you with it.'

ACCOUNT NO4.

Derek Hutchinson. 

Derek was given 10 sessions of ECT and prescribed Largactil and other psychotropic drugs. His psychiatrist, Dr Todd, suggested that it was time something was done to control his aggression. Derek objected that his aggression had never been irrational, 'but this Todd said, "How would you like to be responsible for the death of one of your children?" I told him there was no possibility of that, but he said that violence was self-progressing, and I could hit one of my kids and they could die afterwards. I couldn't allow that to happen, no matter what. So then he said that there was this operation.'

the stimulation and destruction of the posteromedial hypothalamic nuclei in restless and aggressive behaviour' - had been pioneered in Japan by a neurosurgeon called Kajo Sanno. Only much later did Derek discover that Sanno had been struck off when all the patients on whom he tried it had died. He was told at the time that 12 people had had the operation in the UK; he has tried subsequently to track them down. 'I've only found one. He's in a private nursing home and can't speak.'

the procedure involved inserting, under anaesthetic, two nylon balls into the scalp and guiding rods through them into the brain to burn out the areas that were 'responsible for aggression'.

Derek was operated on while awake. (Knowing how far to go with the procedure apparently required the surgeons to watch the dilatation of his pupils). 'The only thing I can liken it to is having a tooth out without anaesthetic, putting a needle in to the nerve, wiggling it around and then burning it. I felt I'd been hit on the head with a sledgehammer, and then as if I was cooking.'

'Previously, I might have got into a fight, but now I would plan violence. There was stuff going through my brain that's not the stuff people normally think about. I can't say what, without making myself seem a monster.' He came close to shooting somebody, and almost firebombed a house. 'I was meticulous about planning it. I came close to killing that man.'

Derek has seen a letter in which Dr Todd advised Mr Wall that he would suitable for the operation because he had 'no gross psychological abnormality'. In which case, he asks, why did they butcher his brain?'

After reading these horrific accounts of mistreatment I have now gained a clearer image for my project of how my character of Claudia will look. Her appearance would be gaunt and slim, she would look almost zombie like in appearance after being tortured and numbed for so many years that her brain cannot cope with the stress, as well as the thought of a demon being inside the mind, causing more mental stress and internal torture. She would be dirty and hopeless and her clothes would have stains and be thin and not fit very well. It has also given me a chance to reflect on my project and how I should create the back story of Claudia's life, how did she become possessed? What made her the way she is? What sort of treatments will she be undergoing during her stay in Briar-cliff mental institution?

Most Accounts found here:

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2002/apr/07/mentalhealth.observerreview

Time lines of mental illness: 

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/nash/timeline/timeline2.html

http://www.tiki-toki.com/timeline/entry/37146/A-History-of-Mental-Institutions-in-the-United-States/#vars!date=1826-08-02_04:04:27!

Mental Disorders.

INFORMATION TAKEN FROM VARIOUS WEBSITES LISTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

S C H I Z O P H R E N I A.

Schizophrenia is a long-term mental health condition that causes a range of different psychological symptoms, including: 

• hallucinations – hearing or seeing things that do not exist 
• delusions – unusual beliefs not based on reality that often contradict the evidence 
• muddled thoughts based on hallucinations or delusions 
• changes in behaviour 

Doctors often describe schizophrenia as a psychotic illness. This means sometimes a person may not be able to distinguish their own thoughts and ideas from reality.

Misconceptions about schizophrenia

Split personality

It is commonly thought people with schizophrenia have a split personality, acting perfectly normally one minute and irrationally or bizarrely the next – this is not true.

Violent behaviour

Some people mistakenly equate schizophrenia with violent behaviour, but people with the condition are rarely dangerous.

Any violent behaviour is usually sparked off by illegal drugs or alcohol, which is the same for people who don't have schizophrenia.

P S Y C H O S I S:

Psychosis is a word used to describe symptoms or experiences that happen together. Each person will have different symptoms, the common feature is that they are not experiencing reality like most people.

Some people only have a single episode and make a full recovery; for others, it is a longer process. As 1 in 10 people with psychosis commit suicide, it is important to recognise the symptoms of depression. A person with psychosis may:

• hear, smell, feel or see things which other people do not (hallucinations)
• have strange thoughts or beliefs which may make the person feel they are being controlled, persecuted or harassed (delusions)
• have muddled or blocked thinking (thought disorder)
• at times seem unusually excited or withdrawn and avoid contact with people
• not realise that there is anything wrong with themselves (lack of insight).

Early changes in the person’s behaviour

• has problems understanding reality and thinking clearly
• talks to themself and/or appears to be listening to something else
• has problems communicating effectively
• loses interest in their personal appearance and life in general
• is restless, irritable or tense and anxious
• avoids other people
• is aggressive or violent (in a minority of cases)
• be very high ‘manic’ or very low ‘depressed’, or swing from one state to the other (bipolar disorder).

M U L T I P L E    P E R S O N A L I T Y    D I S O R D E R.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is a severe condition in which two or more distinct identities, or personality states, are present in—and alternately take control of—an individual. The person also experiences memory loss that is too extensive to be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.

DID is a disorder characterized by identity fragmentation rather than a proliferation of separate personalities. The disturbance is not due to the direct psychological effects of a substance or of a general medical condition, yet as this once rarely reported disorder has become more common, the diagnosis has become controversial.

The official symptoms of dissociative identity disorder have been most recently defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition. The following are the diagnostic symptoms of DID:

• Two or more distinct personalities exist in one individual; one personality is always present (Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder Alters)
• Dissociative amnesia including gaps in the recall of important personal information and everyday events
• Severe distress and impairment in functioning because of the disorder
• The disturbance is not part of normal cultural or religious practices
• The disturbance can't be explained but substance use or another medical condition

Mental Illness and Demons - Are mentally ill people demon-possessed?

• In the New Testament demons spoke in rational dialogue. Untreated people with schizophrenia speak in "word-salads".
• Demons have an aversion to Christ. Mentally ill people often want spiritual help.
• Demons might give supernatural knowledge to their host. Mentally ill people never exhibit clairvoyance.
• Assuming demons to be secretive, we presume those who claim to be demon-possessed are not.
• Supernatural phenomena are indications of evil spirits not mental illness.
• If medicine alleviates the problems, it was not demons.
• In the case of Mark 5:15 the restoration to a "right mind" may only mean the former demoniac was no longer suicidal or violent. There may not be any reference to schizophrenia. If a "right mind" does refer to a healing from insanity, then we still may not view all cases of mental illness as caused by demons. In the New Testament, demons cause epilepsy, deafness, blindness, muteness, and suicidal feelings. Would anyone want to diagnose demons in all modern cases of these problems?

SOME THOUGHTS ON DEMONIC POSSESSION VS. MENTAL ILLNESS.

In other words, we can think of someone with a mental illness driving a car but having trouble finding their way through thick fog and drizzle.  Someone oppressed by a demon, on the other hand, is having to wrestle with the demon for control of the steering wheel to stay on the road.  

That being the case, we may rightly suspect that an evil influence is at work to aggravate a mental illness.  Even when it is not a situation of outright demonic oppression or possession, there could be demonic harassment. Throughout the centuries, in fact, many outstanding Christian leaders, writers, artists, and so forth have struggled with depression and similar mental illnesses.  Beyond the natural medical causes, there may well have been spiritual opposition designed to discourage and disable these people from fulfilling their God-given vocations.  Both the natural and the supernatural dimensions need to be kept in mind.  But spiritual opposition is not, in and of itself, demonic possession.

- Reverent Dr. Christofer R Smith. from blog Understanding books of the bible. 

https://understandingbooksbible.wordpress.com/2013/08/31/mental-illnesses-and-demonic-possession/

This research has helped me to decide on the mental illness that I want to diagnose my character Claudia with. I have decided that she will have Multiple personality disorder as well as psychosis in order for the psychologists studying her to explain her change in characteristics and behaviour as well as neurotic tendencies and odd fits of rage where she will speak in tongues. I think this will easily explain the conflict between mental illness and demonic possession and how they can be mixed up. My character has mainly been inspired by the main character from 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose.'

https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/dissociative-identity-disorder-multiple-personality-disorder
http://www.healthyplace.com/abuse/dissociative-identity-disorder/dissociative-identity-disorder-did-signs-and-symptoms/
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Schizophrenia/Pages/Introduction.aspx
http://www.schizophrenia.com/media/strength.htm
http://www.cmf.org.uk/publications/content/?context=article&id=619

Film representations of Demons.

A lot of demonic representations within film consist of figures of ambiguous aspect, just out of reach of human understanding. This, in turn, creates fear within humans as fear of the unknown and fear itself is what feeds a demon's malevolent powers. 

Other representations usually take on the physical appearance of a human. A lot of the time this because there are not many eye witness accounts of demons and so no one can really fathom their raw, natural form in a world that increasingly doesn't believe in religious tales and mythology. And so the portrayal of demon becomes the one thing that everyone fears, other people. This makes humans feel fear for themselves because the demon can take over any human body, it could be yours.

FILM: Curse of the banshee. 

TV Series: True Blood.

The representations usually include eye colours of unnatural tones and, blood, peeling sin, messy hair and often large lesions or wounds on the skin. Teeth are also often large and contorted.

FILM: Demon Island. 

FILM: The Evil Dead.

FILM: Demons.

Other representations consist of inanimate objects, specifically dolls, which still have functional limbs and often resemble humans. This still creates a feat because of the human characteristics that these dolls possess. 

FILM: Dead Silence.

FILM: Anabelle.

The final representation commonly used in films is that of the possessed human, the physical body is the same however they do unnatural things with their bodies, their behaviour and often there appearance changes to make them look dead or at least sick. For example, body contortions, eating animals and drinking blood. white eyes and speaking in tongues. All foreign and disgusting things in relation to a normal human.

FILM: Paranormal Activity: The marked Ones.

FILM: The Last Exorcism.

FILM: Amityville: The awakening. 

Demons - TV Series.

TV Series: Supernatural

  

 

This research into film representations of demons has helped me to better understand the styles of demon that I could actually create for this brief. I think I like the idea of having a more human representation because of the fear that resonates through us all about our bodies being the host for a supernatural spirit. I think the style I like the most  is from the series supernatural as the human form is still their and their eyes, which are often called the window to the soul, are black which shows the corruption of the soul because of demons inhabiting the body. I will use this as inspiration when creating my looks.

Possession.

MAIN EFFECTS OF POSSESSION AND EXORCISM.

• Contortion of body.
• Speaking in tongues and different languages.
• Animalistic behaviour.
• Unrecognisable sounds coming from person. 
• Not eating.
• Not sleeping.
• Controlling of the body and mind.
• objects moving inexplicably.
• Superhuman strength.
• Levitation.

My main inspiration for the character of Claudia is the very well known exorcism film  "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" which is based on the real life case of Anneliese Michel. 

https://diabolicalconfusions.wordpress.com/2011/03/14/the-entire-case-history-of-anneliese-michel-the-real-emily-rose-warning-shocking-content/

The basic story line is that Anneliese was known to have had mental disorders and instability for years however had been able to control it and was a kind and nice girl. She begins to start acting strangely, speaking in tongues, seeing visions and claiming she is possessed by the devil. Everyone began to notice the change in Anneliese.  On top of the issues she was having regarding her speech and inability to support her own bodyweight, she was also having sudden onsets of severe depression and excessive sorrow, but that was also the least of her problems. During one night at the dinner table, Anna recalls a situation where Anneliese’s hands appeared to be “enormous”, to the extend that she would even claim that they were almost twice their normal size. Anyone who has an experience in these matters would not be surprised by this, as the demonic are notorious or manipulating the physical world, specifically the body of that which it possesses. At the table, when Anneliese noticed this, she was noted as saying “I have black hands. Savior, forgive me.” She began having horrifying visions and called an exorcist to come to her aid. In the end she refuses to eat or drink anything and dies at the age of 23 from malnutrition and dehydration. This story inspired my character of Claudia because after the death of Anneliese there was a long court case to decide if her parents and the priest had neglected her physical and mental needs because they were fanatics. 

In the work An Exorcist Tells His Story by Father Gabriele Amorth, the former Chief Exorcist for the Vatican, Ignatius Press of San Francisco, 1994 softcover Twelfth Edition, ISBN 978-0-89870-710-6, page #79, paragraph 2:

We can state that “one of the determining factors in the recognition of a diabolical possession is the inefficacy of medicines”, while blessings prove very efficacious. I exorcised Mark, a young man who was the victim of a severe possession. He had been confined a long time and been tormented by psychiatric remedies, especially electroshock, without the slightest reaction. When the doctor prescribed sleep therapy, for an entire week they gave him enough sleeping pills to sedate an elephant; he never fell asleep, either during the day or during the night. He wandered around the hospital in a stupor, with wide-open eyes. Finally he landed at my doorstep, with immediate positive results.

I am interested by the idea that mental disorders can be so easily disguised as being possessed by a demon and not being able to control your own body. During the article above their is a quote from a priest interviewed on the case talking about malevolent spirits and how they do anything to disguise themselves. The thought, to a demon, of unmasking itself is a form of defeat and this then in turn makes it easier for the exorcisms to take place as the demon feels vulnerability and weakened power. This is good for my character Claudia as I want to create a state in which everyone surround her cannot see Mrs Lauderman and does not know she exists. Yet she resides and hides her malevolent ways through the actions of this human girl. Everyone just believes that Claudia is Schizophrenic however she has been trapped inside her own head and her body is being controlled by this demonic spirit. 

Below is a mood board that I have created as inspiration for my design of Claudia. I liked the idea that Anneliese says "I HAVE BLACK HANDS FORGIVE ME, MY SAVIOUR" I think that this is a very powerful image about sin and not being in control, something slowly working its way through your body. 

I now need to look into mental illness and the ways in which this can make your physical appearance change. 

Demons and the Supernatural.

In Scripture and in Catholic theology the word demon has come to mean much the same as devil and denotes one of the evil spirits or fallen angels. 
"Diabolus enim et alii daemones" (The devil and the other demons)

Definition of Demon:

An evil spirit or devil, especially one thought to possess a person or act as a tormentor in hell:

'he was possessed by an evil demon''each of the damned souls was guarded by a group of hideous demons'
Origin

Middle English: from medieval Latin, from Latin daemon, from Greek daimōn 'deity, genius'; in sense 1 also from Latin daemonium 'lesser or evil spirit', from Greek daemonion, diminutive of daimōn.

ABOUT DEMONS:

A demon is a spiritual being of an angelic nature that has been condemned for eternity due to his rebellion against God. As pure spirits, demons are not made up of matter. Because they do not have bodies, demons are not inclined to any “sins of the flesh” (i.e., it is impossible for them to commit the sins of lust or gluttony). The sins of demons are exclusively spiritual. But they can tempt human beings to sin in matters of the flesh.

Demons were not born bad, they are bad angels who have defied God's rules and been tanfromed into demons and banished from heaven. 

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world–he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him (Rv 12:7-9).


In art, demons are depicted as deformed and grotesque beings. This would seem appropriate given that demons have definitively decided on a destiny far from God. The interior loneliness in which they find themselves forever and their envy of the faithful who enjoy the Beatific Vision continually bring them face-to-face with their sins. They hate God, themselves, and all those who seek to serve God.

Their plight is similar to the moral debasement that humans can suffer through sin. We need to remember that we are composite creatures made up of soul and body. This is similar to the picture of dorian grey. 

This information will help me in my research and development of my femme fatale character that I hope to base Mrs Lauderman on. I now need to research the stages of possession in order to effectively depict my interpretations of Claudia and Mrs Lauderman. 


WEBSITES USED:
http://www.spiritualdirection.com/2012/10/13/what-is-a-demon#ixzz43TeQk75Y


http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04710a.html

Femme Fetale.

DEFENITION:
An attractive and seductive woman, especially one who will ultimately cause distress to anyone who becomes involved with her.

Why Mrs Lauderman is a femme fetale:

Although a demon, just taking the shape of a human, her body and face would be very alluring in order to seduce men and women to weaken their minds so that she can control them. She causes mental and physical distress to Claudia whom Mrs Lauderman has taken on the form of. Consequently because no one but Claudia can see Mrs Lauderman, Claudia is taken to a mental hospital ( Briarcliff ) Set in American Horror Story and diagnosed with schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder due to the fact that often Mrs Lauderman's malicious spirit will suppress Claudia and take over her body. 

"A Nightling can disguise itself as in a human form. This disguise, however, will break under an extreme emotion known as anger or rage."~GuideBook to the World of Forbiddens

IDEA MOODBOARD:

My main focus for Mrs Laderman is to make her look seductive. However even the special effects picture has some form of creepy but sexy vibe. I think I may add coloured contact lenses to my model in order to create a very supernatural and eerie effect to the eyes, there is no soul in a demon.

OTHER FEMME FETALES IN HORROR: 

Lady Gaga as The Countess in AHS. 

   

Jennifer Jason Leigh as Hendra in Single White Female:

I now need to create my designs for mrs Lauderman based on my moodpboard and other film references for information.

Part 2 - Initial Idea.

CHARACTERS:
The second part of our brief is to create two character profiles that could fit into a current and modern TV horror show. The characters that I have chosen are Claudia and Mrs Lauderman. Below are the initial descriptions of them, given to us by Kat.

C L A U D I A: - word i chose for Claudia: HAUNTED.

• 20 years old.
• Was left alone a lot as a child. 
• Her only link with the outside world is Mrs Lauderman. (This could mean she is very naive and trusting)
• Claudia is an  agoraphobe so never leaves her house unless necessary.
• She has an imaginary boyfriend named Quentin.
• Quentin's appearance changes.
• Claudia is paranoid and punishes him/ keeps him prisoner. 

MY DEVELOPMENT OF CLAUDIA:

• In an asylum for the insane. 
• Because she is insane she believes that she is in her own home and has a boyfriend.
• Mrs Lauderman is the devil and another figment of her imagination.
• She has no idea that she is in an asylum and is diagnosed as a schizophrenic living in her own head.
• In reality Mrs Lauderman ( Demon )  has possessed her but appears as her neighbour.
• She would be very slim  and gaunt looking due to a lack of food and always look tired as her body is being inhabited by a demon. 
• She created Quentin in order to cope with the mental stress.

M R S   L A U D E R M A N: - Word I chose for Mrs Lauderman: VEILED.

• 40 years old. 
• Is Claudia's Neighbour and her only link to the outside world. 
• Claudia is suspicious of her. 
• Does she manipulate her, make her fear of the public and people even worse in order to control her?

MY DEVELOPMENT OF MRS LAUDERMAN:

• Malevolent spirit that has found a weak soul on earth to control and manipulate to do her bidding.
• Demons inhabit humans because they do not have physical bodies for themselves. 
• It is easier o get away with crimes when someone else gets the blame. 
• She holds Claudia captive inside her head.
• Makeup and hair would be very sexy and alluring in order to help capture and seduce humans minds and manipulate them. Almost a pin up look because she is older.
• Veiled is the word I chose for Mrs Lauderman because she is hiding inside Claudia, It is not her true form. 
• Femme Fatale.

When Hearing these characters and with my chosen word for Claudia; ' Haunted' my instant thought was demonic possession. I like the idea that Mrs Lauderman could be controlling Claudia and the way she thinks. I think its interesting that someone could be possessed by an evil spirit and  not be able to control their body. The TV Horror series I have chosen to link this to is American Horror Story Season 2, which is set in America in the 1960's. I think this season best depicts the idea of possession and demonic spirits vs angelic spirits.

SCENE WHERE SISTER MARY IS POSSESSED IN THE ASYLUM:

I now need to look into other films in which there is possessions such as:

• The exorcist.
• Paranormal Activity.
• Annabel.
• The last Exorcism.

These will help me to gain inspiration for my design ideas involving Claudia. I think I also need to look at films which have a strong seductive female villain in order to better gauge the way I would like to portray Mrs Lauderman. The best films/ Series for this would be:

• Misery.
• Inside.
• The Possession.
• The devil inside.
• Mirrors.

I will also need to research more into demons and possession as a singular. I will need to look into history and the folklore of possession and the idea of religion being the cure to this. This research will broaden my knowledge and also aid in the creation of my designs.