I am generally a fan of horror and thriller films. Peeping Tom was unlike any other horror or thriller movie I have ever seen. The plot as well as Mark’s character was quite ambiguous for some time, and I had no idea where the story was going.

After watching the entire film and reflecting on the uncovered, creepy character of Mark, I made some connections about his upbringing. I analyzed the psychological disparities experienced by Mark due the Freudian relationship he held with his father.

Mark’s father was a scientist interested in the effects of fear on the human body. He used Mark as a prime suspect for his psychoanalysis motives. His father would deliberately scare Mark and film these experiences. Due to his fascination with fear and exposing Mark to this during his developmental years, this fascination stuck with Mark in a variation of ways as well.

Mark grew up to be obsessive about film because his father constantly had a camera pointed in his face when he was a boy. His father would creepily surprise him with premises of fear. Mark also clearly adapted an obscure obsession with witnessing fear as his father did. Although Mark seems to be haunted by his father’s presence, he still lived in his old home with all of his books and films. For some reason, Mark could not let go of his father’s daunting presence and therefore he held onto the volatile obsessions and bent them into his own unnerving interest.

I want to focus on the nurture aspect of Mark’s growth and compare it to personal experiences. Clearly, Mark became psychologically inept due to frightening instances with his father’s methods of raising him. Because his father would conduct scientific experiments on Mark and film the experience, Mark grew up to document such sightings as well. However, the resentment he felt toward his father caused him to rid of these faces of fear he would witness through the lens of his camera. If his father did not manipulate Mark in such demoralizing ways, his experience of fear would most likely be entirely different.

For example, as I grew up, my parents have taught me to face my fears. Unlike Mark, I have strived to surpass my fears and overcome them. Mark was never able to overcome his fears because the central theme of fear itself was embedded in his mind as something to take interest to. This uncomforting interest he was nurtured with turned into rage and he killed those who presented fear on their faces in front of his camera.

Mark could not overcome the conflict instilled in him by his overbearing father. For me, as I have been taught to be brave, I have learned to overcome struggle. My process of nurturing was wholly different than that of Mark’s. Moreover, I try to not be scared and aim high no matter what. Aiming high and past the limitations of nurture have allowed me to successfully take on challenges and look past fearful situations. Mark’s experience shows that his type of nurture can cause psychological dysfunction. Because Mark was not taught to think for himself about fear, he bottled it up for the remainder of his life.