As a lifelong horror aficionado, even I need to watch the occasional non-horror movie (aka “a normal movie” …whatever that is). I don’t know what this says about me, but whenever I watch a normal movie, my mind still finds a way to wander into the world of the macabre. I start to imagine what it would be like if these mainstream films were in fact horror movies in disguise.
Where to Watch The 40 Year Old Virgin
Is It Just Me?
Do I really believe that filmmakers are secretly encoding horror stories into comedies and dramas? Not necessary, but perhaps one just needs to approach these normal films from the perspective of a true horror fan (it also helps to have had a cocktail or two). Besides, it’s fun to imagine that some of the most beloved movies in our culture are really secret and subliminal horror films. Behind the laughs, the tears or the high-fives, what we’re really watching is gaslighting, madness, and psychopathy. What if the charming “aw shucks” nice guys and the quirky heroines aren’t actually lovable underdogs, but rather villains hiding in plain sight? Wouldn’t that be scarier than any fabricated monster could ever be?
A perfect example of this is the comedy classic from the mind of auteur Judd Apatow. Starring Steve Carell, Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd, the 2005 hit “The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005) may be one of the most terrifying horror films ever put to celluloid.
Andy Stitzer – Affable, Laughable… Harmless?
At first glance, Steve Carell’s portrayal of Andy Stitzer is straightforward. He’s a quiet man, a nice guy, and a socially awkward co-worker. He’s no one to fear, but then again, not everyone is convinced. Early in the film, Cal (Seth Rogan) says to his friends and fellow Smart Tech co-workers Dave and Jay (Paul Rudd and Romany Malco) that he thinks Andy is a serial murderer. It’s a joke, for sure, but also a surprisingly astute observation. Andy exhibits classic horror killer traits: he’s isolated, withdrawn, immersed in his hobbies (video games, toy collectibles, fantasy books, the band Asia, etc.). He avoids intimacy, lies to cover up his inexperience, and hides behind an innocent façade. But like all cinematic madmen, cracks begin to appear under pressure, and that pressure comes courtesy of a late-night poker game.
A Bag of What?!?
“A bag of sand” … it’s a simple slip-up that Andy blurts out when his co-workers ask him to describe a woman’s breast. How could he be so careless? Now they know. Not just that he’s a virgin, but that he’s been hiding something. Was it just to mask his embarrassment? Or has a repressed memory found its way to the surface? Perhaps, a memory of a heinous past crime… a memory even he thought he’d forgotten.
The next day, after he’s literally backed into a corner by Dave, Andy explains “I respect women! I love women! I love them so much that I completely stay away from them!” It’s a line meant to illicit laughs, but it echoes something deeper. Andy is a man marked by trauma, guilt, and perhaps a past he’s tried to bury. Killers often experience shame when they are younger, and Andy seems no different. A series of flashbacks reveal a litany of failed romantic encounters. Is that what broke him? Is that what made him snap and drove him into a world of darkness? Is Andy even his real name?
Living a Fantasy
Andy is disconnected from the world, choosing instead to live in a fantasy of his own creation. His apartment is a time capsule of childhood, and he prefers the cocoon of the world he’s created over the one beyond his front door. Even his one go-to show, “Survivor”, a “reality” show, is nothing more than a staged illusion. In the first scene of the movie, Andy lies on his bed, depressed and beneath a bookshelf adorned with fantasy books, including “Mythical Monsters” by Charles Gould. It’s no coincidence. Nothing in Andy’s life is real. Is Andy hiding from the world or from himself? Is this Dr. Jekyll choosing to stay away from women because he’s afraid of what Mr. Hyde might do?
Only Love Can Tame the Monster
From this point on, Andy’s co-workers-turned-friends help him overcome his past insecurities. He’s reluctant at first, he lashes out then plays innocent and manipulates perceptions, but day-by-day, he comes around. He even manages to lure in Trish (played by the indelible Catherine Keener). She proves to be the one person that’s capable of putting the genie back in the bottle. While other women he’s encountered disappear from the film (seriously, what happened to Leslie Mann’s drunk party girl character?), it’s Trish that remains constant in Andy’s life, and it’s her love that turns the tide.
He boxes up his toys, his collectibles, his past life (all except for Colonel Steve Austin from “The Six Million Dollar Man”, another famous character that was “put back together”, much like Andy). Will he be able to stay glued together in the wake of this new, normal life? Has Andy conquered his demons? Or is this just the calm before an all-new nightmarish storm?