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The Science of Monsters

The resounding answer about hypnotic memory recall is that it is not reliable. A research study in 1988 concurs; “. . . extreme caution should be exercised in employing information and impressions derived from hypnotic early recollections in forensic situations.”⁸ It is surprising, after unearthing all this data, to realize that hypnotic memory recall has been used in the conviction of crimes. One such case involves the “Dating Game Killer” Rodney Alcala. A serial killer responsible for countless, brutal deaths spanning the country, Alcala was granted a retrial in the 1979 murder of Robin Samsoe because of the prosecution’s use of hypnotic memory recall. After the overwhelming scientific data compiled in the 1980s, it became evident that any witness statements derived from this practice needed to be dismissed. During the original Alcala investigation, a witness, US Forest Ranger Dana Crappa, underwent police-sanctioned hypnosis to better remember the vehicle and suspect she’d seen. Because of this, Alcala was given another day in court. Fortunately, there was overwhelming evidence against Alcala without Crappa’s statements, therefore the “Dating Game Killer” did not escape justice. This reminds us of a futuristic Black Mirror (2011–Present) episode, “Crocodile” in which insurance companies are able to access memories in order to dispute claims. Imagine the future of criminal justice if this were possible!

Hypnosis is a proven state of being. Although, it’s proven that memories drummed up from this autonomic, sleep-like trance are not dependable. But, as in the case of Chris Washington in Get Out, can someone be hypnotized without giving their consent? This can perhaps be answered by the bizarre case of former attorney Michael Fine, who was sentenced to twelve years in prison for multiple counts of “kidnapping with sexual motivation” in 2016. Yet, this is not a clean-cut case of a bad man tying rope around his victim. Instead, Fine was accused of hypnotizing his clients in order to have sex with them while they were in their fugue state. One unidentified victim described how she had no memory of anything untoward after her first meeting with Fine. Although when she left his office her bra was unclasped and she had a peculiar feeling. Also, her memory was blurry, as though she couldn’t recall the meeting. Disconcerted after several meetings, this victim decided to secretly audio tape her meeting with Fine. Afterward, she played the tape, shocked to discover that they had had a sexual conversation that she had no memory of! And at the end of their discussion, Fine instructed the woman not to remember anything of their meeting in the tone of a stage hypnotist. This victim was not alone, as five others came forward:

Hypnosis is a proven state of being.

In one complaint filed against Fine, a victim described how he would perform the actual hypnosis. Under the guise of introducing her to meditation and mindfulness, he would ask her to sit in a chair, perform a few breathing exercises and close her eyes. Sometimes he would ask her to watch the space between his fingers.⁹

Fine is not the first man to use hypnosis for lascivious means. In 2012 a physician’s assistant in Michigan was convicted of second-degree criminal sexual conduct after victimizing two women after hypnotizing them. While Get Out is a fictional story rooted in a science that is not real (yet!) the sunken place feels authentic. The vulnerable state of those in hypnosis, as shown by the women victimized by Michael Fine, is a raw and scary place where evil people can assert their control. In Get Out, filmmaker Jordan Peele asks us to recognize the contrasting landscape that minorities face every day, a stark difference from the “perfect” suburbia of white privilege. What better way to do this than to introduce us to the sunken place?

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