MovieChat Forums > From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) Discussion > Did Richard suffer from a mental disorde...

Did Richard suffer from a mental disorder?


It might not have been stated explicitly but I have a theory. I do think that Richie suffered from either schizoaffective disorder or schizophrenia itself. I'm basing this on the paranoid delusions that appear to plague him through out the movie. I do think that director Robert Rodriquez left this open for discussion intentionally. It is certainly one of Richie's many character flaws. The fact that he burned down the house and in doing so killing their abusive alcoholic father should have been a red flag. So is Seth aware and choosing to ignore his brother's disturbing behavior? Probably. It may explain why Seth repeats his mantra that Richie will be fine once they arrive in Mexico and reach El Rey. Another couple of examples that come to mind is the shoot out at Benny's World of Liquor and the hostage in the motel room later. Was Pete, the clerk, giving Texas Ranger Earl McGraw signals or was that all in Richie's head? Clearly the terrified hostages are human yet Richard tells Seth they were demons messing with his head. We see the same thing with the hostage who winds up dead after Seth leaves her alone with his brother. Once they reach The Titty Twister Richie's psychopathic personality appears to resurface as he beats up the doorman with glee. Earlier in the RV he tells Seth that they should shoot the Fuller family because they are demons. Something that Seth brushes off.

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Seth, out of brotherly love, has a huge mental block toward Richie's insanity. Richie is a psychotic serial killer with, as you say, paranoid schizophrenia. Seth is his enabler, even helping him to clean up after his kills. He's so desperate for Richie to be normal that he has built up a totally unrealistic fantasy that all he needs is to be safe in Mexico.

I think that Richie would have been likely to kill Seth at some point in the future if he hadn't gotten killed by the vampires.

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Thanks for the reply. Yes I agree that Richie would have either killed Seth or contributed to his death. In a way it was probably a good thing that Richie was bitten and Seth had to kill him. I thought his line about here is the peace I give you in death that I could not give you in life is very interesting and it shows that he loved his brother despite all of the things that happened prior to arriving to the Titty Twister. I do think that somewhere in the back of his mind Seth was aware that his brother was disturbed but as you mentioned he was refusing to believe it. There were I think little clues scattered through out the film. The conversation that Jacob and Seth had in the motor home about Kate's safety comes to mind.

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There's a definite "Of Mice and Men" feel to it.

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Okay. I'll buy that. Who knows what would have happened had Richie not been bitten and then killed by Seth with the wooden stake? I read somewhere that Seth was not without his own issues. He may have been exhibiting sociopathic signs yet that wasn't explored.

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Absolutely. I think it was one of those situations where one guy is so crazy that he makes the other slightly less crazy guy seem normal. Like you said, Seth's own issues didn't get explored as much, but it seems clear that they are present. Like at the end, Kate actually wants to go with him, but he seems to go against his darker proclivities, telling her no and leaving. They gained respect for one another in their experience together. That respect made her want to go with him. That same respect is why he told her no. He wanted her to have a better life than what being around him would offer. That's how I've always seen it anyway; one of my all-time favorite films.

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Yep. That is a great point about the end of the film. Like you mentioned Kate wanted to go to El Rey with Seth but he felt it would be too dangerous. He was already feeling responcible for Scott and Jacob's death not to mention Richie's. Despite his own issues he did not want Kate's death on his conscience if something did happen to her.

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After everything they went through do you think Kate turned Seth in?

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This thread is confusing as it seems like the OP is confusing story elements between the movie and the more recent TV series which are very different plot wise. The whole thing with Richie "sensing demons" in people was only a plot element of the series.

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thanks - you just cleaered up what was confusing me in the OP

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Put simply, Richie was a sociopath to begin with.

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