This isn't some commonly used term you can just bandy about.
"Oh the films about a lifeguard."
"The films about a fireman".
Oh, our film? Its about a drownsman.
No. There is no such thing as a flippin' "drownsman!!"
There's no such thing as a Babadook, either. Or Krampus. Or the Boogeyman. Or Swamp Thing. But that hasn't stopped people from naming movies after them. Because movies are fiction. A lot of things in them don't exist.
"I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
I do not think that they will sing to me."
^^ agreed. and no one has super powers like in super hero movies either. its a work of fiction.
shareActually Op is right... there are legends and stories involving all those things... except drownsman. It's not even a word.
The op wasn't referring to the physical existence, but is this even a known character of our nightmares .
Bottom line it's an awful movie
It's a name some reporter or perhaps the police tagged him with. There's a history of them doing that; sometimes, the killer tags him/herself, but, more often, they want a catchy headline.
A mass murderer in Texas was named "The Candyman" aka "The Candy Man"~long before the horror icon. Perhaps the most famous is Jack the Ripper. The names get quite creative at times, so why not "The Drownsman" for a man who killed and kills as he does?
If you're interested, check out some of the names serial killers have been tagged: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_serial_killers_by_country
How about "The Ogress"? "The Wildman"? "The Killer Beggar"? The pivotal word is "The".
(W)hat are we without our dreams?
Making sure our fantasies
Do not overpower our realities. ~ RC