I am currently doing A Level Media Studies focusing on a topic 'Crime & the Media'.
Im interested to know what the general public think about the way films influence people, in particular; violent films. For example, A Clockwork Orange has been known to have caused a stir within society about its effect on young people to commit crimes towards others and copying scenes from the film. There was also a case in England about Childs play 3 being blamed for the murder of young Jamie Bulger. Any ideas you have will be very helpful.

Thanks for your time & I hope to hear from you soon.

If films really influenced peoples behaviour then they could change the world; Anti-War movies could bring an end to war; movies about poverty and racism could ignite a revolution that would see an end to social inequality and race hatred;musicals could make people everywhere burst into sudden spontaneous singing and dancing but unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, movies have a very limited influence on peoples behaviour. The kind of people who watch a horror movie and then go out and kill someone are the kind who would probably go out and kill someone anyway.

Basically, it depends on the individual who watches the movie; if they are dangerously psychotic or have had a poor moral education or come from an environment where violence and crime are accepted as the norm or don't have any other frame of reference because they live inside a bubble then they might become violent through watching violent movies but most normal people, I firmly believe,would not become violent or behave criminally after watching violent movies.

When I was a child growing up in the 80's and early 90's most kids that I knew had illicitly watched and enjoyed 18 rated horror movies like Nightmare On Elm Street and although the films often scared them witless and gave them nightmares none of them grew up to be violent or criminal.

I think that it was the media who made this 'connection'. So far there is not one piece of conclusive evidence.

As far as I know the most deaths for humans v. human has been from wars started by heads of countries. When compared to people who claim films made them kill, I would say its a very small number.

Films do influence my behaviour, if a musical is on the TV I always switch channel.

There's some info about the Bulger case at claiming the link to Child's Play was a media invention.

James Ferman, then director of the BBFC, denied any link between the video and the murder ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2605543.stm ).

The Guardian claims one of the boys' dads had once hired the video, but that there was no evidence the boys had watched it.

Although I would say that the question of whether 10 year olds are influenced by watching something is very different to whether adults are.

Such 'panics' are just media sensationalism.

There have been many studies, over six decades, into the relationship between viewing pornography and violent entertainment, including pornography depicting violence and video games, by many learned and serious researchers, and others.

That includes a Royal commission for the British government and a surgeon generals study for the U.S. government, studies by British police psychologists, the FBI and even hardline anti-pornography feminists and right- wing religious groups.

To date, no one has presented one shred of credible evidence that viewing such material leads people to commit a crime.

I dont think films inluence peoples behaviour. The way i see it is people allready have in their own mind which way they want to behave. I mean with horror movies like childsplay you are watching it and you immediately recognize chucky is evil. Everything tells you to hate and fear chucky because you know and hate what chucky is doing to people.

The people who see different to this would probably be wanting chucky to kill more and are cheering chucky on rather than for the victims to escape.

Which way people see the movie is allready in their minds when they watch it so I dont really blame the movies for influencing people because its not while watching the movies that people become good or bad. It is the lives they have experienced that influence some to liking the bad things in movies.

it's all a load of crap... I own some of the most violent/sick/twisted films (and games but that's not the point here) made, and I've not gone out and killed anyone! Then again, I've pretty much always been over the age to watch them. I guess people with a predisposition to acts of violence could have violent films/games push them "over the edge" as it were - but it's something innate within their personhood, and not a problem of the media materials.

Im doing the same for my general studies lesson..i need to create like a powerpoint on how does media etc influence people into todays society...cba starting it like

In my opinion No...sick people murder as do evil people but I think that films ect do not influence the perpetator I think that is just an excuse,I am open to the thought that a person's past and the way that the offender was treated in chilhood may effect a person and make them violent and thus violate other people but not watching films.

i am a big fan of films myself and i to have done film courses and personally i think that crazy people do crazy things and that film and cinema dose definatly not influence peoples actions but thats just my own views other people may disagree.

I think it already takes a damaged individual to react and copy violence that they see in films, there are many contributions to their behaviour.
How many people will watch Reservoir Dogs and actually think about cutting off someones ear??