One Line Review: The subject matter of Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan is intriguing, but the editing is a source of frustration
Youtube Trailer Monster Inside
Starring: Kathy Preston, Bob Ruth
Director: Olivier Megaton
Release Date: 23 September 2021
Introduction
It is a documentary television miniseries which is directed by Olivier Megaton. It tells the story of William Stanley Milligan, an American rapist who was arrested and charged with armed robbery and raping three women on the campus of Ohio State University. It was a highly publicized case in the 1970s because psychologists diagnosed him with multiple personality disorder during the course of his defense (or, dissociative identity disorder now).
Plot and Analysis
Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan is divided into four episodes, each of which lasts approximately an hour.
The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan has a strangely exploitative feel to it. It begins in the traditional manner, similar to how true crime documentaries begin. It is common to hear people talk about the incident and the people involved; many people who were involved in it have spoken publicly about Billy Milligan and how he terrorized the Ohio State University campus at a time when both campus and students were going through a number of transitions.
Now, returning to the exploitative aspect, the limited series is immediately perceived as exploitative due to the manner in which the re-enactments are produced. The fact that this is so unusually flashy makes it a strange experience to watch. Everything in the game moves glows and is static, and the case itself is so bizarre that all of these extra touches feel like overkill. To be honest, there are so many flashing lights that it seems like they should have provided a seizure warning. To be completely honest, I started to feel uneasy after a while.
True but not real
We also get a lot of news footage from the time period, as well as a lot of highlighted documents that discuss Billy Milligan. Listen, this case is completely out of control; just talking about it in the order would be a spectacle in and of itself. Theatrics, on the other hand, detracts significantly from the overall experience. Because of the constant flashing lights and shaky camera, I was unable to maintain concentration for long periods of time while watching The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan.
It is entirely up to you whether or not you believe that Billy Milligan suffered from a dissociative personality disorder. There are a large number of people who support and oppose the claim. There’s no way you can say you aren’t intrigued by what you’re reading. Explanations are provided by experts, who explain why they believe what they believe and how everyone came to a particular conclusion. It’s a fascinating experience to hear.
Has a lot of Dog whistle moments
If you’re not familiar with Dissociative Identity Disorder, the characters in The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan go into great detail about the disorder from a variety of points of view in the novel. Naturally, the experts provide a very scientific background to the illness, whereas others, such as prosecutors, discuss how difficult it is to accept and comprehend something of this nature. And, really, you understand what they’re trying to say. For most of us, it’s difficult to comprehend how our minds work, and something like this appears to be beyond the realm of possibility.
It is difficult to comprehend multiple personalities at the same time. The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan makes numerous allusions to popular culture in order to make the diagnoses more understandable to those who are not familiar with them. Having said that, 4 hour-long episodes can seem like a chore if you’re not a fan of medical discussions in general.
The doctors’ in-depth discussions of the various personalities, on the other hand, will give you goosebumps. It’s harrowing to consider that this is something that many people are susceptible to experiencing. It’s also terrifying to consider that you could fall asleep and wake up hours later in a completely different location with no memory of how you got there in the first place. It’s a little frightening to watch footage of Billy, or one of his personalities, talking to psychiatrists and explaining how they put “Billy” to sleep in order to accomplish a specific task.
It examines the various factors that played a role in Milligan’s personality disorder, which he called the “24 Faces of Billy Milligan.” A look into the trial is also provided, which includes something unusual being presented in front of the judge and jury. Despite the fact that we all know how the story ends, it is still fascinating to watch it unfold. Unfortunately, I would have enjoyed it more if the cinematography and editing had not been as dramatic as they were.
Conclusion
Another perplexing aspect of the interview process, in my opinion, is how the interviewees were seated in the most inconvenient of locations. Although it appears to be edgy, does it have any significance to the story being told or the characters who appear within it? I really don’t know.
