Analyzing Evil: Howard Stambler From 10 Cloverfield Lane

hello everyone and welcome to the 132nd episode of analyzing evil featuring Howard stambler from 10 Cloverfield Lane Howard is a dreadful example of what consequences can come from a mine that's mired in paranoia a man who loses all he holds dear and turns to inflicting pain upon others to prop up his own delusions in this video we'll explore what Howard is and all that he's done surmising how a man who tried to do right can turn out so wrong now without further Ado let's begin we're not given too much background information on Howard we know he served for 14 years in the Navy and that he has a wife and daughter but that's about all the personal detail we're given about him what we do know is that Howard is an extensive doomsday prepper and his time working on satellites in the Navy likely influenced his decision to create an eye impenetrable bunker for himself and his family as time spent in service to one's country exposes you to a variety of possible scenarios that could potentially annihilate all of humanity especially if you're privy to all that goes on in the global satellite Network now now preparing for such a catastrophic event isn't a bad thing and a bunker is impressive as Howards could very well be the salvation of him and his loved ones should the need ever arise for it to be used however what seems to have been Howard's problem is that he was obsessed with prepping to the point that it became unhealthy and this aspect of Howard would heavily shape his already rather off-putting personality Howard shows himself to be a socially awkward blunt and commanding man in his demeanor along with his obsession likely became increasingly off-putting to his family his paranoia regarding a potential foreign or alien attack consuming most of his time and causing him to exert enormous control over the lives of his wife and daughter forcing them to abide by his strict safety standards in the name of their security as time went on Howard developed a savior complex and when his family showed any signs of Independence or ingratitude we can assume that he would lash out at them in much the same way he does with Michelle and Emmett which we'll get to later but the man that Howard became as a result of his obsessions eventually drove his family so far away that at the time this Story begins they seem to be nothing more than a distant memory another possible contributor to why his family chose to abandon him is found in a common Michelle makes during a conversation she's having with Emmett about Howard asking what a man who served in the Navy for 14 years is doing all the way out in the middle of nowhere in rural Louisiana now anyone is allowed to live wherever they please but making this comment does make me wonder whether Howard moved his family from wherever they lived possibly Chicago so he could keep them away from population centers that would inevitably be the target of any future attacks so after years of isolation and exposure to a paranoid overseer Howard's family chose to return from whence they came and this shattered Howard a man who had done his best to provide Safety and Security for the people he loved at any cost without people to protect Howard felt lost and empty a man surrounded by reminders of the family that left him waiting for the end of the world with nothing to do and no one to love Howard did the unthinkable he kidnapped a teenage girl Brittany so he could mold her into the daughter he lost even going so far as to fully replace her with the traitorous Megan in his mind by referring to her as Megan as we discover when Michelle is repairing the air filtration system Brittany naturally wasn't too keen on this idea and perhaps upon discovering her gruesome Cry for Help after he had imprisoned her in that room for some time Howard decided to introduce Brittany to the acid and so ended the second Megan with all this in mind we can establish Howard is quite the sick and delusional man one whose heightened levels of paranoia and abandonment issues led him to losing his family then attempting to create a new one and then losing it once again when that inevitably didn't work out for obvious reasons but that was never going to be enough for Howard stambler he couldn't handle losing the only thing that he had a reason to live for and rather than accept his fate for what it was his gnawing need to regain his daughter causes him to constantly seek out a replacement for her and after Britney the next Target for a replacement ends up being Michelle now we have no way of knowing whether or not Howard was targeting Michelle to be the next Megan or not but we are given a couple of signs that indicate he might have been when Howard admits to Michelle that he was the one that hit her the night of the accident she mentions that she was driving north of Lake Charles at the time and Howard's Farm is 40 miles south of Lake Charles now Howard could have been up that way for any number of reasons but there's an inconsistency in his reasoning for why he ended up hitting Michelle Howard states that because he was in a hurry to return home after he learned of the impending attack he hit Michelle when he was trying to pass her but when you pass someone on the road that means you're going in the same direction as them so if he was trying to return home why was he going north there's also the fact that when Michelle is trying to recall the accident it looks as if he sideswipes her and this indicates that he was following her and caused the accident on purpose the other thing that supports this line of thinking is what Howard says to Michelle when he's trying to comfort her after he shoots Emmett don't worry you're safe now and this was the way it was always supposed to be now either that's his delusions regarding his daughter Megan kicking in and he's projecting his desire to have Michelle all to himself in this moment or he's admitting that Michelle was meant to be his next Megan all along I think it's the latter and that he was likely stalking Michelle for quite some time and he chose to abduct her the night he did because he knew the apocalypse was coming due to his access to the global satellite Network and when he learned of the bad news he wanted to make sure that he took her before it was too late hence the abduction this would actually be beneficial to Howard's plan to make Michelle the new Megan as perhaps before he convinced Brittany that there was an apocalypse and that's how he kept her tame but now there actually is one and it's much easier for Howard to convince Michelle that he means no harm now that we've established who Howard is and how the situation we find Michelle and Evan in this film came about it's time that we discuss what goes on in this bunker building off the aforementioned social awkwardness and his matter-of-fact demeanor Howard's first interaction with Michelle is menacing to say the least instead of explaining the situation to her from the beginning he handles his introduction to her like a Macabre nurse that's checking in on his patient and it's only after Michelle understandably attempts to harm him that he explains what's going on something Howard shows us during this introduction as well is the savior complex he's developed as he tells Michelle that she needs to eat and sleep and to start showing him a bit of appreciation again ignoring her emotions in favor of his own negative feelings regarding the lack of admiration he's been shown for his efforts since he started building the shelter as the film progresses his view of Michelle is his new daughter that he has the right to control bleeds through in several different ways when Emmett tries to support Michelle when she's faltering on her crutches Howard demands that there be no touching and while in the moment it's almost admirable that he care for her personal boundaries this concern becomes much more worrisome as they sit down for dinner when they sit down he talks about his cooking mentions that Megan was a good cook and that Michelle will learn to love cooking a nod Dao will shape her into everything that Megan was when Emmett starts cracking jokes in an attempt to spark a conversation Howard grows tired of it and asks him to stop but when he does he also speaks for Michelle stating that she doesn't like his humor either which she gave no indication of when Michelle then Riles him up by interacting with Emmett Howard goes into a frenzy and he proceeds to browbeat Michelle into submission inches from her face asking her if she's trying to insult him calling her ungrateful and telling her that he knows what a traitor looks like a reference to the original Megan and thereafter He commands her to apologize and he demands that she repeats his commands demeaning and dehumanizing her as he subjects her to as well immediately after this he moves past the tension by pretending as if nothing happened and he even goes so far as to ask Michelle what's wrong as if he doesn't know all these things are classic examples of domination insecurity and abusive tactics as Howard is so unsure of himself and his relationship with these women that he feels the need to control every aspect of their person and in Michelle's case he's worried that if she cozies up to this other man that she'll be taken away from him all of these things Echo how he must have treated Megan and Brittany he controls what they say what they do how they act and who they interact with fearing that if he doesn't keep them under lock and key that they'll leave him and all of this ensures that they'll remain with him as long as he still draws breath as he wishes them to be well in his mind at least after this scene things calm down until Howard discovers Michelle and Emmett's pot to escape and it's when he confronts them about it that we we truly get to see how far off the deep end Howard has gone Howard shoots Emmett in the head after interrogating him and he then proceeds to dissolve his body and acid but all the while he treats this as a necessity and interacts with Michelle as if all is now right with the world the elimination of an enemy that had stolen his Spotlight complete and the life he wishes to live with his daughter replacement now secure paranoid delusional and domineering this is who Howard stambler is a man who would murder innocence to create a fantasy world one where the negative side effects of his obsessions are erased a world where everyone he loves is safe and happy under his watchful eye in the Kingdom of security that he worked so hard to build one thing that can be said for Howard though is something that can't be said for men who engage in the kidnapping of young women he probably isn't a pervert as he claimed in the beginning of the film no Howard never wanted to take advantage of Megan Brittany or Michelle in a sexual way he just wanted to preserve his family and enjoy his life with his daughter but Howard wanted her forever he wanted to live in his secluded Paradise with his little girl and that desire and all that he is led him to committing two acts of kidnapping as well as two murderers a deeply Disturbed man whose mind has been bent towards his own fantasies and planted firmly in delusion though Howard was right about the attack and he was keeping Michelle safe from the horrors outside the bunker that doesn't mean she was obligated to become who he wanted her to be and thankfully Michelle escapes this wretched scenario emotionally scarred but relatively intact but we can't say the same for Brittany or Emmett or any of the other hundreds of men and women who have had to endure situations like this and though there is some sympathy to be found for a man so caught up in his paranoia that he can't grasp the harm he does to others there is no excuse for men like Howard and he wholeheartedly deserved to spend his last moments engulfed in a fiery Inferno at the bottom of a pit of evil that he created thank you all for tuning in to this episode of analyzing evil and I hope you've enjoyed what are your thoughts on Howard did I miss anything let me know down below and leave a suggestion for a villain you'd like to see featured while you're at it if you like this video hit that thumbs up button and make sure to subscribe if you haven't already a big thank you to all of my subscribers to my patrons and anyone who's decided to honor me with a super thank and a most vile thank you to those whose names you're seeing on screen now join the Channel's Discord server and Reddit to interact with myself and the community and follow me on the social media platforms listed below to keep up with the channel as always thanks for watching and I'll be seeing you soon

Channel: The Vile Eye

Views: 147,622

Keywords: horror, evil, villain

Id: yi_eHK394BA

Length: 11min 18sec (678 seconds)

Published: Fri Jun 16 2023