“Edward Scissorhands” exposes the cost of being the “exceptional” disabled person

A disabled figure it took years for me to embrace is the title character of Tim Burton’s dark, modern fairy tale, “Edward Scissorhands.”

“Edward Scissorhands” is not a horror movie per se, but the tragic tale of the man with scissors for hands creeped me out because of how it juxtaposed Edward’s disability with his outward appearance: the dark circles under his eyes and pale white skin, which are now the highlights of numerous Tim Burton–created characters. The extremely exaggerated appearance is a lot, particularly for someone who isn’t seeing nearly enough good disabled representation. Edward, in his all-black leather outfit with his wild hair, is a visual culture shock, especially in comparison to the pastel world of the burbs he moves into. Johnny Depp, making another appearance in th