A lot of horror movies feature themes of psychiatric
hospitals and patients. I can enjoy some of those films as long as they're well-made
and don't generally vilify people with mental health issues, but I notice that
the theme seems to be prevalent because mental illness frightens the public. It
can be scary to see someone behaving erratically, but a lot of the fear is
based on lack of information or on misinformation—much of which is spread via
this type of media. It becomes a cycle. And while
there should be a difference between fearing a mental health issue and fearing
the actual people who have it, these fears tend to become intertwined. Although
a person with a psychiatric disorder can be violent or predatory, it's almost
always because they had an inclination to be that way in the first place, not
because of the disorder. Sometimes the fear isn't entirely projected onto
others, though. Sometimes people are afraid of developing a similar condition
themselves.
I used to think mental health-centered horror films were
purely told from an outsider perspective; from the narrative of someone
encountering others with psychiatric conditions. That's undeniably a huge part
of it. However, there's also a common theme of the main character finding
themselves in a similar state. So many horror tropes seem to mirror the
experience of entering psychosis or having an episode. Demonic possession may
represent being taken over by a force (in this case, a psychological one) which
is completely unfamiliar and terrifying to them, but coming from within. In
that way it might seem like even more of an imposition than an external force
would, because it can feel like self-betrayal. The same is true for plot lines
involving alien abductions or ghost hauntings. It symbolizes a problem that
intrudes upon your life and your mind, refusing to leave. This problem could be
trauma, or it could be an innate condition. Paranoia of the main character can
look very much like the paranoia suffered by a person in the midst of
psychosis. The story trope of nobody believing the protagonist, and either
mocking or persecuting them for talking about what's going on, is very true to
life for those who manage day to day with mental health issues. So is the sense
of isolation and dread which manifests physically in the scenery of horror
films. The sudden, startling movements which are frequent in these films can be
similar to hallucinations. And in horror movies, magical thinking is always
real. It feels just as real to many who struggle with it.
Of course, there are numerous other mental health
conditions other than psychosis-based ones. But horror movies tend to most
strongly evoke themes of psychosis-based disorders. I have a lot of friends who
have experienced these things and describe them in similar ways. I myself have
depression, anxiety, and OCD. I've never been in a psychosis, but even the
problems I have remind me of some of those themes.
