It’s A Helpful Distraction For some people with anxiety, horror movies provide tangible fears where they can focus their minds. A popular horror movie of 2016 was “Split,” directed by M. Night Shylamalan, which focused on a man living with dissociative identity disorder who abducts three girls. © 2021 Copyright The Boar. Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most influential horror directors. Consequently, viewers are willing to accept psychosis as his drive to murder to “alleviate their own fears” rather than understand him as someone who seemed “normal” but was not (Derry 23). The contradiction appears in giving the audience knowledge of mental illness but still using horror’s iconography as a physical difference to create the “other” (figure 2). This film’s well-known portrayal of mental illness might help explain why so many horror films rely on mental and behavioral health as a plot point. Have Fun at the Movies, Just Remember They’re Fictional Portrayals. Freddy Krueger is a killer who haunts children while they are dreaming. These movies — many of which can be watched on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Prime — can evoke some powerful responses in viewers who may see their own struggles accurately represented on screen for the first time. The Shining begins with a seemingly normal Jack Torrance and his family arriving at a hotel to act as caretakers for the winter. “Any time you have a mass murderer or a psycho killer, you have hints of demeaning imagery toward mental illness,” said Jim Conroy, co-president of Pennhurst Memorial and Preservation Alliance. Indeed, mental illness has become such a common horror trope that it’s even reflected in popular Halloween costumes. Well, it turns out there’s a scientific reason horror tends to be relaxing for me and other people with anxiety. cambiar a español CC NEWS art photography design movies music what's on books lifestyle how about travel technology Movies . I’m not ashamed of that, yet saying it still feels like a slightly dirty confession. Think about what scares you: Spiders? Sign In Trending New Popular type to search. This article is co-written by Jay Boll, RtoR’s Editor-in-Chief and Veronique Hoebeke, RtoR’s Associate Editor. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) A slasher and cult classic, Texas Chainsaw Massacre stars the mentally ill character Leatherface. All will contain some sort of mental or neurological disorder that should be one of the main themes of the film. While he is a supernatural entity in the movie, he was once a violent human criminal. St. Hope Foundation offers an array of mental and behavioral health services for people seeking treatment for mental disorders. https://screenrant.com/movie-character-inaccurate-mental-illness-portrayals Utilising mental illness as a scape-goat, portraying the affected as ‘monstrous’ and stigmatising mental institutions does not just make for a ‘thrilling’ movie but has real-world consequences. Yes, it is again exploitation. No matter what it is, it’s probably been featured in a horror movie. Horror/Mystery/Suspense Movies About Mental Illness show list info. This narrative is not only overused, but highly damaging. This film’s well-known portrayal of mental illness might help explain why so many horror films rely on mental and behavioral health as a plot point. Through violence, usually, even though people with mental health problems are statistically no more violent than the average person. Mental Illness and ‘The Babadook’ Spoilers ahead for The Babadook, Hide & Seek, and Shutter Island.. Not only this, but it is suggested that the amount of personalities residing in Kevin means he has the ability to change the chemistry of his body. Here's how this can influence people's perspective on mental illness. As the title hints, one of the main characters in Psycho has a mental illness, most likely Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), which was brought on by a previous trauma. Many of these movies center on the freakishly paranormal, the stuff too spooky to think about during everyday life. Media misrepresentation can even prevent people from seeking mental health help. Mental Illness in Horror Movies. Of those, the vast majority of cases present the … The way they expressed the complexities of thought, emotion, memory, and growing up was pure genius." Movies about schizophrenia, They Look Like People is just one of many horror films about mental illness. Split, whilst critically acclaimed, acts to sensationalise and misrepresent mental illness. Some of the most popular horror fiction link mental illness with evil. Explanation & more movies like it. His mental illness makes him victimized, and the movie does a commendable job of highlighting society's fear about what it doesn't understand. 7 Movies That Capture The Hallucinatory Horrors Of Schizophrenia. How do inaccurate depictions in horror movies stigmatize mental illness? Just as autism in the movies makes you a maths genius, so DID makes you a “psycho”. Killer clowns? We are doing it again. A lot of horror films tend to glamorise mental illnesses, let’s look at some examples: Psycho (1960) – A great film directed by Alfred Hitchcock based on a novel of the same name written by Robert Bloch in 1959. Yet, horror movies contribute something different to the mental health discussion than all other genres of film. In the same way horror movies have exploited mental illness, so have former asylums, like Pennhurst. A young woman ‘accidentally’ agrees to be sectioned for a day in Unsane, which turns into a week after she grows agitated at being confined. Your email address will not be published. The Best Psychological Horror Movies to Mess with Your Head My descriptions will indicate which mental illness or neurological condition is exhibited by which character (if known). As someone who works in the area of mental health, I am aware many horror films – and other genres – depict negative stereotypes of mental illness. Evil or Misunderstood: Depictions of Mental Illness in Horror Films https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/myths-facts/index.html, St. Hope Foundation Copyright © 2021. —-The Mental Health Foundation asserts that social stigma surrounding mental health issues makes recovery harder, and that nine out of ten people with mental health issues believe that stigma around mental illness has a negative effect on their lives. In contrast, protagonists are seldom portrayed as having some sort of mental illness. Once a person learns how to properly manage mental and behavioral health, they can lead a perfectly happy and productive life. THE SECOND COMING. Most of the time, when a character in a horror movie has a mental illness, they are either the villain or at the very least, negatively represented. Despite the aforementioned prejudice, one is likely to face when suffering from mental health issues, it is important that people seek help, and a conversation must be initiated in order to help end the stigma surrounding these illnesses. However, some movies are lauded for dispelling stereotypes and providing insight into mental illness. Mental illness does have its place in the horror genre, and it is scary. Reference to Ed Gein is also found in Psycho and The Silence of the Lambs. I fear you have missed one very important misconception, “the” mentally ill. You may recall another, “the” Blacks. F or years, mental illness has been the scape-goat of the Horror genre. So, how is mental health portrayed in horror movies? These portrayals are hardly flattering. Your email address will not be published. Films like Shutter Island, Psycho, and Split are popular examples of mental illness being used as a surprise twist or explanation for why a character is violent: they’re just ‘crazy’. View. Horror movies are bad for mental health: If you love watching horror movies, the psychological impacts of a haunted film on your brain will be distinct in case if you don't love watching horror movies. 8 Movies That Got Mental Illness (Mostly) Right | The Mighty A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) The misconception that the mentally ill are dangerous, however, has real-world consequences. Here, a psychologist explains why that movie genre may be good for you mental health. The real horror of mental illness is the pain it inflicts on the person with the disorder. They are identical in intent. Sign In. Remember when we asserted rape/stigma, and paid heed to everyone who did? Hulu. Movies and Mental Illness – Hogrefe Publishing; David J. Robinson, Reel Psychiatry: Movie Portrayals of Psychiatric Conditions, Rapid Psychler Press, 2003, ISBN 1-894328-07-8. In a study by George Gerbner, it was determined that 5 percent of 'normal' television characters are murderers, while 20% of 'mentally-ill' characters are murderers. Psycho (1960) Psycho is a horror masterpiece but as a portrayal of a real-life mental-health condition, it’s nonsense. Yet, when seeking a good scare from our screens, it’s important to keep our mental health in mind too. Linking violence to mental disorders like this can misinform both avid horror fans and casual viewers. The world in … The Mental Health Foundation asserts that social stigma surrounding mental health issues makes recovery harder; and that nine out of ten people with mental health issues believe that stigma around mental illness has a negative effect on their lives. Hulu. If you have a phobia or other mental health condition, deliberately engaging with something that scares you can help prove to yourself that you can handle it. —The misconception that “the” mentally ill are dangerous. 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