Horror movies are an interesting beast. Horror in general enables us to confront our fears in a safe way, and horror movies are one of the best and safest. Film is a medium we choose to interact with, leaves an impact on us, and offers a new experience for us. Horror films may scare us at first, but in the end they allow us to deal with our issues, and this includes depression and anxiety. Horror may actually be one of the best ways to do this, as I have found out myself firsthand.
I have struggled with depression since I was a teen, and expect to always have to face it in some way going forward. It may sound odd that I use horror films to deal with depression, but there is something about watching these films. This is especially true of the monster movies of the 30’s and 40’s and the terror of the 70’s. In these films I found worlds that corresponded to what I was going through. Isolation, desperation and fear were among the ideas I saw discussed. These were my anxieties portrayed on the silver screen and as such, the films spoke to me in a way that I found reassuring in a strange way. It may seem like it doesn’t make sense, but to someone going through depression, nothing makes sense.
It isn’t just one kind of horror film either, but all kinds. These include the gorefest films, the cerebral movies, and the ones that mix laughs and scares. Horror has this strange quality where it is able to speak to people in a way that nothing else can. Even ones that have depressing endings can still be helpful, as it allows the anxieties to be visualized in order to have a way to make others understand them. I have found horror cinema to be a method of communication for people struggling with depression and other such mental health related issues. It gives us some validation that people do understand us, and also gives us a way to help others understand
I often see the horror movie genre attacked as meritless and bringing little to culture, often by the same people who claim classic horror literature isn’t actually horror due to their desire to raise it above the common masses and to their level. I also noticed that these people often have a preconceived notion of horror and they will not change. As such they do not notice the good horror cinema does for people like me. It not only gives us a sense of belonging finally, it gives us acknowledgement that things can get better because someone understands what we are going through and was able to get to a position where they made these films. These films help us by letting us know there are people like us who succeeded despite the odds and there is hope for us still.
Disclaimer: The above is the opinion of the author and not necessarily that of ROG or its staff