14 Horror movies that explore mental health (for your spooky season)
Unraveling the Psychological Layers Behind Fear and Mental Illness in Film
She picks at her cuticle as her boss yells about his dissatisfaction. Blood rolls down her finger, and she quickly sucks the red liquid from her finger. Her coworker in the other cubicle clenches his fists and purses his lips as his legs bounce up and down. Both are doing their best to ease their anxieties fueled by a toxic work environment.
Horror movies can tap into the deepest parts of our psyche and amplify our anxieties, fears, and unresolved emotions. These films do more than entertain; they reflect our inner turmoil, often providing a mirror for the mental health challenges we face. The unsettling images and narratives we encounter on screen can echo feelings of isolation, anxiety, depression, trauma, and existential dread—emotions that many of us battle in our daily lives. In this way, horror serves as both a catharsis and a confrontation, forcing us to face our inner demons and, sometimes, helping us process them. By exploring the dark themes of fear, madness, and the unknown, horror films offer a unique space for understanding our mental health struggles while also fostering resilience and the potential for healing.
As a counselor, I enjoy watching films that explore mental health and bring awareness to the vast diversity and struggles of mental health.
14 horror films that explore mental health and mental health struggles.
A Tale of Two Sisters
Where to watch: AMC+
Two sisters return to their family home after being released from a psychiatric institution, only to face disturbing events involving their stepmother and supernatural occurrences.
This film explores themes of trauma, grief, and dissociative identity disorder.
For more check out my article about this film.
You Are Not My Mother
Where to Watch: Hulu, Disney+
A teenager's mother mysteriously disappears and returns with a drastically altered personality, leading the girl to uncover disturbing family secrets.
This film explores themes of depression, familial mental illness, and loss of identity.
Daniel Isn’t Real
Where to Watch: Starz, Hulu
A troubled college student revives his imaginary friend from childhood to cope with his life’s struggles, only for the friend to begin taking control.
This film depicts schizophrenia, dissociation, and repressed trauma.
Split
Where to Watch: Peacock
A man with dissociative identity disorder kidnaps three girls, and his different personalities vie for control as a dark, powerful identity emerges.
This movie depicts dissociative identity disorder, as well as childhood trauma and abuse.
Be My Cat
Where to Watch: Tubi
An aspiring filmmaker becomes obsessed with actress Anne Hathaway and spirals into madness while creating a film to impress her.
This movie explores themes of obsession, psychosis, and delusions.
They Look Like People
Where to Watch: Tubi
A man becomes convinced that the people around him are transforming into monsters, as his best friend tries to help him through his increasing paranoia.
This film depicts paranoia, schizophrenia, and isolation.
Pearl
Where to Watch: Netflix, Hulu
A young woman dreams of stardom but becomes increasingly unhinged as her repressed desires and frustrations build in a restrictive and oppressive environment.
This movie explores themes of repressed emotions, psychosis, and the pressures of societal expectations.
Stop Motion
Where to Watch: AMC+
A stop-motion animator begins to blur the lines between her art and reality as her deteriorating mental health distorts her perception of the world.
This movie depicts anxiety, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and psychosis.
For more about this film, check out my in-depth review:
Run Rabbit Run
Where to Watch: Netflix
A fertility doctor experiences supernatural occurrences and unearths unresolved grief and trauma related to her past and family.
This movie explores themes of grief, unresolved trauma, and the fear of loss.
The Lodge
Where to Watch: Hulu
A woman with a traumatic past becomes trapped in a remote lodge with her fiancé's children, where eerie occurrences lead to a psychological breakdown.
The mental health themes in this film are PTSD, religious trauma, and isolation.
Flatliners
Where to Watch: Hulu
A group of medical students experiment with near-death experiences, triggering hallucinations and psychological trauma from their past.
This movie depicts grief, trauma, and obsession with death.
Appendage
Where to Watch: Hulu, Disney+
A woman’s suppressed anxieties and insecurities manifest as a parasitic appendage that begins to take over her life.
This film explores themes of anxiety, self-worth issues, and body dysmorphia.
Piggy
Where to Watch: Hulu
A bullied teenager takes revenge after witnessing a violent crime and becomes entangled in the unfolding chaos.
The mental health themes in this film are bullying, body image issues, and the psychological impact of trauma.
Huesera
Where to watch: AMC+
Huesera is a psychological horror film about a young woman, Valeria, who becomes pregnant and begins to experience terrifying visions and supernatural forces tied to her complicated feelings about motherhood.
The mental health issues in Huesera include anxiety, depression, trauma, and postpartum mental health struggles as Valeria confronts the fear of losing herself in the role of motherhood and the burden of unspoken societal expectations.
Honorable Mentions:
Films that made the International list:
Censor
Perfect Blue
Films that Made the Grief list:
Midsommar
Smile
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please check out these resources.
Final Thoughts
Horror films come in all shapes and sizes, exploring various and vast topics. Horror films that delve into mental health not only bring awareness but can also bring conversations to a topic that is often ignored and avoided.
Do you have a favorite mental health film or horror movie? Have you watched any of the above films? Thoughts?