Episode 01: Mental Health in Horror

Welcome to No Bodies! Get ready to get ugly.

Content Warnings for this Episode

Light vulgarity. Discussions of mental illness including interpersonal trauma, suicidal ideation, substance abuse. 

If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health, please reach out to a professional mental health resource.

US Resources

• Survivors of Sexual Violence | RAINN | https://www.rainn.org/
• Substance Abuse | SAMHSA | https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
• Perinatal & Postpartum Mental Health | National Maternal Mental Health Hotline | https://mchb.hrsa.gov/national-maternal-mental-health-hotline
• Suicide & Crisis Lifeline | https://988lifeline.org/

International Resources

• Directory of Mental Health Hotlines by Country:  https://portal.cca.edu/thriving/counseling/international-mental-health-support/

Introduction

This episode was recorded on June 21, 2023 and posted on July 1, 2023. 

• Welcome to No Bodies Episode 1 
• Introductions to your Ghosts Hosts with the Most - Lonely of Lonely Horror Club and Projectile Varmint aka Suzie of Horror Movie Weekly
• Today’s Topic: Mental Health in Horror
• Why Mental Health? Suzie and Lonely’s experience with mental illness

Unpacking Mental Health in Horror

• The Historic Treatment of the Mentally Ill from a US Lens
• Evolution of Mental Health in Horror Cinema

Worst & Best Representations of Mental Health in Horror

Spoilers ahead!

Worst

• The Night House (2020)
• Split (2016)
• Secret Window (2004)
• The Invisible Man (2020)
• The Clock (2023)
• The House that Jack Built (2018)

Best

• The Lodge (2019)
• Censor (2021)
• Gerald’s Game (2017)
• Jacob’s Ladder (1990)
• Swallow (2019)
• The Descent (2005)
• The Cat Lady (2012)
• Downfall (2016)

Other Recommendations for this Topic

• Saint Maud (2019)
• The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
• Relic (2020)
• Carrie (1976)
• Good Night Mommy (2014)
• A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
• The Uninvited (2009)
• Resolution (2012)
• Toad Road (2012)
• Bliss (2021)
• Lovely Molly (2011)
• His House (2020)
• A Spoonful of Sugar (2022)
• The Babadook (2014)

Final Thoughts

• Closing Thoughts on the Mental Health in Horror 

Keep Up with Your Hosts

• Check out our instagram antics and drop a follow @nobodieshorrorpodcast. 
• Projectile Varmint - catch Suzie on Horror Movie Weekly with our dear friends Jay of the Dead, Mister Waston, and Channy Dreadful. Suzie also runs the HMW Instagram @ horrormovieweekly. 
• Lonely - read more from Lonely and keep up with her filmstagram chaos @lonelyhorrorclub on Instagram and www.lonelyhorrorclub.com. 

Original No Bodies Theme music by Jacob Pini. Need music? Find Jacob on Instagram at @jacob.pini for rates and tell him No Bodies sent you! 

Leave us a message at (617) 431-4322‬ and we just might answer you on the show!

Sources & Additional Reading

Bao, J. (2020, March 9). Prisons: The new asylums. Harvard Political Review. https://harvardpolitics.com/prisons-the-new-asylums/

Mancine, R. (2020). Horror movies and mental health conditions through the ages. The American Journal of Psychiatry. https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.ajp-rj.2020.160110 

Rice University & OpenStaxCollege. (2014, February 14). Mental health treatment: Past and present. Psychology. https://pressbooks-dev.oer.hawaii.edu/psychology/chapter/mental-health-treatment-past-and-present/ 

Weinstock, C. P. (2018, June 1). Risk of being a crime victim goes up with mental illness diagnosis. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-mentalillness-crime-victims/risk-of-being-a-crime-victim-goes-up-with-mental-illness-diagnosis-idUSKCN1IX5W2