As a holiday of contrasts, Halloween celebrates sweetness and superstition — trick or treat. Traditions range from pumpkin carving and candy eating to the personification of werewolves and ghosts. Yet as adults seek thrills in haunted houses and horror movies, one common and disturbing motif is the “gorification” of the seriously mentally ill.
Haunted houses across the country leverage settings, actors and props around the theme of mental illness. A New York City exhibit depicts an asylum with actors portraying psychiatric patients. Patrons can visit “the shock doc” for an interpretation of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and “the phobia room” for fear-induction. Advertisements show blood-soaked patients in hospital uniforms. A similar attraction in an abandoned hospital in Pennsylvania that is historically known for its mistreatment of the mentally ill is touted as the country’s “top-rated haunted house.” Dozens of horror films follow this theme, as well, with the plot twist hinging upon a psychiatric diagnosis.
As psychiatrists, we must ask: Why do people find a thrill in the details of others’ suffering?
