Task 6...

How and why does the Horror/Thriller genre exaggerate the Mentally Ill in films such as ‘Shutter Island’ and 'The Uninvited'?”



Society has, for many years, been surrounded by misconceptions and exaggeration through the media, which is generally associated with the platform of print. What many do not realise is what consists in film, may also not be a true reflection of reality, as media are often criticised for their portrayal of those of mental illness and ‘are believed to play a major role in contributing to mental illness stigma’ [1] .The horror genre has been a huge area of question, as although most narratives are in fact based on solely fiction, does this mean that their characters can be just as misconstrued? It is thought that ‘fictional film characters with mental conditions generally tend to fit into one of several extreme stereotypes, used to either shock, amuse or otherwise entertain us’ [2]. Films such as Shutter Island and Hide and seek portray a highly stereotypical view of those with mental illness, whereas films such as Rachel getting married which are not of a horror genre don’t, raising the debate of what encourages the horror genre to create such exaggerated roles.

The horror genre’s aim is nothing more than to simply frighten and in some mild form attempt to disturb its viewers, and yet it is still so popular, and is also sometimes favoured over more pleasantry genres such as comedy and drama. ‘One theory is that horror films touch on emotions that other films do not’ [3], it simply gives the audience the ability to experience a thrill of emotion in the comfort of their own home, in terms of psychographics, catering for the ‘explorer’ viewer.

As well as giving unusual yet pleasurable experiences for its viewers, a large part of the genre is audience expectations. The horror genre in particular is very ‘formulaic, they contained conventions and they were repetitive. Consequently, they could easily be recycled over and over gain, promising standardised consistency. Once a formula had been tried and tested, it was hoped that future success could be granted’ [4], as long as audiences were pleased the first time round, it was a guarantee that films following the same conventions were going to be successful. Hence, why big institutions such as Paramount Pictures, rely on those formula’s that have been predominantly successful, and do not breaks those barriers. Therefore, in terms of representing a certain group in one particular way throughout the genre, such as those with Mental Illness, is primarily because those characters have been primary successful with the audience, thus is the reason why they are used again and again.



1. Curran.J, Gurevitch.M 2005 ‘Mass Media & Society’ London, Hodder Education
2. Misrepresentation of Mental Illness: http://ezinearticles.com/?(Mis)representations-of-Mental-Illness-in-Film&id=1610236
3.
4. Abrams.N, Bell.I, Udris.J 2001 ‘Studying Film’ NY, USA Oxford Press Inc