
Depression in the Horror Genre
Intrinsic Investigations: Exploring the Impact of Original S... by Bergen County Techincal School Students and Mr. Olivo
S3 · E9
May 19, 2026
26:55
Episode notes
This episode's title refers to the recurring use of depression as a narrative device in modern horror filmmaking. Rebecca conducts a content analysis of three horror films, The Babadook, The Night House, and Lights Out, and examines how each one portrays depression through emotional, behavioral, and cinematic cues. She finds that horror's tendency to externalize mental illness as something dangerous and uncontrollable may be shaping how audiences understand depression in real life.
Scrub to 1:10 to skip the introduction.
Keywords
content analysis
qualitative methods
student research
quantitative methods
media studies
horror
depression