Though categorically a subgenre, psychological horror has such a wide breadth and variety that it might as well be in a classification of its own. Much horror media falls under this expansive umbrella: from obvious modern examples like “Hereditary” and “The Lighthouse” to classics like “The Shining” and “The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari,” as well as literature including “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” and video games like “Silent Hill.”
At its very core, a work of psychological horror must attempt to engage audiences in a way that not only provokes a visceral fight-or-flight response, but also a deep-seated, almost primal reaction stemming from the furthest recesses of the brain. The examples of “Jekyll and Hyde” and “Doctor Caligari” specifically deal with murderous split personalities, invigorating the innate human fear that within each of us is an uncontrollable violent half threatening to break free.
Grief and trauma are also popular themes in the genre, as the brutal disintegration of normalcy brought by death and other horrible events are presented in films such as “Hereditary” and “The Lodge.” A prime example is the revolutionary video game “Silent Hill 2,” which follows a man traveling to the titular town after receiving a letter from his dead wife. It is a perfect showcase of why the genre is so powerful when done right. It is a sinister, devastating tale of repressed horrors cloaked under the guise of a maddening, shape-shifting, monster-ridden mystery. Under all the blood, rust and rot, it is one of the 21st century’s greatest deep dives into the messiness of the human psyche.
Descending into madness is another often employed concept, with H. P. Lovecraft being a notorious author of influential short stories such as “The Call of Cthulhu.” “The Shining” mines a wealth of unforgettable chills and thrills from its lead’s case of cabin fever, as does “The Lighthouse.” Mark Z. Danielewski’s postmodern novel, “House of Leaves” is arguably one of the most unique and effective works in this respect. It is a collection of faux-academic writings and frenzied footnotes regarding a confounding documentary that doesn’t exist in real life or within the frame narrative. It extends beyond depicting the slippage of sanity, it simulates it.
Of course, any piece of writing that discusses psychological horror in the abstract fails to exclude the creator of the aforementioned “Silent Hill 2,” the late David Lynch. The world of dreams and nightmares is a well-trodden one, but no creator other than Lynch has come close to recreating the surreal and mesmerizing feeling of being stuck in one’s subconscious. Starting with the inimitable parental nightmare “Eraserhead,” the film punctuated his career with a series of bewildering epics, including the Möbius strip “Lost Highway,” the crumbling Hollywood dreamscape “Mulholland Drive,” the three-hour lo-fi odyssey “Inland Empire” and the 18-part anti-nostalgia revival of “Twin Peaks.” Lynch left an indelible mark on not just surrealism and cinema but on art as a whole. Additionally, iconic shows such as “The Sopranos” and “The X-Files” would be close to unrecognizable. Overall, modern horror as we know it would be vastly different – and arguably much less interesting – without his contributions.
Of course, to distill a centuries-old canon of psychological horror into several defining examples and nothing else diminishes the sub-genre. You must truly experience all it has to offer yourself through the filmography of Lynch and other like-minded creators to truly feel the impact of just how powerful, terrifying and important it all is.
