Mental Health is Horrifying
Journey into the horrifying depths with Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist, (and all around spooky ghoul), as she explores how horror is really a mirror into ourselves.
If you're someone who watches horror movies and thinks — that nasty old well that Samara climbs out of in The Ring is really a metaphor for her grief — or Ghostface at his core is a spectre of intergenerational trauma... then tune in to explore how mental health themes are portrayed in your favourite horror movies and beyond.
Episodes
29 episodes
The Strangers — Engagement Nightmare Story w/ Shannon Knight, LMHC, LPC
In this episode, I chat with Psychotherapist Shannon Knight from the podcast The Tarot Diagnosis about The Strangers (2008) and how the movie portrays nightmares as an emotional processing function when life does not go according to plan. ...
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56:14
Midnight Mass — Existential extravaganza!
In this episode on Midnight Mass (2021), I explore the portrayal of the crisis of faith that accompanies a world-class existential crisis. Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis G...
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36:30
The Witch — Satanic scapegoating
In this episode on The Witch (2015), I explore the psychological concept of scapegoating and how it can drive a woman straight to the devil. Hail Satan.Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by ...
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28:13
Companion — What f@*%ed up attachment style is this?
In this episode on Companion (2025), I theorize about what new f@*%ed up attachment style could evolve out of our attempts to attach to AI companion bots. Lord save us.Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by
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37:41
The Shining — Loneliness will kill ya
This episode explores The Shining (1980) and its depiction of the adverse psychological impacts of isolation and lack of community. Spoiler alert: it's bad.Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by
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36:24
Nosferatu — Shame is a nightmare
This episode explores Nosferatu (2024) and its depiction of shame as a horrible, beautiful nightmare. Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Registered Psychotherapist and owne...
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40:19
A Haunting in Venice — Cozy horror makes life less scary
Life is hard! So I'm really glad that cozy horror movies like A Haunting in Venice exist to comfort us through times of hardship and winter frostbite. In this episode, we explore A Haunting in Venice (2024) as a shining example of cozy ...
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33:13
The Substance — We're all gonna die
If there was a drug that would create a younger version of yourself, would you take it?This episode looks at The Substance (2024) and its portrayal of death anxiety via our obsession with female youth and beauty. Mental Health i...
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37:22
The Hitchcock Hotel + Psycho — Maternal enmeshment extravaganza!
As Norman Bates likes to say, a boy's best friend is his mother....Right?This episode takes a look at the book The Hitchcock Hotel (2024) and horror classic Psycho (1960) in this maternal enmeshment extravaganza!Mental H...
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37:21
Trick 'r Treat — Halloween is good for your mental health
In this special BONUS Halloween episode, let’s explore Trick ‘r Treat (2007), and the importance of Halloween for your mental health. Mental Health is Horrifying is hosted by Candis Green, Regi...
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32:37
Halloween (1978) — The *perfect* final girl, and her anxiety boogeyman
This special Halloween episode explores the absolute classic Halloween (1978) and its portrayal of Laurie Strode’s over-functioning anxiety in her pursuit to uphold the mantle of the perfect final girl. As a psychotherapist for fin...
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34:54
Longlegs — Intrusive thoughts, brought to you by Nicolas Cage
I don’t know what the deal is with all of you who didn’t find Longlegs scary, because this movie straight up gave me intrusive thoughts! This episode talks about those thoughts, how I learned to challenge my Nicolas Cage-related intrusive thoug...
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46:51
Trap — Thirst is good for your mental health
Let’s talk about Trap (2024) and about how teen heartthrobs, fantasy, and nostalgia are actually beneficial to our mental health by exploring self-psychology concepts of selfobject needs and reparative relationships. Mental Health i...
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27:22
Lisa Frankenstein — Love as an (un)living altar to grief
This episode talks about 2024 gothic romance horror comedy delight Lisa Frankenstien and its portrayal of the grieving process through the eyes of Lisa in all her sensitive, emo, goth teen glory. This movie is quirky, and silly, and romantic, a...
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41:59
Tarot — Relax, it’s only a portal into your soul
If you were staying at a spooky old mansion for the weekend and you found a condemned tarot deck in the basement that definitely looked haunted… would you read from the deck? Or would you run?I guess your answer depends on the power you...
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35:36
Scream — What if this is all Sidney's trauma nightmare?
Have you ever been in the middle of experiencing something so strange, or so cruel or surreal that you think to yourself – I have to be in some kind of nightmare? Well, what if you were? What if it was “all one great big movie”... uhh I mea...
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44:59
The Haunting — Caregiver burnout is a haunted house that you live in
Does spending a weekend in a haunted house conducting paranormal investigations with a bunch of other spooky weirdos sound preferable to spending it with your codependent family members? Yes? Then pack your bags, sister. We’re heading t...
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32:24
Cam — Double double ego trouble
How would you feel if one day you tried to login to your online social media accounts, only to discover that they were locked and your online persona had taken on a life of its own? Pretty scary stuff, eh?Cam is an obvious commentary on...
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35:43
Host — Even the ghosts have lockdown anxiety
Remember lockdown? I know I'm sorry — I know you don’t want to, but I think it’s worth considering for the sake of talking about Host (2020) and its genius encapsulation of the total anxiety of Covid lockdown. We’re in the depths of win...
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27:47
Krampus — It’s beginning to look a lot like seasonal depression
Let’s talk about Krampus (2015) — everyone’s favourite half goat, half demon creature who has come to punish all the misbehaving children and dysfunctional families on Christmas — as a symbol for seasonal depression. It’s no surprise th...
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Episode 9
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34:50
Five Nights at Freddy’s — Dreamwork to navigate the unconscious and a murderous teddy bear
Let’s talk about Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023) and its portrayal of the personal unconscious through dreams.K so the reason I went to see this movie is because Matthew Lillard is in it and I think he is one of THE BEST horror film acto...
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34:52
Hocus Pocus — I put a spell on your nervous system
On this special Halloween episode, I’m going to risk having my horror hall pass revoked by diving into a movie that is uhhh not TECHNICALLY a horror movie, but I believe still deserves a place somewhere in the genre for reasons we will explore ...
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32:33
The Ring — Grief is a well you’ve been thrown down
So — have you heard about this tape? Let’s talk about The Ring (2002) and its portrayal of grief, nature vs nurture, and the psycho-therapeutic theory of emotional dwelling.There are many readings of what the metaphors in this m...
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36:40
They Live — 5 tips to manifest out of this dystopian hellscape, babe
Let’s talk about They Live (1988) and its portrayal of mental health themes of oppression, manifestation vs. reality, and the attention economy and ADHD.They Live focuses on an ordinary man who discovers an alien race has been controlli...
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41:40
Jaws — Don’t ignore your emotions or they’ll swim up and bite you in the ass!
It’s summertime, ghouls! It’s hot, it’s humid, and wouldn’t you non-vampire people just love a day on the beach? Or are you afraid to go in the water? On today’s episode, I’m going to be talking about the OG summer blockbuster that made everyon...
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50:01