Descriptions of monsters, vampires, demonic possessions, and psychopaths in horror films

have been inspired by psychiatric knowledge about mental illness, leading to several stereotyped models of horror that have prevailed through decades.

Some scholars have proposed that horror films can be a teaching tool for psychopathology, but for the most part the genre has been underutilized as a learning tool.

This book explores the idea of relating horror films to psychiatric ideas

as a way of engaging people in learning.