Theme: Asylums

Asylums are psychiatric institutions intended for the purpose of incarcerating the mentally ill. The asylum has a long association with horror tradition.

Many films conjure lurid images of inhumane medical practices, fear of losing one’s sanity and/or confinement with deranged killers who are frequently wont to escape. Asylums can be home to scientists conducting abominable experiments. Abandoned asylums are peopled by ghosts or deranged former inmates. There is also a whole body of films about people with psychic powers or who are aliens being incarcerated.

For more detail and an overview of the genre see the Theme Essay Asylums.