What our new big horror movies say about us

Tom Hoopes of Aleteia suggests that modern horror movies serve as a way for audiences to acknowledge supernatural fears and process psychological trauma.

In an article published October 25, 2026, Hoopes notes that the genre has achieved significant critical and commercial success. He writes that while dramas address relationship tensions and science fiction explores a changing world, horror allows people to confront the dark aspects of the human mind. He observes that many recent major horror films focus on psychological trauma, continuing a tradition seen in older works such as The Shining.