I went into this process only knowing that I wanted to write about horror films. In March of 2020 it became clear that my life and the lives of everyone else were about to change forever. Now, a year later, while the end of the COVID-19 pandemic may seem closer in sight, the impact of this global tragedy will linger for years to come. I chose to write about films and a topic that I found both interesting and felt passionate about. However, I was concerned that my research would feel untimely or be irrelevant to the current cultural conversations. Was writing about horror movies and haunted houses a valuable topic considering the state of the world? It wasn’t until I began my analysis that I saw the parallels between the three horror films I selected and the life so many of us have been living. Struck with traumatic and sudden loss, the characters in the films fight for survival behind the walls of their homes. They are isolated, trapped, and grieving not only people but the lives they once knew. As of March 2021, in the United States alone, 540,000 people have died from COVID-19 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Everyone knows someone who has died in this pandemic and the gravity of this national loss weighs on us all. We are expected to wake up each day and live our lives while we watch our communities, our neighbors, and families die. On top of that, there is a sense of helplessness we feel, that there is nothing we can do to escape. Normalcy has been put on hold as a necessary means of survival. To fight the pandemic, we have had to practice social isolation. Many American’s have spent the last year trapped inside their homes. There is a profound sense of loneliness and isolation impacting humanity. In addition to grieving the individuals we have lost, we grieve the lives we lead prior to the global pandemic. Although I previously felt as though my research was irrelevant to our current moment in history, I now feel that the themes of grief and isolation could not be more applicable. In one way or another, we are all living in a haunted house; trapped both physically and emotionally by the impact of the COVID-19.  

The 2010s popular culture created a conversation that illuminated mental health struggles as an issue of public concern. There was an emphasis on de-stigmatizing mental illness and likening its severity to physical health. Mental health became a concern for everyone, it was something we realized affected us all. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a reminder that we as a society must take mental health seriously. Individuals are suffering from trauma inflicted by the pandemic; in order to heal we must not ignore the issue. I conclude that the messages and themes of The Babadook, The Invitation, and Crimson Peak are as relevant now as they were in the 2010s. 

Grief and isolation surround us all and I predict we will explore this further for years to come. I want to conclude my thesis by arguing the same message as the three films; we need to face the monsters in front of us. You cannot pretend that things are normal, that our problems will just go away, and that people aren't continuing to hurt. To end the pandemic, to fight structural equality and oppression, and to heal from our trauma, we must acknowledge the issues and exorcise our ghosts.