With the arrival of spring
comes many new movie releases. Personally, I am waiting to see the Dark Shadows
movie starring Johnny Depp, which will be out in May. I loved the original Dark
Shadows TV soap that aired in the ‘60’s and have most of the DVD’s. I am hoping
that Johnny Depp will make a great Barnabas, but to me, no one can be Barnabas
except for Jonathan Frid, the original. This may not be the best choice of
movies for a person with OCD who has fears of ghosts or vampires though, but I
have a feeling this new remake was made to be more amusing than scary
With movies in mind, I
was thinking about how movies can greatly affect people with mental disorders. Then I received
an e-mail from Liz Nutt, a writer for insurancequotes.org who sent me this
interesting article, 10 Movies for hypochondriacs. Many people with OCD also
can have issues with hypochondria, which is obsessive thoughts of illness or of
becoming ill. Hypochondria can render a person immobile and unable to function
and keep them in a frightening and extremely unpleasant state of mind. These movies can certainly do that!.
After reading this I was creeped me
out a bit. Dark Shadows is looking better and better!
"Although
serious hypochondria should be treated by a psychology professional rather than
derisive laughter, some of the milder cases can stand a bit of light ribbing.
Just like (almost) anything else, really. So when that special friend or family
member always crushed beneath the disease du jour stops on over for
movie night, the following selections provide epic entertainment far, far
beyond the LCD screen's warm, cozy glow. But when he and/or she spends the next
morning stirring up an epic ER embarrassment just KNOWING those stomach pains
signify the deadly Motaba virus, know that revenge will come
unexpectedly sweeping down on swift and dreadful wings. Like a thief in the
night, such vengeance.
1. The Andromeda
Strain (1971)
Probably the
quintessential film about nasty little diseases hellbent on eliminating
humanity, The Andromeda Strain adapted Michael Crichton's suspenseful,
intense book of the same name into a viable Oscar nominee. Only Coast to
Coast AM guests genuinely think an alien virus sits poised to wipe everyone
out almost instantaneously, but hypochondriacs don't need a specific source to
find the results triggering. It could, after all, come from monkeys! Or deep
sea exploration! Or … like, a drug test gone horrifyingly wrong or something!
2. Lorenzo's Oil
(1992)
Discovering
a loved one suffers from a debilitating, degenerative terminal disease is
undeniably one of the most devastating, wrenching experiences. Discovering a
loved one suffers from a debilitating, degenerative terminal disease so
uncommon, nobody's ever researched potential cures, only exacerbates the
heartbreak. Though ultimately a hopeful narrative, this movie's central
conflict reflects a very real, very terrifying struggle. One that might very
well inspire hypochondriacs to call up WebMD and label their symptoms the most
exotic and/or deadly options possible — or extend the courtesy to sick friends
and family.
3. Outbreak
(1995)
Outbreak is
notable for its depiction of how the American government might respond to a
killer, swiftly spreading virus. Its rather extreme, Hollywood-friendly
response, of course. Although the film's microscopic villain Motaba hails from
fiction rather than Zaire, the nation did experience a very real Ebola outbreak
shortly following its release. A very unfortunate coincidence, but one
hypochondriacs won't soon forget. Here, both the real and the imaginary provide
hours and hours of anxiety-ridden fun! Will death come instantaneously,
courtesy of a carpet-bombing quarantine? Or would the universe rather just sit
and watch something a little slower and suspenseful, like severely dehydrating
diarrhea and vomiting?
4. Erin Brockovich
(2000)
Before
Steven Soderbergh tackled the bird flu pandemic in 2011's Contagion, he
earned some Oscar nods for another film tackling public health. While everyone
else obsesses over Julia Roberts' now-famous cleavage-bearing, hypochondriacs
will pay closer attention to the actual plot. Based on a true story, it follows
a file clerk in a law office who uncovers a toxic corporate secret. Small town
residents soak up large energy company leavings and end up ill as a result.
Thanks to greed and cover-ups, anyone, anywhere can unexpectedly fall victim to
a company's desire to prioritize profits over the populace. And there's no
telling what they may dump in the water supply!
5. 28 Days Later
(2002)
A zombie
apocalypse probably won't ever be a thing that happens, but the visceral
imagery and concepts associated with the trope contain some obvious human
resonance. Not only do the ravaged from 28 Days Later represent the same
near-universal fear of no self-control and succumbing to animalistic violence,
they also suffer from a hypochondriac cinephile's favorite plot device.
Thaaaaaat's right! A destructive, quicksilver virus rockets through London,
transmogrifying the afflicted into savage, Romero-esque nightmares. It's two
petrifying medical terrors for the price of one DVD or Blu-Ray.
6. Sicko
(2007)
Love him
or loathe him, incendiary documentarian Michael Moore undeniably knows how to
get Americans talking about important social and political issues. This being
an article for hypochondriacs and all, Sicko seems an appropriate
choice. It delves into what life is like for individuals and families unable to
afford health insurance and healthcare — two very basic human rights so often
denied to those inhabiting lower socioeconomic brackets. Even individuals
enjoying excellent coverage will brace after seeing how desperate things get
for the United States' sick when they can't afford proper treatment.
7. Blindness
(2008)
Another
film about viruses, this time based on a Jose Saramago novel. Rather than liquefying
their organs or blasting brains into zombie rages, victims here succumb to a
blindness known as "White Sickness." With so many citizens panicking
— presumably because they've never picked up an issue of Daredevil
before — the planet erupts into a harrowing, anarchic dystopia. Blindness,
however, does provide some hopeful shards to hypochondriac viewers scared stiff
of global pandemic possibilities.
8. The Business of
Being Born (2008)
Even mild
hypochondriacs know that medical dangers loom long before a person becomes a
person. Mothers, fetuses and babies alike experience their own issues when it
comes to the childbirth process, as this illuminating documentary discusses. The
Business of Being Born's main thesis juxtaposes current healthcare
approaches to squeezing out pre-adults and their more natural, frequently
home-based, counterparts. Viewers don't need kids of their own — or even the
desire to ever have them — to find some scenes, concepts and ideas presented
more than a mite creepy-crawly.
9. Pontypool
(2008)
Neal
Stephenson explored the concept of memes and word viruses in his sublime
cyberpunk novel Snow Crash, and the quirky film Pontypool
transfers the concept to a horror setting. But rather than mind control,
hypochondriacs can look forward to infections causing bloody, visceral
hysterics. And since common words, such as "breathe," carry it, doom
pretty much awaits us all. Yup. This time, it takes a seemingly minor everyday
— and nonmedical! — occurrence to install a terrifying, zombie-like sickness.
Sleep well tonight!
10. Under Our Skin
(2008)
Chronic Lyme
Disease receives no official recognition from many major medical organizations,
and yet people still suffer from its symptoms. Regardless of whether or not one
agrees with the documentary begging for the condition's acceptance, it boasts
enough content to almost permanently prickle a hypochondriac's nerves. After
all, if the Infectious Diseases Society of America doesn't think it's a thing,
what else are they ignoring? What if a brand new condition springs into
existence and the healthcare community just doesn't care?? And who will be the
first person to start showing its symptoms???
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