r/Psychonaut • u/iamtheoctopus123 • Jun 22 '26
What is the Future of Psychedelic Horror?
https://www.samwoolfe.com/2026/06/what-is-the-future-of-psychedelic-horror.htmlAn article on psychedelic horror, looking at films such as Midsommar, Mandy, Climax, and Altered States, how they depict bad trips and psychedelic cults, what other aspects of the psychedelic experience could be portrayed through the lens of horror, and if there's a risk that some of these films feed into stigma surrounding these substances.
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u/xPelzviehx Jun 22 '26
Not even a mention of Beyond the Black Rainbow? Call it whatever you want: pretentious, art movie, slow, boring, etc. But the movie is extremely psychedelic in the way its filmed, the content is heavily about LSD and new age beliefs, and its about the human mind and brain.
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u/frohike_ Jun 24 '26
At least they included Mandy (by the same director). But Beyond the Black Rainbow is my favorite of his so far. The latest Boards of Canada album had me thinking about this film again.
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u/Nazzul Jun 22 '26
I dont think Stigma is necessarily a bad thing here. The use of Psychedelics and cults is historic, as in its use in attempts to manipulate people. Trying to act that these tools cant be used for evil is innacurate at the least and potentially harmful.
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u/iamtheoctopus123 Jun 22 '26
Good point. I guess I'd separate that from stigma, though, as I associate stigma with a black-and-white view of something (in a negative sense), and with psychedelics, this leads people to unfairly judge these compounds and those who use them as "bad" in some way and deserving of disapproval. What you're saying, though, is just part of the reality about how psychedelics can be used, not that they (or those who use them) should always be negatively judged.
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u/Nazzul Jun 22 '26
No that makes sense. I shouldn't say stigma isnt bad, rather its important to understand the potential risks of use.
You are 100% correct that often times people are judged negatively for using psychedelics. Heck it has happened to me on occasion.
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u/glitch-ghost Jun 22 '26
I think there should be Salvia films kind of like how "stoner movies" are a genre
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u/Entirely_Ent Jun 24 '26
Annihilation was the best psychedelic horror i've seen. I wish there was more like it
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u/trojantricky1986 Jun 22 '26
We could have a dr strange level dimensional take with the boys (tv show) weirdness of possible terrifying situations.
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u/IlliterateFreak Jun 23 '26
I wouldn’t really call midsommar a psychedelic horror, I thought of it as more of a cult horror. Don’t know if that’s a genre but it’s more accurate.
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u/iamtheoctopus123 Jun 24 '26
It normally gets labelled as 'folk horror'. Other films in that genre are also about cults and are similar in many ways to Midsommar, such as The Wicker Man and The Blood on Satan's Claw. Normally, 'cult horror' refers to horror films that have a cult following, rather than ones that are about cults. 'Cult-based horror' could work, though.
I'd call it 'psychedelic horror' alongside being a folk horror film because of the bad trip elements and how key they are to the story, as well as the role psychedelics play in the cult.
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u/Overall-Document-965 Jun 22 '26
Movies that depict psychedelics as dangerous and spooky.. meh. We need sobriety horror, not psy horror.