Monsters on the Couch: The Real Psychological Disorders Behind Your Favorite Horror Movies

From psychologist, researcher, and horror film enthusiast Brian A. Sharpless comes Monsters on the Couch, an exploration into the real-life psychological disorders behind famous horror movies. Accounts of clinical syndromes every bit as dramatic as those on the silver screen are juxtaposed with fascinating forays into the science and folklore behind our favorite movie monsters.

Horror fans may be obsessed with vampires, werewolves, zombies, and the human replacements from Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but even many medical professionals may not know about the corresponding conditions of Renfield's syndrome, clinical lycanthropy, Cotard's syndrome, and Capgras syndrome.

Some of these disorders are surprisingly common in the general population. For instance, a number of people experience isolated sleep paralysis, a disorder implicated in ghost and alien abduction beliefs. Fascinations with sleep paralysis have led to its own brimming subgenre of horror.

As these tales unfold, listeners not only learn state-of-the-art psychological science but also gain a better understanding of history, folklore, and how Hollywood often—but not always—gets it wrong when tackling these complex topics.

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Release date

Audiobook: 17 October 2023