Horror & Disability

The horror genre has long grappled with its portrayal of disability,
often reflecting the societal prejudices of its time. Emerging alongside
early cinema, many early horror works were influenced by eugenic
ideology, rooted in Victorian advancements in science, technology,
and pseudoscience like degeneration. These theories positioned
disabilities as markers of a “less evolved” human prone to immorality
and criminality, promoting a constructed ideal of bodily “perfection.”
As horror reflects societal anxieties, early films mirrored fears of the
“monstrous other,” often emphasizing science and rationality to defeat
such threats, aligning with eugenic thought. Historically, individuals
with physical or mental impairments have been depicted as either
weak and vulnerable or as archetypes of evil, chaos, and social disorder.
While these representations reflect entrenched prejudice, they are not
unique to horror and unfortunately mirror broader societal biases