Paranoia

In the realm of psychopathology, paranoia is defined as a form of lucid delirium related to persecutory ideation: paranoid individuals distrust everyone in the personal certainty - unfounded, unless justified by their sociocultural background - that others are constantly out to get them, fool them, and/or obstruct them. In other words, it's a disorder of thought process which systematically alters the way the affected individuals interpret reality, rather than distorting their overall perception of it. Although rational thought processes are maintained, they now function to support the individual's hardened convictions, leading to a pervasive state of suspicion and vigilance, and on a practical level, to a series of behaviors with the goal of bringing supposed truths to light and keeping a close eye on their "neighbor".

Paranoid ideation can present with comorbidities or as a specific form of a wide range of psychiatric disorders, from those on the schizophrenia spectrum to alcohol-related psychoses, not to mention the vast sea of personality disorders. At any rate, when it comes to films and novels, the concept of paranoia tends to take on broader and certainly more flexible connotations, especially since it's not unusual - particularly in the horror genre - for the characters' dark fears and wild beliefs to turn out to be more than valid...

This Tag is designed to unite films imbued with a deep sense of precariousness and/or distress. Forsaken by a distracted world and obsessed by an unwavering idea, the protagonists of these anxiety-producing films are the only ones who truly comprehend the menace lurking beyond the veil of perception. Vile conspiracies, devious invasions, machinations orchestrated by dark, mysterious entities, conspiracies large and small - real events or the fruit of deranged minds?