Teen dramas’ track record on mental health is rough. So MTV adopted a new playbook

The best horror and science fiction mirrors the fears of its age. In the 1950s, alien invasion films like “The Day the Earth Stood Still” were commentaries on Americans’ xenophobia and Cold War-era concerns about nuclear annihilation. “Rosemary’s Baby,” from 1968, and “The Omen,” from 1976, represented Baby Boomers’ frustrations with the societal norms of their parents. Slasher films of the 1980s took on wealth, greed and the false sense of suburban security.

Blood and guts are great. But what do they all mean?