R E V I S T A LATINOAMERICANA DE PSICOPATOLOGIA F U N D A M E N T A L 360 Can horror movies induce PTSD-like syndrome?* 1 Podem flmes de terror induzir uma síndrome TEPT-símile? Alexandre Xavier Gomes de Araújo* 2 Mariana Pires Luz* 3 William Berger* 4 Luiz Felipe Pagotto* 5 Ivan Figueira* 6 Mauro V. Mendlowicz* 7 Rev. Latinoam. Psicopat. Fund., São Paulo, 22(2), 360-375, jun. 2019 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1415-4714.2019v22n2p360.11 * 1 This article is based on the first author´s master´s degree dissertation Transtorno de Estresse Pós-Traumático, Comorbidade, Qualidade de Vida e Trauma por Exposição Vicária (Filme Comercial) defended in February 19th, 2016, at the Programa de Pós-graduação em Psiquiatria e Saúde Mental do Instituto de Psiquiatria da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. * 2, 3,4,5, 6 Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro – UFRJ (Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil) * 7 Universidade Federal Fluminense – UFF (Niterói, RJ, Brasil). We reported a case of a 10-year-old girl who developed a PTSD-like syndrome after watching a horror movie. After 6 years, the now 16-year-old patient still fulfilled the DSM-IV criteria for PTSD, except for the trauma itself. We reviewed the scientific lite- rature for case reports of PTSD-like syndrome induced by horror movies and found 13 cases. In only two was the presence of the DSM criteria confirmed. Watching horror movies may thus trigger PTSD-like syndromes in vulnerable viewers Keywords: Stress disorders, PTSD, mass media, motion pictures