Awards season is here. The red carpets are rolling out, the speeches are being written, and film fans everywhere are arguing about who deserves that golden statue. But while we celebrate brilliant storytelling, it’s also a good moment to shine a light on something Hollywood often gets wrong: seizures.
Movies and TV can shape what people think. When viewers haven’t met someone with epilepsy before, what they see on screen becomes their reference point. So, when films get seizures wrong, those misconceptions spread quickly.
This blog explores what the big screen usually gets wrong, the films that influenced these ideas, and how awards season gives us a chance to change the conversation.
How movies usually portray seizures
Most films stick to one version: a sudden collapse, violent shaking, eyes rolling back, and people panicking.
While that can happen with some seizure types -in reality epilepsy is far more varied. Many seizures are quiet or subtle. Some involve brief staring, confusion, a pause in speech, or small movements.
The common myths shaped by film include:
- “All seizures look the same.” There are many different types of seizures.
- “Seizures are always dangerous or frightening.” Some seizures can feel frightening, but most are not life-threatening and will stop on their own - knowing how to help can keep someone safe.
- “Flashing lights trigger most seizures.” Only around 3% of people with epilepsy are photosensitive.
Misunderstandings and stereotypes like these can make everyday life harder for young people with epilepsy.
Movies and programmes that have featured seizures
Some of these scenes were groundbreaking for their time. Others reinforced stereotypes. But all played a part in shaping public perception.
The Exorcism of Mary Rose (1929)
One of the earliest seizure depictions in film. It linked seizures with the supernatural at a time when epilepsy was poorly understood. This helped feed into lasting myth and stigma that seizures are mysterious or frightening rather than medical events.
A Beautiful Mind (2001)
Features a seizure that many viewers remember, but presents only a dramatic depiction. It misses the day-to-day reality of epilepsy and the breadth of seizure types
Garden State (2004)
Includes a tonic-clonic seizure but uses it for shock value, without offering any explanation or context.
The Hours (2002)
A thoughtful portrayal of writer Virginia Woolf, who lived with epilepsy alongside significant mental‑health challenges. The film offers a nuanced representation of a complex, creative person whose epilepsy is part of her life story — not her whole identity. It’s a strong example of how films can show neurological conditions without sensationalism, focusing instead on humanity, relationships and lived experience.
Nosferatu (2024)
This remake uses convulsions as part of Ellen’s supernatural link to Count Orlok. Her convulsions appear early in the story and return throughout the film, showing how horror movies still use seizures as dramatic symbols rather than realistic medical events.
These depictions can influence people’s expectations, especially when young audiences don’t see realistic examples elsewhere.
Recent TV mentions
Epilepsy has also been highlighted on television. Recently on reality show The Only Way Is Essex, Becks Bloomberg shared her experience of myoclonic epilepsy, raising awareness and challenging stigma during a key moment in the series.
While in soapland, Emmerdale continued its long-running work with Young Epilepsy by portraying Liv’s seizures realistically and showing the wider impact epilepsy can have on a young person’s life.
Meanwhile, Coronation Street introduced a major epilepsy storyline through the character Brody Michaelis, whose seizures and challenges around medication helped highlight how misunderstandings can put young people at risk.
A supporter’s real-world feedback: film warnings must do better
Media representation is not only about how seizures look on screen. It is also about safety for people who have photosensitive epilepsy.
A Young Epilepsy supporter recently shared this experience:
“As someone who is prone to photosensitive epileptic seizures, it was great to see a warning at the beginning of Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning about a high level of flashes in the film.
However, there was no way of knowing at which point during the film those scenes would appear and it would be easy to have forgotten, or not seen, the warning at the beginning.
I appreciate that in the UK, films and TV programmes must warn viewers if they contain material that could trigger photosensitive epilepsy. Ofcom regulations require that TV programmes and news stories have a warning if there is going to be a high level of flashes.
However, I feel this should go further, so that warnings appear not only at the beginning but also immediately before each scene that could trigger photosensitive epilepsy.”
This reflects a wider issue: content warnings need to be timely, specific and consistent. A warning placed only at the start of a long film isn’t enough. Viewers deserve information that helps them stay safe in real time.
Awards Season: Why this matters now
The BAFTAs and the Oscars shape what gets talked about, funded, and celebrated. When filmmakers choose accuracy over dramatics, audiences learn something real, and stigma decreases.
Imagine if next year’s nominees showed:
- A character with epilepsy living a full, ordinary, brilliant life
- Seizure first aid shown correctly
- Different seizure types
- Friends, teachers, or coaches responding calmly and supportively
This would do more for public understanding than most awareness campaigns as myth-busting is vital, especially for young audiences.
What accurate representation looks like
Here are some simple, helpful details Hollywood rarely includes:
- Many seizures do not involve convulsion
- Photosensitive epilepsy affects a small proportion of people with epilepsy
- People recover in different ways
- Seizures do not define a person’s identity
- Calm, informed support makes a huge difference.
A note for young filmmakers and storytellers
If you love films, storytelling, or even making short videos, you can help change the script.
You can:
- Share accurate information when you notice myths
- Create your own content that shows seizures respectfully
- Talk openly so misunderstandings don’t fill the gaps
Better representation starts with people who care enough to tell the truth. That could be you.
You can learn more about how different seizures can present on our You Can Help page.
