Ever since the first lifelike statues were created, humanity has been fascinated by the concept of being turned into one. The legend of Medusa looms large to this day. The idea that a mythical being has the power to petrify you is one that horrifies and intrigues in equal measure. Sometimes, the petrification process is instantaneous. Other times, it is slow and painful, invoking Body Horror. The horror is amplified by the fear that the process may be irreversible and one could be stuck that way forever. In such cases, one can only hope that the petrification is fatal, or would at least suspend their mind since remaining conscious in such a state would likely lead to insanity. At the same time, one cannot help but wonder what it would feel like to be a statue, if only temporarily.
This trope is quite versatile in that it can be applied in many different scenarios for a variety of reasons. It might be used to show just how evil a character can be if the petrified victim is someone the audience cares about or is completely innocent, such as a child or an animal. It can also be a karmic punishment, particularly if a character is excessively vain. After all, what better way for them to get their comeuppance than by giving them what they want: eternal youth and beauty (just not how they had imagined). Whatever the circumstances, being petrified makes one a prisoner in one's own body, which is arguably the most horrifying prison of all since even one's freedom to move and speak is taken away. It is perhaps no surprise that this trope is hardly ever used for comedic effect. When it is (as in The Rocky Horror Picture Show), it tends to be reversible and the victims suffer no lasting consequences as a result.
In the age of the Internet, this trope has gained a following among those who view it as a kind of Fetish. They have a sexual attraction to the idea of being turned into a statue (usually a nude statue in the classical tradition). The exact reasons for this attraction vary but often involve a kind of role-play in which they imagine being admired as a work of art.
