Gaslighting in Famous Movies

Jump scares and creepy creatures that lurk in the night are only one form of horror found in movies. In fact, there is something much more frightening and terrifying that has captured the minds of cinema enthusiasts. This true horror is found in fictional relationships where characters are gaslighted.

Abusive men in cinema is nothing new, but the presence of gaslighting in movies has steadily grown.

We can see this in both old and new stories hitting the screen. In this post, we’ll talk about some of these famous movies.

Gaslighting typically makes for truly mind-bending and frightening tales. Victims of this type of manipulation question their own sanity and emotions. So, you want to know what to look out for in your own life. Watching these movies could help you find red flags in current and future relationships.

Top Films About Gaslighting:

1. Gaslight

Gaslight is one of the first movies to explore gaslighting. In the movie, the main character has lost her sense of reality because of the manipulations of her husband. Strange things go on around her and she is belittled by her significant other who makes her question the world around her and her sanity. He is trying to steal her fortune, but she ends up breaking free of him by the end of the movie.

2. Midsommar

Midsommar is a popular horror film that came out last year. The movie centers around a cult, but the real horror of the film is found in the toxic relationship between the main female lead and her boyfriend. Throughout the movie, Dani is gaslighted and made to question her sanity. Her boyfriend leads her to think she is crazy and unstable. He tries to change her throughout the movie when he is the one who needs to change.

3. Invisible Man

Invisible Man is another popular horror movie that came out early this year. This movie is about a woman who is being tormented by her supposedly dead boyfriend. He has turned himself invisible and plays mind games with her. He slowly makes her turn insane and has her doubting whether anything is real in her life. There are jump scares and tons of twists and turns, but the fear and gaslighting inflicted on the main female character is by far the scariest part of this film.

4. The Girl on The Train

The Girl on The Train is similar to the classic film Gaslight. In some ways, it can almost be seen as a modern remake. A woman with a drinking problem is accused of doing terrible things by her husband. The husband uses her drinking as an excuse to cheat and manipulate his wife. He even makes up false stories about her to make her believe she is a terrible and crazy wife. The truth is that the main character has been lied to and gaslighted by her husband.

5. Unsane

The final famous movie on our list is Unsane. This flick stars Claire Foy, and it is all about gaslighting. The main character was stalked by a male and then committed to a mental ward. She is made to feel that she is insane. She doesn’t believe she should be there at the beginning of the movie. But as she is gaslighted by the greedy hospital staff she loses her grip on what the truth is.