Gaslighting In Horror
Shudder’s recent drop of Brea Grant and Natasha Kermani’s Lucky (which everyone should watch) received praise from critics everywhere. A token few reviews, however, were not so fond of the film’s social messaging. This got me thinking about how difficult it seems to be for those that have never experienced any kind of race, gender, or sexuality-based oppression to understand its impacts.
Horror, in my opinion, is the perfect tool to showcase this oppression- especially when it comes to gaslighting.
First of all, what is gaslighting? According to the Oxford Dictionary:
“gas·light
/ˈɡaslīt/
verb
gerund or present participle: gaslighting
manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity.
’in the first episode, Karen Valentine is being gaslighted by her husband’ “
Gaslighting is a form of emotional abuse in which one will try to convince someone (usually a victim) that they’re crazy. It’s the classic, “You saw a ghost? Are you sure you took your meds this morning?”We’ve all seen it. The cops don’t believe the women and children and consequently, half the town gets killed.
Horror in particular points out the psychological impacts of gaslighting, and why it’s so dangerous.
The Invisible Man (TW: Abuse)
(very mild spoilers ahead)
Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man is a perfect example of gaslighting. The film’s protagonist, Cecilia Kass, escapes her abusive boyfriend only to find that he’s developed an invisible-suit to torment her. As the film progresses, Cecilia’s friends and family believe she’s lost her mind. It depicts the gradual buildup of abuse, and how abuse victims can appear hysterical. Because no one believes Cecilia, multiple people are murdered and she’s forced to deal with it alone.
This is actually a fairly common problem. Not that many people have invisible abusers, but that victims of abuse aren’t often taken seriously leading them to have to face their abusers by themselves.
The Invisible Man pinpoints how truly terrifying abuse is. We can all understand why Cecilia is worried her boyfriend might come back, and we feel her frustration when nobody believes her. The film puts us directly into the shoes of an abuse survivor, allowing those that have never experienced it to get a sense of the situation. Because of that, (hopefully) one might be more open to believing real survivors.
Sweetheart (spoilers ahead)
J.D. Dillard’s second feature is a genius portrayal of gaslighting. It revolves around a Black woman, Jenn, who gets stranded on an island with a mysterious creature. Not only does Jenn think she’s insane for seeing said monster, but her white “friends” Lucas and Mia (who arrive later) don’t believe her and suggest that she’s crazy. Jenn tries to tell them how the creature operates, but they refuse to believe her. This ends up costing them their lives.
Black women face an immense amount of gaslighting (not just from men, but from women as well). Lucas and Mia’s reaction to Jenn literally trying to help them survive showcases how gaslighting can quite literally be deadly. Had the two listened to Jenn in the first place, they might have been able to get off of the island safely.
Listen to Black women, especially when it comes to things that they have experienced and you haven’t. As an audience, we see Jenn’s desperation to be believed and how aggravating it is that Mia and Lucas belittled her. As an audience we can feel how horrifying it is to not be trusted by your closest friends.
“The Yellow Wallpaper”
Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper,” describes a woman’s slow descent into madness due to gaslighting. The woman’s husband (and physician) diagnoses her with “temporary nervous depression” and moves her to a new house for the summer. He advises her to get lots of sleep and fresh air, but she’s not allowed to work, write, or see anyone. She begins to see disturbing things in the wallpaper of her room and fears her mental health is declining, but her husband insists she’s fine. All of her husband’s “treatments” make her increasingly worse, and end up driving her insane. Had her husband listened to her, she could’ve gotten proper help.
This is a horrifying thought. The one person you’re supposed to trust with your health is actually making you worse and claiming that your mental state is the problem. Even more horrifying, this is a reality for many women.
“Healthcare gaslighting” is especially dangerous for women and Trans people. This is because doctors and nurses literally don’t believe them, and it’s even worse for women of color. The Pregnancy-Related Mortality Rate for Black and Indigneous patients over thirty is four to five times higher than white women. This is because when they know that something is wrong doctors will often tell them it’s all in their head (as seen with Serena Williams’ pregnancy). Women are regularly called “hysterical” or “dramatic” for complaining about pain to their doctors. And then they’re called “silly” for pointing out this gaslighting!
Why does gaslighting in horror even matter? It raises awareness for the real world problems many people actually face. We might not understand the experience of a police officer not believing an assault, but we can certainly understand the consequences of a police officer not believing that a bunch of killer space clowns are attacking town (and what happens when they aren’t stopped). Horror’s portrayal of gaslighting builds our empathetic understanding of the problems that those around us face. This is why films like Lucky are vital. If we don’t try to understand these problems and speak up when we see them, nothing will change and it can have fatal outcomes.
