Day 18: 31 Days of Horror: Gaslight (1944)

Being tricked into believing that you are losing your mind is a pretty messed up concept. It's even more messed up if the one trying to make you lose your mind is someone who you trust and love. What kind of man would want to make his spouse believe that she is losing her mind when, in fact, she is completely healthy? An evil bastard, obviously! 

Gaslight is about a woman, Paula, who found the body of her murdered aunt when she was younger. The police fail to find the murderer and Paula is sent away to live somewhere else. A decade later, Paula returns to live in the home where the killing took place. She returns with her husband, the charming Gregory Anton, who she fell in love with while taking her music lessons. She feels that she is ready to live in the home again because Gregory will be there to protect her from everything bad in the world. 

Sadly, this is not the case. Once the two start living in the home, Gregory seems to change. He goes away every night to some unknown place to work. He constantly accuses Paula of misplacing items, losing items, and being mentally unstable. Poor Paula doesn't think she's doing any of these things, but Gregory keeps insisting that she just doesn't realize it because she's unhealthy and tries to keep her isolated from meeting anyone in the neighborhood.

However, there are a couple of neighbors that she has met and are interested in getting to know her better. One is a nosy, old woman, Miss. Thwaites who she met on a train ride and again on the street outside of her home the day she moved back in. The other is a man, the kind and handsome Brian Cameron, who was a great admirer of her aunt when he was a young boy. Brian is especially interested in learning more about Paula because she reminds him so much of her aunt. Will he be able to help her? Why is Gregory so intent on making Paula believe that she is insane? What is wrong with this guy?

I love this movie. The acting is fantastic by everyone involved. Sure, it's not the scariest film of all time and it's definitely not difficult to see where the plot is going, but it's still awesome. It's got horrific elements in it, which is why it should be watched during the season of horror!