Horror by Gaslight: Epistemic Violence and Ambivalent Belonging

“Gaslighting” is a common theme in post-horror films where emotional abuse cannot be immediately ascribed to intergenerational family dynamics. This chapter focuses on post-horror’s generation of dread within depictions of intimate-partner relationships where gender, race, or class provide the impetus for others to monstrously undercut a protagonist’s worldview. Whereas the couple is presented as part of an endangered out-group in both Midsommar and The Invitation, the racialized possession of Black bodies in Get Out demonstrates how gaslighting within romantic bonds can function as a form of epistemic violence that reinforces larger social inequalities. The affective discomfort created by films about the horrors of gaslighting is further heightened by post-horror’s tendency toward epistemic hesitation, as well as viewers’ potential hesitation over their own sense of belonging in the audience of films that may be feel far less entertaining than expected.