Abstract
Renowned for its hard-hitting exploration of gaslighting and domestic abuse, Leigh Whannell’s 2020 film The Invisible Man has inevitably been linked to the #MeToo movement. Despite the film’s contemporary premise, however, its narrative of male violence and female silencing is fundamentally rooted within classical literature and can be seen as an appropriation of the Cassandra myth. This article will be reviewing the continued relevance of the Cassandra myth today and the impact of her appearance within the horror movie genre. It will identify how Cassandra’s narrative as a truth-speaker, who is met with disbelief, has been appropriated for both thematic and critical effect. It will also consider the gendered implication of truth-speakers in horror and the impact of representing a female Cassandra onscreen to critique gendered issues, such as female silencing, domestic abuse, and gaslighting. By applying the classical figure of Cassandra to Whannell’s The Invisible Man, this article will continue by highlighting the patriarchal mechanisms which have historically dictated the reliability of female truth-speaker, thus connecting modern truth-speakers to their ancient counterparts.
Highlights
Introduction‘Do you know what she’s babbling about?’ asks Tom Griffin (Michael Dorman) of Cecelia Kass (Elisabeth Moss), the central character in Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man (Whannell 2020)
Renowned for its hard-hitting exploration of gaslighting and domestic abuse, Leigh Whannell’s 2020 film The Invisible Man has inevitably been linked to the #MeToo movement
Invisible Man, this article will continue by highlighting the patriarchal mechanisms which have historically dictated the reliability of female truth-speaker, connecting modern truth-speakers to their ancient counterparts
Summary
‘Do you know what she’s babbling about?’ asks Tom Griffin (Michael Dorman) of Cecelia Kass (Elisabeth Moss), the central character in Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man (Whannell 2020). The Greek myth of Cassandra is not often explicitly adapted onscreen within the horror genre In films such as The Invisible Man, her function as an archetypal figure of the disbelieved woman is appropriated extensively as both a thematic device and a means of offering socio-political critique. The Cassandra figure’s appearance in the horror genre perceives danger but lacks the authority or respect to make others listen to them—they are, to use Tom’s patronising phrase, ‘babbling’ nonsense. This is a useful trope because it heightens notions of fear and tension within the narratives as the audience anticipates the unveiling of truth. I will ask in what ways does the perpetuation of the Cassandra trope exploit society’s anxieties regarding disbelief and consider how modern media transforms the Cassandra trope to challenge issues of female silencing, domestic abuse, and gaslighting
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