Victorian Man Tries to Drive Wife Insane

[Philippe Cordier]

I wish I had a quick resource at my fingertips so I wouldn't be fumbling around here, but I believe that in one of the 19th century storylines -- most likely 1897 -- one of the male characters plotted to drive his wife insane.  But I'm confused thinking that the culprit is a Trask but somehow picturing the victim as being played by KLS.  Am I thinking of Trask's marriage to Judith?  Was this where the ghost of Trask's wife kept popping up (in one of the creepiest DS sequences)?

Anyway, I started thinking about all of this when I finally was able -- after about 20 years --  to see the movie "Gaslight" recently.  (I had caught the last half hour or so at least half a dozen times, so I knew how it would end.)  The richly detailed Victorian atmosphere, the heavy fog wrapping around the square in London ... and the psychopathic husband trying to drive his wife insane ... somehow gave me faint glimmers of this being borrowed by Dark Shadows.  I've not seen "Gaslight" mentioned in print as a source of inspiration for anything on DS, but it's possible someone here has said this in the past.

Does anyone have a clearer view of any of this?

[Josette]

It's true that Trask tried to drive Judith to insanity and Evan Hanley helped him to "create" the ghost of Minerva to frighten her.

However, the story that reminded me of "Gaslight" was in 1795.  Right after Nathan Forbes married Millicent, he used "Gaslight"-like techniques to make her think she was insane.  I think there was something about an earring.  Perhaps he hid it and accused her of losing it or something.  I remember them arguing in their room and he tried to convince her to say something was true which wasn't.

[Miss_Winthrop]

I too think that the 'Gaslight' similarity is when Nathan tries to drive Millicent bonkers to get her money.  Wasn't Joel Carruthers great as the evil Nathan Forbes? I loved how Millicent in her innocence turns over all her money to Daniel and how Nathan's reacts when he finds out. I just loved that whole 1795 storyline.

I'm curious what types of storylines the new series will have and if they will be lifted from the classics or if they will be original material.  I hope I'm wrong about this but I don't think a lot of the younger generation has any idea about the great classics from the past so the writers may not even go there for ideas. Oh well..we'll have to wait and see and not get our hopes up too high.

[Josette]

I hope I'm wrong about this but I don't think a lot of the younger generation has any idea about the great classics from the past so the writers may not even go there for ideas. Oh well..we'll have to wait and see and not get our hopes up too high.

I don't think it matters if the audience knows much about the classics, it's whether the writers do.  If they draw inspiration from things like that, perhaps most of the audience will just enjoy the story and not understand the connection.  But, maybe someone will tell them what it's derived from, and possibly inspire them to check into the original! 

[Miss_Winthrop]

True if the writers know about them they may incorporate some ideas into storylines.  I have a few ideas for storylines definitely not taken from the classics.  How about some of the classic horror stories?  Or, does anyone remember 'Carnival of Souls'? I can see a rag tag carnival in Collinsport hosting evil.    A storyline involving an old out of the way cemetary in Collinsport along the lines of 'I Bury the Living' might be interesting. Any others? 

[Misty]

 :oOh my goodness, there are so many! Vincent Price's character in House of Wax could possibly be developed; the really frightening people of Harvest Home provided some shivers 'n shakes. I thought of The House on Haunted Hill, but "the room" in the Lottery storylne had some similarities there. Wish I had time to really sit down and recollect because if it was a mystery, horror, or psychologic thriller---I saw it, or read it. Well, then there's Psycho-------wow! That was weird!
                                                            Misty