Gas Light is a 1938 thriller play, set in 1880s London, written by the British novelist and playwright Patrick Hamilton. Hamilton's play is a dark tale of a marriage based on deceit and trickery, and a husband committed to driving his wife insane in order to steal from her. Gas Light was written during a dark period in Hamilton's life. Six years prior to the play Hamilton was hit by a drunk driver and dragged through the streets of London, leaving him with a limp, a paralysed arm, and a disfigured face. Two years later, Hamilton's mother took her own life.
Adaptations (3)
Gas Light has been adapted 3 times, across film and television film, from 1940 to 1977. The most recent is Gaslicht (1977).
Gaslight1940 · film · 84 min · dir. Thorold Dickinson · IMDb ↗IMDb7.3100%Twenty years removed from Alice Barlow's murder by a thief looking for her jewels, newlyweds Paul and Bella Mallen move into the very house where the crime was committed. Retired detective B.G. Rough, who worked on the Barlow case, is still in the area and grows suspicious of Paul, who he feels bears a striking resemblance to one of Barlow's relatives. Rough must find the truth before the killer can strike again and reclaim his bounty.
Gaslight1944 · film · 114 min · dir. George Cukor · IMDb ↗A newlywed fears she's going mad when strange things start happening at the family mansion.
Gaslicht1977 · television film · 100 min · dir. Ludwig Cremer · IMDb ↗Years after her aunt was murdered in her home, a young woman moves back into the house with her new husband. However, he has a secret that he will do anything to protect, even if it means driving his wife insane.
