10 Shocking Examples Of Gaslighting In Movies
5. The Devils
Ken Russell's controversial film received an X-rating on its initial release. Among its more shocking moments include a nun, uh, "pleasuring herself" with the petrified leg bone of the man she loved. Or lusted after.
Legendary actress Vanessa Redgrave plays a nun in a French town. When a handsome Protestant priest takes over, she's instantly smitten. A lifetime of sexual repression overcomes her, and rather than giving in to her carnal desires, she allows herself to be convinced that her lust is the work of the devil.
This insanity spreads throughout the convent as the French government and Catholic church team up together to exploit the nuns' folie a many in order to displace the Protestant leader. The convent turns against the priest, allowing themselves to undergo grotesque exorcisms.
Their psychological shortcomings are made obvious when the King fakes an exorcism with a supposed holy relic housed in a box and- after the nuns seemingly are changed- the King reveals the box is empty. No relic. And yet, the government continues to take advantage of the nuns and their reluctance to admit to their own sinful nature. They continue to lie to them, deceive them, and use their supposed "possessions" to their political advantage.