The 1944 film “Gaslight” holds a prominent place in cultural consciousness, particularly for its introduction of the term “gaslighting” to describe psychological manipulation. However, a deeper understanding reveals the film’s nuanced exploration of the primal fear of home invasion as a proxy for wartime paranoia about domestic infiltration. Parallels between the film’s villain and Nazi spies highlight the film’s reflection of a real-world threat during World War II. Yet, the trope of domestic infiltration can become a double-edged sword, used by populist demagogues to stoke fears and justify discriminatory policies. Re-examining “Gaslight” in the 21st century underscores the enduring relevance of its cautionary tale about the perils of exploiting fears of foreign invasion.