Female narcissists and psychopaths often employ pity ploys, covert underhanded sabotage, orchestrate smear campaigns, and pit people against one another. They seduce, charm, and betray. These movies and television shows are some of the best depictions of female narcissists and psychopaths.
Mommie Dearest
In Mommie Dearest, Faye Dunaway plays narcissistic mother and movie star, Joan Crawford, who takes in two orphans and seemingly starts a happy family, showering her daughter Christina with the gifts of a lavish lifestyle initially. However, when her romantic relationship fails, Joan begins lashing out at her daughter Christina and cruelly abusing her. The film is based on the real-life autobiography of Christina Crawford, who suffered horrendous manipulation and abuse under her mother’s control and will likely resonate with audiences who have experienced the micromanaging and control of narcissistic parents.
Fatal Attraction
Dan Gallagher is a successful lawyer from Manhattan who is married when he meets Alexandra Forrest, an editor for a publishing company. He has an affair with Alex while his wife and daughter are out of town, and Alex becomes “obsessed” with him, engaging in many disturbing behaviors to keep him around (including kidnapping his daughter and killing and boiling his daughter’s pet rabbit). Some have argued that Alex may have more borderline traits and behaviors due to her self-harm and frantic attempts to escape abandonment, but her propensity toward violence and sadistic cruelty towards others and animals seems to suggest a combination of many destructive and malignant traits including narcissism and psychopathy. The writer of the reimagining of Fatal Attraction, Cunningham, noted that Alex has not been “diagnosed” with any particular disorder, but that she definitely has traits and behaviors of the Cluster B personality disorders, which also include narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders. And while this is not often discussed, we also have to look at Dan as someone who has garden-variety narcissistic traits too, as he cheats on his wife and tries to frame Alex as just an obsessed stalker, rather than someone he voluntarily engaged with in the beginning. Still, Alex emerges as one of the most dangerous female characters in film history due her stalking and murderous behaviors, as well as her cruelty toward animals.
Gone Girl
In Gone Girl, psychopathic Amy Dunne creates her own “whodunnit” as she fakes her own disappearance and possible murder as a way to retaliate against her cheating husband who she feels has taken advantage of her. Her plot is carefully constructed, and she plays the damsel-in-distress victim, ruthlessly engaging in pity ploys and “treasure hunts” to make her husband pay for his actions – going so far as to collect her own blood to spread over their floors to make the police believe her husband tried to clean up the crime scene, and keeping a fake diary documenting Nick’s non-existant abuse toward her (unless we’re counting the emotional abuse of cheating and neglect). If Fatal Attraction was more fleshed out and had a more nuanced discussion about women’s experiences in society, it perhaps would’ve resulted in a movie like Gone Girl – a movie featuring psychopathic Amy Dunne that nonetheless resonates with modern audiences because of her famous “Cool Girl” speech. Still, Amy Dunne remains one of the most disturbing female psychopaths depicted in movie history.
To Die For
In To Die For, Nicole Kidman plays the glamorous Suzanne Stone, an aspiring television star, who marries and settles down with her unsuspecting victim Larry Maretto, helping out at his family restaurant. After an interview she does at a local school, called Teens Speak Out, she charms and seduces delinquent Jimmy Emmett to murder Larry when he tries to get her to start a family with him and give up her career. She promises Jimmy that they will have a future together if Larry is dead. However, Suzanne, being the cunning psychopath she is, is able to weasel her way out of prison and is released on bail by claiming entrapment and later begins giving interviews about how her husband Larry was a cocaine addict and how Jimmy was his dealer, causing him to go to prison for life. To Die For skillfully portrays how female psychopaths, and psychopaths in general, can exploit others to do their dirty work for them, and reveals how female psychopaths can use seduction to frame others and exploit their labor for their own agendas, and engage in smear campaigns against their victims.
Who Were We Running From?
In the dreamy Turkish Netflix series Who Were We Running From, Melissa Sözen plays “Mother,” an overprotective fugitive on the run with her inexperienced daughter, Bambi. Mother has ensured that Bambi rarely leaves her sight and micromanages her every move to ensure nobody recognizes them. Viewers slowly learn the true reasons behind Mother’s enmeshment with her daughter and why she is on the run: she has a deadly habit of murdering people who disturb her peace or attack her daughter, and is running from an even more dangerous man. “Mother” depicts a controlling female psychopathic character who nonetheless “loves” her daughter fiercely and will protect her at any cost.
Imposters
Inbar Lavi plays the beautiful and cunning Maddie Jonson, a sociopathic con artist who works for a team of skilled con artists under the leadership of the mysterious Doctor and his assassin, Lenny Cohen (an assassin played by Kill Bill’s Uma Thurman, quite the excellent casting). Maddie love bombs both men and women into a marriage, only to bleed them dry of their funds and run off – never to be seen again. Maddie is not a full-fledged psychopath – she appears to possess the ability to love (evidenced by her falling in love with the FBI agent who tracks her) and some remorse for the victims she has harmed. Rather, she is portrayed as someone who has become sociopathic (shaped by her environment) as a survival tactic, under the control of the Doctor whose team has lured her into a lifestyle she cannot leave without risking being murdered. Still, viewers of the show still are floored by her pathological lying, her ability to charm and seduce, and her chameleon-like ability to morph into whatever persona is needed to love bomb her victims – a relatable sight to any victim of a female sociopath.
White Oleander
White Oleander is a movie about the manipulative machinations of the narcissistic mother. Ingrid Magnussen is a narcissistic mother who murders her boyfriend Barry, when she discovers he is cheating on her, with white oleander poison. When Ingrid is sent to prison and her daughter Astrid is forced to go to foster homes, viewers become privy to the ways Ingrid still controls Astrid’s life from prison. For example, when Astrid goes to live with a former actress, Claire Richards and her husband Mark, Ingrid feels threatened by their close relationship. Ingrid convinces Astrid to set up a meeting with Claire in which she convinces Claire that Mark has been unfaithful. Claire later commits suicide. White Oleander is a very disturbing film about narcissistic mothers and the way they pit people against one another and also play puppeteer to the emotions of others, exploiting their vulnerabilities.
Mean Girls
If you’re looking for a lighter movie about female narcissists, look no further than the classic Mean Girls, featuring the unforgettable Lindsay Lohan as Cady Heron and Rachel McAdams as ultimate “mean girl” Regina George. Cady Heron has been home-schooled most of her her whole life, living abroad in Africa until she enters high school in America. There, she meets “The Plastics,” an exclusive clique of high school girls who rely on their looks and popularity to maintain status and power. Cady becomes Regina’s target as she notices Cady’s attractiveness (“You’re really pretty…so you think you’re really pretty?”), and even Regina’s ex-boyfriend takes an interest in Cady. Although this movie is set in high school, the tactics of relational aggression that female narcissists weaponize against other women are uniquely showcased and highlighted in ways that make it for an all too delightful and validating comedy about how narcissistic groups bully and scapegoat those they are envious of.
The Roommate
In the 2011 psychological thriller The Roommate, a young woman, Sara Matthews, arrives to college in Los Angeles, only to meet a deadly roommate, Rebecca (played by Leighton Meester). The Roommate has a similar feel as classics like “Single White Female,” where a female narcissist who appears to be a devoted friend becomes dangerous as she becomes more and more obsessed with the “object” of her fixation – in this case, her roommate. In The Roommate, Rebecca has deeper conditions than “just” narcissism, but her behaviors and sadistic actions are certainly relatable to those who’ve encountered female narcissists and psychopaths.
The Devil Wears Prada
Andy Sachs (played by Anne Hathaway) becomes a personal assistant to narcissistic Miranda Priestly, editor-in-chief of Runway magazine, who subjects her to humiliating treatment and excessive demands. Essentially, Miranda is a bullying and overbearing narcissistic boss who expects Andy to comply to her every need without much reward. However, Andy begins rising to the top as she starts taking fashion advice from Runway’s art director and becomes tempted by the new lifestyle and respect she is given once she begins adopting more of the toxic traits and philosophies of the magazine. Anyone who’s ever encountered narcissists or psychopaths in the workplace will love and feel validated by this classic comedy-drama.
Pretty Little Liars
When Queen Bee Alison DeLaurentis is found murdered, it rocks her social clique of girlfriends who all hold secrets they don’t want uncovered. Her friends become the target of the mysterious “A,” a shadowy figure who lurks and stalks them from afar using veiled threats, frightening text messages, and destructive actions that affect the trajectories of their lives. “A” appears to know every one of their secrets, using emotional blackmail to micromanage every decision they make and driving these women into self-sabotaging behavior even as they become more honest with themselves and others. Pretty Little Liars is a fantastic and thrilling show that will keep you on your toes and does a stellar job of revealing the motives and behaviors of female narcissists and psychopaths.
