TopShelf Magazine May 2023

THE HORROR MOVIES AND TRUE CRIME THAT INSPIRED THE GOLDEN GIRLS

by Kelly Florence

The Golden Girls was on air from 19851992 and pop culture references abound throughout the series. From films like Psycho (1960) to books like ones from acclaimed mystery novelist Agatha Christie, the show and its characters were aware of the spooky stories that pervaded America at the time. They were even affected by these tales in particular episodes. This essay will explore the horror movies and true crimes that were at the forefront of the minds of The Golden Girls and delve into how these genres played a role in the series as a whole. From cultural lore passed down through oral storytelling by Rose (Betty White) and Sophia (Estelle Getty), to the plots ripped from the headlines, The Golden Girls reflected how horror and true crime were viewed by women and, in turn, affected these characters’ actions, ways of thinking, and navigating as single women during this time period.

Horror and true crime have been a part of our society for generations. Whether it was a ghost story told around the campfire or a tale told to warn of potential dangers, scary stories have a way of sticking with us. They allow us to experience empathy and think about what we would do in unlikely scenarios. Danish professor Mathias Clasen has extensively studied horror fans and believes “watching scary things allows us to trigger our fight-orflight response while feeling safe, which in turn lets us feel as if we’re overcoming our fears and anxieties.” 1 The characters in The Golden Girls may not have been big horror fans but were undoubtedly aware of the genre and its impact on their lives.

Early in season one, the girls come home from a Madonna concert to find that their house has been broken into. “The Break-In” balances the humor and hopelessness of the situation while giving each character their own journey through the process of recovery. Looking for a solution to feel safer, a home security system salesman stops by to sell them a unit. He claims “one out of every three people will be the victim of a violent crime.” Is there any truth to this? Break-in statistics for the United States show that during the 1980s, burglaries were over three million per year while in 2019, the number went down to near one million. 2 Older individuals are currently targeted in crimes pertaining to money including fake prizes and sweepstakes, investment scams, and insurance fraud. It would seem that with the advent of technology these crimes are on the rise but a study in 1979 showed that even then, burglary, robbery, and fraud were the crimes most frequently committed against the elderly. 3

Rose says, “You know why this happened? Because we’re without men.” This purports that the presence of men deters criminals from entering a home. Is there a basis to this? According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “Households composed of single males were more likely than those composed of single females to experience a burglary while no one was home. However, households composed of single males and single females were equally likely to experience a burglary while the residence was occupied.” 4 Another key point to note is that most burglaries took place during the day while people were out of their homes versus during the night when residents would likely be home sleeping. 5 The girls may have felt safer with a male presence around but it wouldn’t have necessarily prevented the crime.

Blanche (Rue McClanahan) says “It’s karma…. Crime is caused by karma. Some people give out an energy that attracts misfortune. They become victims.” This theory often leads to victim blaming in crime and is an unhealthy way of looking at these situations. In the study of communication, this is seen as the “just world hypothesis.” People will tend to believe that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people therefore, if something bad happened to you, you must have done something to deserve it. According to Professor Barbara Gilin at Widener University, “many people tend to default to victim-blaming thoughts and behaviors as a defense mechanism in the face of bad news… while people tend to be able to accept natural disasters as unavoidable, many feel that they have a little more control over whether they become victims of crimes, that they can take precautions that will protect them. Therefore, some people have a harder time accepting that the victims of these crimes didn’t contribute to (and bear some responsibility for) their own victimization.” 6 We should instead look at situations objectively and not pass judgment on victims for their perceived role in a crime.

Rose resorts to purchasing mace and even a gun for home protection. How often is this the case? According to a Gallup poll, 14% of Americans say they carry mace or pepper spray for self-defense while 12% carry a gun. 7 The poll also found that those who were a victim of crime were more likely to take measures to try to prevent further occurrences in the future. What about gun ownership? Was it realistic that Rose purchased a gun? It was, although she would have been in the minority of women. “Personal ownership of firearms has not appreciably changed for women from 1980 through 2014. Between 9% and 14% of women personally owned a firearm during those years and there is no meaningful trend in the level of personal ownership. In 1980, 10.1% personally owned a firearm and in 2014 11.7% did. Men are much more likely to personally own a firearm than women are, but the gender gap has narrowed due to a decline in personal firearm ownership among men.” 8 With modern home security systems becoming more common it will be interesting to follow crime and burglary trends over the coming years. A 2021 study by the Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice found that “an increase in security alarm installation caused a decrease in burglaries over five years.” 9

The girls convince Rose to see a psychiatrist to confront her fears. The psychology of feeling violated after a break-in occurs is a real trauma for people that may take quite some time to recover from. There is a serious psychological effect of being the victim of a break-in that can cause feelings of fear which can affect sleep and other routines. Some people may experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which can include nightmares, flashbacks, and even physical pain. “It’s estimated that one in five people who experience a traumatic event go on to develop symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. A report published in 2016 by the Office for National Statistics found that 81% of domestic burglary victims described being emotionally affected by the incident, of which 21% were significantly affected. Allianz Insurance research demonstrates that it takes around eight months for victims of burglary to feel safe at home, whilst a UIA Insurance survey found that 60% of adults surveyed ‘never feel safe in their homes again’.” 10 Treatment for PTSD can vary from therapy to medications and the Mayo Clinic recommends getting enough sleep, following your treatment plan, and seeking the support of others. 11 Rose certainly did this to try to overcome her fears.

The girls reference many incidents of true crime throughout the series. “The Auction” in season four contains a line about Rose consuming too much sugar before bed and Dorothy exclaiming “I’m surprised you didn’t try to kill the mayor of San Francisco” which refers to the 1979 trial of Dan White who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and his Supervisor Harvey Milk. White used what became known as “The Twinkie Defense,” a phrase coined to explain his mental state at the time of the murders. White purportedly consumed a large amount of sugary drinks and foods, like Twinkies, so his legal team argued that this caused him to have diminished capacity. The jury found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter instead of the more serious charge of first-degree murder and Thomas Szasz, a psychiatrist and critic of forensic psychiatry, called the verdict a “travesty of justice” which he blamed on the diminished capacity defense. 12

Why are women so drawn to true crime? In “The Break-In,” Sophia quotes the psychiatrist saying, “We’re afraid because our mothers taught us to be afraid.” A study in Social Psychological and Personality Science found, “when given a choice of violent reading material, women overwhelmingly opted to read true stories about the death and dismemberment of victims much like themselves. Men, however, were more likely to choose nonfiction books about war or gang violence than those in the ‘true crime’ genre.” 13 The researchers thought this could be due to women wanting to learn more about true crime so they can try to prevent it from happening to them in the future. Psychotherapist and counselor, Rhea Gandhi said, “In reality, women are often the victims or survivors of crime, rather than perpetrators. Perhaps we are drawn to this genre in search of a sense of justice…As women living in a deeply patriarchal society, feeling unsafe and frightened is almost a constant state of mind, and perhaps, our deep desire to feel safe and protected by legal systems is sublimated when we watch stories where justice prevails. That sense of justice we feel at the end of a true crime film or series reflects our desire to be a part of social and legal systems that work tirelessly towards women’s safety and protection.” 14

Rose ultimately overcomes her fear in “The Break-In ‘’ by kicking a perceived attacker in an off-screen retelling of the ordeal. Through this, she realizes, “I can take care of myself.” May we all feel empowered, safe, and confident in our own bodies and surroundings!

Author Biography

Kelly Florence teaches communication at Lake Superior College in Duluth, MN and is the best-selling co-author of six books: The Science of Monsters, the Bram Stoker nominated The Science of Women in Horror, The Science of Stephen King, The Science of Serial Killers, The Science of Witchcraft and the forthcoming The Science of Agatha Christie. She is also the co-host of the Horror Rewind podcast and host of Be a Better Communicator

1 Clasen, Mathias. (November 28, 2017) “Lessons From a Terrified Horror Researcher.” Tedx Talks, YouTube.

2 (2019) “United States Crime Rates 1960-2019.” Disaster Center.com.

3 Dussich, J. (1979) “Overview of Elderly Victimization.” US Department of Justice.

4 Catalano, Shannon Ph.D. (September 2010) “National Crime Victimization Survey.” U.S. Department of Justice.

5 Catalano, Shannon Ph.D. (September 2010) “National Crime Victimization Survey.” U.S. Department of Justice.

6 Roberts, Kayleigh. (October 5, 2016) “The Psychology of Victim Blaming.” The Atlantic.

7 Carroll, Joseph. (October 26, 2007) “How Americans Protect Themselves From Crime.” Gallup.

8 Smith, Tom W and Son, Jaesok. (March 2015) “Trends in Gun Ownership in the United States, 1972-2014.” University of Chicago.

9 Loveland, Mariel. (September 28, 2021) “Do Security Cameras and Alarms Deter Crime?” Angi.com.

10 (2022) “PTSD Following a Burglary.” PTSDUK.org.

11 (2022) “Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.” Mayo Clinic.

12 Szasz, Thomas. (August 6, 1979) “How Dan White Got Away With Murder.”Inquiry. San Francisco, California: 17–21.

13 Yates, Diana. (February 15, 2010) “Women, More Than Men, Choose True Crime Over Other Violent Nonfiction.” Illinois News Bureau.

14 Sharma, Megha. (February 20, 2020) “This Might Be the Reason Why Women are Obsessed With True Crime Stories,” Vogue.