Has 'Gone Girl' Impacted the Scott Peterson Case?

What does “Gone Girl” have to do with Laci Peterson? Ten years since its release, it might be responsible for a wave of believers in Scott Peterson’s innocence. Twenty-two years ago, a case that would unnerve the masses emerged in the public consciousness. The face of the case remains a young woman frozen in time. Her mega-watt smile adorns a cache of family photos. Sadly, those photos would not receive any new additions after 2002. 

Potentially making a case that Scott Peterson and his sister-in-law, Janey Peterson, must love Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl.” Adapted into a Hollywood blockbuster “Gone Girl” made a not-so-veiled case for Scott Peterson. Ben Affleck’s eerie resemblance to Peterson made for striking visual parallels.

To say that the David Fincher-directed thriller leaned into the similarities between Ben Affleck’s character and Scott Peterson would be an understatement. Released in 2014, “Gone Girl” has had a chance to simmer in the public eye.

In it, the “woe is thee” tropes are prolific. You have a cheating husband with a heart of gold. There is the cold and manipulative wife, using her husband like a cat toying with a mouse. Finally, we have the wrongfully suspected husband hounded by the villainous media.

It bothered me then. It bothers me now. None of what “Gone Girl” presents with the character of Amy Dunne applies to Laci Peterson. A lot of what it shows regarding Nick Dunne (cheater, liar, and so on) jives with Scott Peterson, with one exception. One was framed. The other was not.

For the real Scott Peterson – there is no proof of any “Gone Girl.” No female culprit set him up. Most criminal cases court controversy. There will always be room for debate and scrutinization. Hollywood will often get tangled in the mix.

Not too long ago, the Vallejo police falsely accused a couple of staging a “Gone Girl” hoax. As shown in the Netflix docuseries “American Nightmare,” authorities seized on similarities, and the media ran with the story.

Oddly enough, “Gone Girl” is not mentioned in the Netflix series. Nor is it blamed for any points Scott Peterson may have gained in the public consciousness. Does that silence speak volumes? You decide.