| By John Finnegan
Character identification is a cornerstone of storytelling in film. It allows audiences to connect with and care about characters by relating to their struggles, decisions, and actions. Yet, in certain narratives, filmmakers challenge this dynamic, encouraging viewers to align with morally ambiguous or even outright villainous characters. This phenomenon, known as perverse identification, underscores the complexity of audience engagement in cinema.
Perverse Identification: Understanding Audience Connection
Judith Staiger, in her seminal work Perverse Spectators: The Practices of Film Reception (2000), discusses this concept using The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) as a prime example. Staiger reflects on how the audience can empathize with the film’s cannibalistic family:
"They are, after all, worthy of our respect. They have responded ingeniously to their culture and environment. They speak for the value of traditional crafts and the sanctity of private property... Besides, anyone who expresses himself with a chainsaw can’t be all bad" (Staiger 2000: 182).
This observation challenges traditional notions of alignment, demonstrating how even grotesque characters can evoke audience respect under certain narrative structures.
The Role of Identification in Storytelling
Screenwriting experts Ken Dancyger and Jeff Rush highlight identification as a tool that simplifies the audience's relationship with a story. They note that audiences tend to connect with characters "who are in difficult situations" (Dancyger and Rush 2006: 117). This connection is often forged through character actions and decisions, aligning the audience with their journey.
The Final Girl trope, introduced by Carol Clover in her 1987 essay Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film, exemplifies this theory. The Final Girl is "the androgynous female character who suffers the monster’s tortures throughout the film, but who ultimately defeats him and survives" (Briefel 2005: 17).
While not an intentional storytelling device, the Final Girl trope demonstrates how identification shifts based on character development. Audiences root for her survival due to her resourcefulness and decisions, as seen in countless slasher films. This dynamic creates a compelling audience-character relationship, often punctuated by dramatic irony — think of moments when viewers shout at the screen, imploring the protagonist not to enter a dark room alone.
Cross-Identification in Horror: The Killer and the Final Girl
Horror films often encourage cross-identification, where the audience’s alignment shifts between characters. Klaus Rieser (2001) suggests that male audiences initially identify with the monster or killer, as the identity of the Final Girl is often unclear in the early stages of the story. For instance, Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) keeps its survivor ambiguous until later in the narrative, further complicating early identification.
Carol Clover explains this transition:
"We are linked, in this way, with the killer in the early part of the film, usually before we have seen him directly and before we have come to know the Final Girl in any detail. Our closeness to him wanes as our closeness to the Final Girl waxes" (1987: 208).
This gradual shift not only builds tension but also strengthens the audience's connection to the Final Girl as her identity and decisions come to the forefront.
Case Study: Perverse Spectatorship in Psycho
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) serves as a masterclass in perverse identification. The audience initially aligns with Marion Crane but later shifts to Norman Bates, a transition highlighted by Leo Braudy:
"We follow Norman into the next room and watch as he moves aside a picture to reveal a peephole into Marion's cabin. He watches her undress and, in some important way, we feel the temptress is more guilty than the Peeping Tom" (Braudy 1968: 25).
This complicity deepens with Crane’s murder, implicating viewers in her death. Despite Norman's actions, audiences find themselves identifying with him due to his seemingly admirable traits — his devotion to his mother and efforts to maintain the family business. This is a great example of writing exagerated yet relatable characters - people we would never expect to identify with, yet connect to all the same.
Structuring Identification Through Screenwriting
Hitchcock’s use of identification is rooted in the screenplay’s structure. By killing Marion at the end of the first act, the narrative forces audiences to align with Norman, the remaining central character. As Norman disposes of evidence, moments like the car sinking into the swamp evoke audience tension:
"The viewer worries during the short halt in the sinking and experiences a feeling of relief when the car starts to sink again" (Grodal 1997: 95).
This emotional manipulation underscores the power of the screenplay in directing audience alignment, a testament to Hitchcock’s collaboration with his screenwriters.
Conclusion: The Art of Writing Relatable Characters
Films like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Psycho illustrate how identification is a fluid, powerful tool in storytelling. Whether aligning with a resourceful Final Girl or a morally complex antagonist like Norman Bates, the audience’s shifting perspectives deepen their engagement.
As Judith Raubicheck (2011) notes, Hitchcock valued screenwriting above other production elements, emphasizing its role in shaping audience responses. By crafting narratives that challenge traditional identification, filmmakers push the boundaries of how stories are experienced, leaving audiences both captivated and conflicted.
(Image copyright: Paramount Pictures)
References:
Briefel, A. (2005) ‘Monster Pains: Masochism, Menstruation, and Identification in the Horror Film’, Film Quarterly, 58(3), pp. 16–27. doi: 10.1525/fq.2005.58.3.16.
Braudy, L., 1968. Hitchcock, Truffaut, and the Irresponsible Audience. Film Quarterly 21, 21–27. doi:10.2307/1210598
Cattrysse, P. (2010) ‘The protagonist’s dramatic goals, wants and needs’, Journal of Screenwriting, 1(1), pp. 83–97. doi: 10.1386/josc.1.1.83/1.
Clover, C. J. (1987) ‘Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film’, Representations, (20), pp. 187–228. doi: 10.2307/2928507.
Dancyger, K. and Rush, J. (2006) Alternative Scriptwriting: Successfully Breaking the Rules. 4 edition. Focal Press.
Grodal, T.K., 1997. Moving pictures: a new theory of film genres, feelings, and cognition. Clarendon Press ; Oxford UniversityPress, Oxford : New York.
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Hitchcock, A. (1958) Vertigo.
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Raubicheck, W. (2011) Scripting Hitchcock: Psycho, The Birds, and Marnie. University of Illinois Press.
Rieser, K. (2001) ‘Masculinity and monstrosity: Characterization and identification in the slasher film.’, Men and Masculinities. Available at: http://mediaviolence.org/media-video-violence-addiction-research/research-archives/rieser-k-2001-masculinity-and-monstrosity-characterization-and-identification-in-the-slasher-film-men-and-masculinities-3-4-370-392/ (Accessed: 23 May 2014).
Schmid, W. (2013) Implied Reader, the living handbook of narratology. Available at: http://wikis.sub.uni-hamburg.de/lhn/index.php/Main_Page.
Scott, R. (2000) Gladiator.
Staiger, J. (2000) Perverse spectators: the practices of film reception. New York: New York University Press.
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