Why Are Movie Stalkers Always So ... Female?
Filed under: Thrillers, Fan Rant
What a hallowed genre Obsessed is a member of! Right up there with such psycho stalker greats as Play Misty For Me, Fatal Attraction, and The Hand that Rocks the Cradle. If you'd like to remember a few more, Peter did a great list for Valentine's Day ... and would you look at that, 5 out of 7 of those are chicks! Why the persistence of this cinematic archetype? Why don't we ever see psychotic male stalkers beyond Sleeping with the Enemy? Where's Fatal Attraction where a man is screaming, begging not to be ignored?
My theory has always been that we see these stories played out again and again because they're somewhat of a male fantasy. Think about Play Misty For Me, Fatal Attraction, Obsessed, or even the real B-movie variations like Swimfan, The Temp, and The Crush. There's something very flattering and erotic about a woman who can't get enough of you -- a plot point exploited pretty heavily in Play Misty and Fatal Attraction, since both male protagonists really set their stalkers off by ... sleeping with them. If Fatal Dan and Misty Dave had just taken Alex and Evelyn out for a nice dinner and a movie, no sex, would any butcher knives have been wielded? I guess so, given the chaste plotline of Obsessed: just flirting is enough to drive Ali Larter over the edge.
If a man stalks a woman, the stories are based less around sex than pure fear. (As in Fear, starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Wahlberg!) Sleeping with the Enemy is about abuse and possession, not about being unable to get enough of Julia Roberts. I think there's also a puritanical element at work -- the female heroine must be abused to be sympathetic. If she was sexually free, she would be asking to be stalked because she had slept with the wrong guy. She should be more choosy, and not succumb to a one night stand.
Obviously there are several gender stereotypes and sexual attitudes at work in the "psycho stalker" genre. If we had more female filmmakers, would we see Fatal Attraction remade with a male stalker, and female protagonist? Would it have the same hint of the erotic, the suggestion of obsessive desire? My gut says that it's just not a conceit that a woman would want to explore, that we find stalkers more frightening or annoying than flattering. But I realize that's really a very sexist assumption, as I know men who have been stalked, and they found it to be frightening and annoying. Obsession isn't sexy or flattering no matter what the gender dynamic is. (And I've had Enough of this whole generic sub-genre! -- SW)
Maybe the entire sub-genre just needs to go the way of the dodo (or should I say boiled bunny?) as it's just not flattering to either gender, or a genre that's full of surprises. I mean ... "violent devotion," as a central plot point,
doesn't exactly lend itself to pleasant surprises or happy endings, does it?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-27-2009 @ 12:59PM
jmchez said...
There are thousands of movies with ultrapossesive, creepy or abusive boyfriends and husbands. Maybe we should get rid of those too.
Wait! If we get rid of cliches, Hollywood won't be able to put out any more than 5 movies a year! Perhaps, less.
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4-27-2009 @ 1:21PM
Consequence said...
Who needs "pleasant" surprises or "happy" endings? While I know I'm a guy and my bias is skewed, I also know that I agree with most of your article except for the idea that we should get rid of the genre. Without actually having seen any of the films you listed (I know, Fatal Attraction...) I actually think there are some fantastic possibilities for driving storylines and excellent films within the stalker genre. Clearly, one thing that needs to be done is for the gender stereotypes to be twisted and reversed...that would make for original, interesting movies.
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4-27-2009 @ 2:22PM
kip said...
How about DeNiro in "the Fan"? Sort of a major actor in a major film at the time about this sort of issue you sorta forgot about.
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4-27-2009 @ 2:40PM
Elisabeth said...
I didn't forget "The Fan" and while it's certainly an example of a male stalker, it isn't exactly the same kind of dynamic. The stalker obsesses about the player as a symbol of what's going wrong in his life -- not as something of erotic interest.
It would have been a better and more memorable movie if it had taken that path, frankly.
4-27-2009 @ 8:11PM
Jason Harris said...
A few comments:
1) There are tons and tons of movies with the obsessed male boyfriend/male stalker theme.
2) The notion that any movies with stalkers in them are somehow insulting to either gender sounds like someone is trying way too hard on a college paper. Should we get rid of serial killer movies because they unfairly portray people? You could say that about pretty much any genre.
3) Perhaps people are more interested in seeing the female stalker/obsessor because that's a bit more unusual. Movies are escapism, and perhaps the abusive male boyfriend being abusive hits too close to home for people to enjoy seeing movies about that. Would you be happier if a glut of movies featuring males obsessing and stalking came out?
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4-27-2009 @ 5:27PM
Elisabeth said...
1. Tons and tons? Can you name these?
2. There's a pretty big difference between serial killer movies and the "Fatal Attraction" sub-genre. Serial killer movies can range from slasher horror to police thrillers. There's a lot more range and interest. There are different places to take it, and lots of twists.
The "psycho bitch from hell" story relies pretty heavily on what is a pretty misogynist viewpoint. There's only one or two ways it can go ... the death of the stalker, or the triumph of the stalker in destroying or taking the life of whoever it is she is obsessed with.
Even if you mix up the gender dynamic, there's not a whole lot of life you can breathe into the genre. Adding a sympathetic stalker turns it into a different kind of movie altogether.
3. Your third argument actually proves my theory (that it's "sexy, "unusual" and a fantasy for many male moviemakers and moviegoers). No, I wouldn't be happy if a "glut" of movies with males obsessing and stalking came out, because I don't find it particularly interesting, sexy, or very entertaining. I know going into the movie that the heroine is *not* going to fall for her stalker, and that things will end badly. Where's the thrill?
4-27-2009 @ 3:44PM
Kevin said...
I'm a little bit confused about this article. It seems that obsessive male characters abound in hollywood, so are you trying to say that there aren't as many movies with male stalkers who try and woo and tempt female leads as vice versa? Because saying that would seem to ignore many of the sexual dynamics between men and women. Saying that male stalkers should behave like female stalkers ignores the reality of the situation. The gender opposite of this movie would have to radically alter the behavior of the leads in order to have any basis on real human interactions.
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4-27-2009 @ 3:46PM
Prhime said...
female stalkers are more appealing and deemed safer ("Misery" and the others listed above def. don't support his notion) in the marketing/audience approach.
i htink it is some crazed hormone/mkting imbalance that deems females to be better positioned to be a ____ than if you had a guy doing that same position. I don't think they are always female but believe the general sentiment is that the female stalker is sexually attracted to the male. while male stalking films are generally wrapped around themes of violence or the unknown (ie The Following).
female stalking males - sexy
male stalking males - usually must be wrapped in violence to avoid the main thoughts/reactions that would limit a films appeal / attraction
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4-27-2009 @ 4:23PM
scott said...
Stalker?
I don't even know her!!
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4-27-2009 @ 5:48PM
SOS said...
Nice shot Scott. Reminds me of wreck'em. Now... c'mon back.
4-27-2009 @ 5:54PM
scott said...
...damn near killed him!
4-27-2009 @ 11:49PM
Catherine said...
The reviewer is overlooking one major feature of female stalker films--the male lead who sleeps with the stalker usually already has a wife or girlfriend (who is typically intelligent, well grounded and beautiful in a natural, not overly made up way). The stalking that follows the thrilling but brief sexual encounter often comes across as the man's punishment for infidelity ("that'll teach you to jeopardize a great relationship for a fling with some nut you don't even know!") Yes, there is an element of male fantasy in the female stalker genre, but as is often the case with popular entertainment, it has its conservative, even puritanical side too. The reason why fewer women than you might expect object to female stalker movies is that they tend to identify more with the sexy but sane wives and girlfriends than the deranged female stalkers.
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4-28-2009 @ 11:25AM
Kevin said...
Excellent, excellent point catherine.
5-12-2009 @ 10:51AM
ellen diane said...
I liked idris -Just wish he were more available to chat with- The movie had no surprises-right from the glass table scene at the beginning. Everything was predictable. However, Beyonce and her movie man were quite believable. Though she pulled the mama bear a bit too far- on those heels I would have fallen on my arse. I wish there were new movies based on new subjects..not takes of remakes.
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