The genre of psychological thrillers is not defined easily, however there are certain qualities within it that have come to signify the category. The film Peeping Tom was one of the first psychological thrillers, so it had a grand influence on what we now recognize as a psychological thriller. One of the staples to the category is it’s ability to push the viewer into empathizing with the “bad guy.” We spoke about this in class briefly during a discussion, and the consensus was that there were moments while watching the film when we felt bad for Mark, and that made us feel weird. This reaction is interesting because it heightens the power and ability of the psychological thriller. It moves the viewer to reach a new level of existential involvement because they go from viewing and analyzing the characters in the movie, to analyzing their own psyches.
The main character in this film, Mark, is a murderer. He is obsessed with filming women and then killing them. For this reason, the viewer knows that Mark is a villain in the story. Through the film we find that he was abused as a child, and we learn that it is because of his father that Mark experiences most of his struggles. When the viewer learns this, they start to view Mark as a victim. This juxtaposition of villain and victim begins to dictate how the viewer thinks about Marks character. After we know that Mark is acting this way because he has been trained to act like this, we start to feel for him. We become empathetic for his character because it starts to feel like maybe his emotional condition isn’t his fault. In any regard, we shift from feeling disgusted by his character to understanding his pain.
One scene which illustrates this juxtaposition of villain and victim, and the empathy that follows suit, is when Mark unveils his home movies to his love interest. The viewer sees this woman shift from fear to sorrow in a matter of seconds. This visual representation of empathy cues the viewer to embrace a similar feeling. From fear of the killer, to feeling sorry for his pain, there is an obvious shift that occurs and it is palpable to the viewer. This transition pushes the viewer to engage in a level of personal reflection and begin to ask themselves “is right to feel bad for the bad guy?” This confusion of what is “right” becomes a defining trait for this psychological thriller and for others that follow suit. There is a level of guilt that comes with feeling bad for a killer and that invites an internal reflection for the viewer.
Another scene that pulls the viewer into confusion about their empathy for Mark is in the final scene. Again the viewer knows that Mark is set up as the bad guy in this scene, but again they start to feel bad for him because he is also portrayed as a victim. In this particular scene, he is painted as a victim by his involvement with the police and by revealing that he is suicidal. As the viewer watches this scene, they start to feel uncomfortable by their inclination and desire to feel badly for a murderer.
The empathy that the viewer feels for the murderer is one of the first examples of how psychological thrillers can truly engage their audience. Peeping Tom is one of the first films to push its viewers to feel uncomfortable about their own mindset or psyche. This level of discomfort is now a staple for the category of psychological thrillers. Through the use of empathy, the user is almost forced to evaluate their own and emotions as well as those of the characters on the screen. This moves psychological thrillers to become even more engaging and introspective.