Copycat

Sigourney Weaver may be the most victimized of all cinematic actresses. In Alien she is terrorized by a persecutory bad object right out of Melanie Klein (Gabbard & Gabbard, 1987). In keeping with Kleinian theory, the bad object is introjected, projected (usually through the rib cage), and introjected, killing off all the members of the Nostromo crew except for the wily Ripley played by Weaver. In the sequel, Aliens, Weaver returns in a nose-to-nose confrontation with a gigantic and intimidating queen bee monster, who ultimately learns that she is no match for her earthling Amazon counterpart. Finally, in Alien 3, our heroine is again victimized not only by more aliens, but also by a band of sex-starved male prisoners. In this climactic finale, she sacrifices herself to save the universe from invasion by the nearly unstoppable creatures.

In Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II the character played by Weaver is tormented both by spirits from the nether-regions (who have taken up temporary residence in her refrigerator) and by the crass sexual overtures of Bill Murray. In Death and the Maiden she is a torture survivor haunted by her past, who must relive her trauma when she unexpectedly encounters a man she believes to be her torturer. Even in Working Girl, where she plays an unsympathetic yuppie executive, she finds that both her man and her job are stolen from her by Melanie Griffith when her back is turned.

Weaver's most recent opportunity to be terrorized by the forces of darkness are provided in Jon Amiel's thriller, Copycat. In this preposterous, but suspenseful, yarn, she is pursued by not one, but two serial killers, which are, of course, America's current obsession. Weaver plays Dr. Helen Hudson, a forensic psychologist who specializes in the psychology of the serial killer. The film opens with a harrowing sequence in which a crazed Harry Connick, Jr., attacks her in a stall in the ladies room. Audiences may now assiduously avoid public restroom stalls in the same