What is a Red Herring? 5 Techniques to Mislead & Distract an Audience

Filmmakers are masters of deception. They weave intricate tales, crafting narratives that captivate and enthrall their audiences. But sometimes, that captivation comes through misdirection, a carefully placed red herring designed to lead viewers astray. From classic whodunits to genre-bending thrillers, red herrings are a powerful tool in the filmmaker’s arsenal, allowing them to mislead, surprise, and ultimately, deliver an unforgettable cinematic experience.

In this article, we’ll delve into the art of the red herring, exploring its definition, origins, and the various techniques filmmakers employ to keep audiences guessing until the final reveal.

What is a Red Herring?

The term “red herring” has its origins in the early 19th century, when hunters would train hounds to follow a fox’s scent. To test the dogs’ ability to stay on track, trainers would drag a pungent, smoked herring across the trail, creating a false scent that could potentially divert the hounds from their intended prey. Thus, a “red herring” came to signify a deliberate attempt to mislead or divert attention from the truth.

In storytelling, a red herring is any element – a clue, a character, or even an entire plot point – designed to intentionally mislead the audience, creating suspense, surprise, or subverting their expectations. It’s a device that plays on our human tendency to jump to conclusions, leading us down a false path before revealing the true nature of events.

Technique 1: The Whodunit

Perhaps the most iconic use of red herrings is in the whodunit, the classic mystery genre where the perpetrator’s identity remains unknown until the climactic reveal. In these tales, skilled authors and filmmakers scatter false clues and cast suspicion on a myriad of characters, each one a potential red herring designed to distract from the true culprit.

Agatha Christie’s “Murder on the Orient Express,” adapted for the big screen, exemplifies this technique. The film presents a host of suspects, each with their own motives and alibis, leading the audience on a twisting path of deception until the shocking revelation that every suspect played a role in the murder.

Technique 2: The Unreliable Narrator

Another potent method for crafting effective red herrings is through the use of an unreliable narrator. When the story unfolds through the lens of a character whose perspective is skewed or unreliable, filmmakers can manipulate the audience’s understanding of events, withholding crucial information or presenting a distorted view of reality.

In “The Others,” a haunted house story, the audience initially believes the narrator’s perspective that the house is inhabited by malevolent spirits. It’s only in the final act that the shocking truth is revealed: the narrator and her family are the ones who are dead, and the “ghosts” are the living inhabitants of the house.

The unreliable narrator technique reaches its pinnacle in “The Usual Suspects,” where the entire film is revealed to be a elaborate red herring orchestrated by the enigmatic Keyser Söze, masterfully misdirecting both the characters and the audience until the final, mind-bending twist.

Technique 3: Emotional Misdirection

Red herrings can also be employed to heighten emotional impact, manipulating the audience’s expectations and delivering a cathartic payoff. In “Saving Private Ryan,” the opening scene depicts an elderly man grieving at a military cemetery, leading viewers to assume he is the titular Private Ryan, haunted by the sacrifices made to save him during World War II.

However, this assumption is a red herring, designed to amplify the emotional resonance when the true connection is revealed: the man is a civilian whose life was spared due to the heroic actions of Captain Miller and his squad. This sleight of hand transforms an expected outcome into a powerful affirmation of the soldiers’ selfless valor.

Technique 4: Historical Subversion

Filmmakers can also exploit our knowledge of real-life historical events to create compelling red herrings. Quentin Tarantino is a master of this technique, subverting audience expectations in films like “Inglourious Basterds” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.”

In the former, Tarantino toys with our understanding of World War II history, leading viewers to believe Hitler will survive the events of the film, only to shatter that assumption in a climactic, revisionist ending. Similarly, in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” the tragic fate of Sharon Tate is rewritten, delivering a cathartic alternative reality where past wrongs are righted.

Technique 5: Casting and Marketing Misdirection

Even before a film’s release, red herrings can be employed through clever casting choices and marketing tactics. Wes Craven’s “Scream” famously opens with Drew Barrymore’s character being brutally murdered, subverting the audience’s expectation that a marquee star would be the central protagonist.

Alfred Hitchcock was a pioneer of this technique, casting Janet Leigh, a major star at the time, as Marion Crane in “Psycho,” only to shockingly kill off her character halfway through the film. Hitchcock also cast the unassuming Anthony Perkins in the role of Norman Bates, exploiting the actor’s wholesome persona to deflect suspicion until the film’s unforgettable reveal.

Conclusion

Red herrings are a powerful storytelling device, allowing filmmakers to toy with audience expectations, heighten suspense, and deliver unforgettable twists and revelations. From classic whodunits to genre-defying thrillers, the art of misdirection remains a crucial tool in the filmmaker’s arsenal.

As you embark on your next cinematic adventure, consider how you too can employ red herrings to captivate and surprise your audience. Cast suspicion on innocent characters, employ unreliable narrators, create emotional catharsis, subvert historical expectations, or even use strategic casting and marketing to plant the seeds of deception.

Embrace the art of the red herring, and you’ll be well on your way to crafting narratives that linger in the minds of your audience long after the credits roll.