COVENTIONS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLERS

A PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER?

• Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of thriller which focuses heavily on the unstable emotional states of characters, in combination with mystery and thriller.. it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre. In addition to drama and mystery, many psychological thrillers contain elements of, and often overlap with, the horror genre.

WHAT TO WEAR?

• Usually in the antagonist are dressed smart such as shirt and trousers and in some cases where the villain is female this rule still applies. In terms of race the villain is usually white for example in Se7en

• The protagonist are usually wearing neutral clothing such as white which emphasis their innocence and purity.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!

• Most openings begin somewhere personal to the main character. So for example in Don’t Look Now it beings by the lake which is personal to the main character as it is where his daughter dies. In Sixth sense the opening is in a house which is where the man dies.

• Therefore psychological thrillers usually open in areas where the audience can relate to which makes it more frightening as it makes the scenario more realistic

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! • LIGHTING: Low lighting is the most popular type of lighting used in

psychological thrillers. This is used to create tension and suspense and is useful when trying to emphasis the abnormal behaviour of a character

• CAMERA: Quick camera movements create suspense as the audience suspect something is wrong and jump shots from one thing to another contribute to unsettling feeling the audience will experience

• ACTION: In the opening, action is prolonged to create suspense and anxiety. There is usually minimal conversation in the opening and at the end usual something bad happens which leads to the main characters dysfunctional behaviour.

MUSIC

• High pitched sounds and the use of instruments such as pianos which create uncertainty and apprehension to the audience

• Non diegetic is also used in psychological thrillers