Psychological Thriller Genre

Research

Target audiencePsychological Thrillers usually include a conflict of the mind, this results as most Psychological thrillers are aimed at an audienceOf 16+. In a lot of Psychological thrillers there is violence and can cause discomfort and disturbance for younger viewers. Depending on the elements and narrative of the psychological thriller determines whether the film appeals to females andMales more, but for most psychological thrillers they suit most genders. Psychological thrillers don't usually specifically aim to a demographic code which is why it has such a wide audience. Some people wouldn’t be attracted by psychological thrillers as itPresents a harsh reality.

As I chose to look at psychological thrillers it’s very important that I research into existing products to see what Conventions makes up psychological thrillers. Looking at elements, I found a common theme throughout many of the products, This includes mystery, drama, reality, perception, mind, identity and death. A common occurrence in psychological thrillers include a character(s) where the focus is frequently on the character’s mind and the inner conflict with the character’s emotional state.

TheoriesWith the concept of genre there are theorists who have different views on how genres are formed:

Robert Stam – He says that the concept of genre doesn’t exist and is made up by theorists and critics: With psychological thrillers they all have a common theme of conventions, this would go against this theory.

Rick Altman – He said that genre is made up of two elements. One element is semantic which are elements shown through colour, mise-en-scene, sound and camera movements. The other element is syntactic which are themes throughout the films: In psychological thrillers the semantic elements could include props such drugs and alcohol, also could include dark colours in the make up, location and costume and dramatic or disturbing music.

Laura Mulvey – She suggests that women in media are objectified as sexual objects: With Psychological thrillers, sometimes there may be women sexually objected however this isn’t the main focus of the genre.

Steve Neale: He said the genres have 5 stages of evolution: With psychological thrillers1. Form finding itself – The lodger (1927) directed by Alfred Hitchcock who shaped the genre.2. Classic – Psycho (1960) again directed by Alfred Hitchcock and is regarded as the greatest psychological thriller.3. Stretching Boundaries – Inception as psychological thriller film which follows most conventions however there is more of an action element to the film.4. Parodies – There isn’t a specific parody for psychological thrillers, however scary movie 5 includes a parody section from Black Swan which is a well known Psychological thriller.5. Homage – Shutter Island as it is seen to respect Hitchcock’

These 3 films are examples of psychological thrillers that I particularly enjoyed. All 3 films followed conventions of the genre. Comparing them it is easy to see that The similar attributes are the inner conflicts with the main characters. When I come to creating my trailer, the main character is going to be battling with their emotional state.