Chosen Genre and Genre Conventions

Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the wide-ranging thriller genre. However, this genre often incorporates elements from the mystery genre in addition to the typical traits of the thriller genre. Also, occasionally this genre will border into the also wide-ranging horror genre.

Generally, thrillers focus on plot over character, and thus emphasize intense, physical action over the character's psyche. Psychological thrillers tend to reverse this formula to a certain degree, emphasizing the characters just as much, if not more so, than the plot. This allows for the audience to experience what is happening to the characters within the films and attempt to understand what emotions are running through their mind.The mental state can be played with in psychological thrillers. Suspense can be created through character relationships and actions.

Sometimes the suspense comes from within one solitary character where characters must resolve conflicts with their own minds. Usually, this conflict is an effort to understand something that has happened to them. These conflicts are made more vivid with physical expressions of the conflict in the means of physical manifestations.

Conventions of a psychological thriller include:
Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used repeatedly. This allows the audience to remain curious and leaves them time to really think in-depth about what they are seeing. The genre is a flexible form that can undermine audience complacency through a dramatic rendering of psychological tensions and encourages sheltered but sensation-hungry audiences, in Hitchcock's phrase, "to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it's like."
Within the films the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical.

Possible Locations:
Usually thriller films are set in exotic settings such as foreign cities, deserts, polar regions, or high seas.
However, many directors may choose to set their films in what would be seen as a 'normal' family enviroment to allow the audience to see that even though they seem happy enough, they will have a much more deeper personality and depth to their character.

Examples:
The Alfred Hitchcock films Suspicion(1941),Shadow of a Doubt (1943) and Strangers on a Train (1950)
David Lynch's and influential Blue Velvet (1986) are notable examples of the type of film we will be basing of film opening on.
As is The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955) by Patricia Highsmith and The Good Son (1993) starring Elijah Wood and Macaulay Culkin.