Research - Psychological Thriller

     Hi friends!! If you read my last blog post about my choice in genres vs. my partners choices you would know I was not exactly fond of doing 1 particular genre....can you guess which one we decided on? 

And if you were not able to read my last blog post, although you should definitely go do that right now, my partners and I talked and after a long discussion I was convinced to say yes to doing a Psychological Thriller.....yay...! So far, I only associate psychological thrillers with "The Joker" which freaked me out as a kid. Hopefully this research expands my knowledge and changes my opinion!

Deep Dive:

In order to be able to produce our own psychologic thriller, I really wanted to understand what exactly I was getting myself into. Here is the deep dive of what I learned about these movies!!

Rather than focusing on a storyline or action like other genres would, these thrillers focus on the mind and mental or emotional conflicts. The main threat is not usually an antagonist or super evil villain, but internal such as guilt, obsession, memory and manipulation. The audience is than intrigued and drawn to the characters memory's and anxiety which makes them go through the story alongside the characters. (Kind of creepy if you ask me...)

Examples of Key Themes and Plot Structure:

These are a few main themes that present themselves in psychological thrillers:

Identity and self-perception – characters question who they are 

Madness vs. sanity – blurry lines between reality and delusion

Obsession and control – fixation on a person, idea, or outcome

Guilt, trauma, and memory – past events haunting the present can be reoccurring 

Power dynamics – manipulation, dominance, and psychological abuse

Besides common key themes, it is also important to describe the plot structure that is typical to this genre of thriller:

There is usually a slow-burn pacing while the tension builds gradually and not suddenly

Suspense comes from anticipation and uncertainty (audience constantly asking themselves WHY?) not constant action

Twists and reveals that reframe earlier events and show a different perspective (another example would be if the film shows multiple character POV's)

The climax often delivers a psychological revelation rather than a physical confrontation

Characters 

The characters of psychological thrillers are the most recognizable part of this whole genre so it is important to get them right from the beginning!!

-Complex protagonists who are mentally vulnerable, flawed, or unreliable

-Unreliable narrators whose perspective cannot be fully trusted

-Antagonists who may be subtle, manipulative, or psychologically dominant rather than physically threatening

-Characters often mirror or contrast each other to highlight inner conflict

 

Atmosphere and Tone

The atmosphere and tone are also important because it helps tell the audience how to feel and adds into the suspense and overall eerie feel of this genre. The atmosphere is usually dark and unsettling while making the protagonist and audience alike feel claustrophobic. There are usually also feelings of isolation and paranoia. Surprisingly, in most parts of psychological thrillers the mood of the film is more important than what is actually happening in each scene because these thrillers rely on feeling and tenseness.