Typical psychological thriller conventions

Definition Psychological thriller - specific sub genre of the thriller genre Deep focus on the characters and their states of mind Often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, overlaps with horror genre, particularly psychological horror Psychological thrillers; emphasizing the characters just as much, if not more so, than the plot Characters not reliant on physical strength, but rather on their mental resources, usually by battling wits with a formidable opponent or by battling for equilibrium in the character's own mind. Suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters preying upon one another's minds, either by playing deceptive games with the other or by merely trying to demolish the other's mental state. Literary devices and techniques Stream of consciousness a literary technique in which an individual's point of view is produced as a written equivalent so we are able to see the individuals thought processes. In psychological thrillers, the narrative tries to manifest the character's psyche through word usage, descriptions, or visuals. First-person narrative a literary technique in which the story is narrated by one or more of the characters. This technique is used to make the audience more involved with the characters themselves, and thus able to understand how the characters minds work. Back-story the history behind the situation right at the start of the main story. This deepens the psychological aspect of the story since the reader is able to more fully understand the character; more specifically, what the character's motivations are and how his past has shaped his current cognitive perceptions. Themes Reality Perception Mind Existence Purpose Identity Death These major subgenres help develop the plot of a psychological thriller film, shaping the characters' personalities. e.g.. usually character will find the true identity/the devil side of himself/herself in psychological thriller, in which it is one of the archetypesthe loss of innocence. Uses of dark, isolated places. From:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_thriller

Synopsis Research
Shutter Island
In 1954, two U.S. Marshals, Edward "Teddy" Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner, Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) travel to the Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane on Shutter Island located in Boston Harbor, as part of an investigation on the disappearance of patient Rachel Solando, incarcerated for drowning her three children. Shortly after arrival, a storm prevents their return to the mainland for several days. Daniels finds the staff confrontational: the lead psychiatrist, Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley), refuses to hand over records of the hospital staff; Solando's doctor, Dr. Sheehan, had left on vacation after her disappearance, and they are barred from searching Ward C and told that the lighthouse on the island has already been searched.Daniels starts having migraine headaches, waking visions of his involvement in the Dachau massacre, and disturbing dreams of his wife, Dolores Chanal (Michelle Williams), who was killed in a fire set by arsonist Andrew Laeddis. In one dream, Chanal tells Daniels that Solando is still on the island, as well as Laeddis. Daniels later explains to Aule that locating Laeddis was an ulterior motive for taking the case.As Daniels and Aule continue their investigation, they find that Solando has been found by the staff with no explanation. With neither the staff or patients helping, Daniels decides to break into Ward C, and eventually meets George Noyce (Jackie Earle Haley), another patient. Noyce warns Daniels that Ashecliffe is performing questionable experiments on its patients, and sends the incurable to the lighthouse to be lobotomized. As Daniels leaves, Noyce asserts that everyone on the island, including Aule, is playing in a game designed for Daniels.Daniels regroups with Aule and they make their way to the lighthouse, but as they attempt to transgress the cliffs, they become separated. Daniels finds a woman hiding in a cave, claiming to be the real Rachel Solando (Patricia Clarkson). The woman asserts she was a former psychiatrist at Ashecliffe until she discovered the experiments with psychotropic medication in an attempt to develop mind control techniques and create "sleeper agent" spies. When she attempted to alert the authorities, she was committed as a patient. Leaving the woman, Daniels finds no sign of Aule, and returns to the hospital. Dr. Cawley claims that Daniels arrived alone, with no evidence of Aule ever being there.Determined but confused, Daniels returns to the lighthouse and breaks into it. At the top, he finds Dr. Cawley waiting for him. Cawley explains that "Daniels" is really Andrew Laeddis, incarcerated after killing his wife after she drowned their children. According to Dr. Cawley, the events of the past several days have been designed to break Laeddis' conspiracy-laden insanity by allowing him to play out the role of Daniels, an anagram of his name. The hospital staff, including Dr. Sheehan posing as Aule, were part of the test, and the migraines that Laeddis suffered were withdrawal symptoms from his medication. The memory of killing his wife briefly returns to Laeddis, and he passes out.Laeddis awakes in the hospital, under watch of Dr. Cawley and Sheehan. When questioned, Laeddis can provide the details of how he killed his wife, which satisfies the doctors as a sign of progression; Dr. Cawley notes that they had achieved this state nine months before but Laeddis had quickly regressed. The doctor further warns that this will be Laeddis' last chance. Some time later, Laeddis relaxes near the hospital grounds with Dr. Sheehan, and begins calling him "Chuck" and believes they need to expose the conspiracy of Ashecliffe to the world. Recognizing this as a sign of regression, Dr. Cawley orders Laeddis to the lighthouse to be lobotomized; as he is taken away, Laeddis tells Dr. Sheehan that one can "live as a monster, or die as a good man", and then calmly leaves with the orderlies.

Analysis of Shutter Island

Incorporates elements from the mystery and action thriller genre, also from the psychological horror also. Emphasises the characters more than the plot mainly. Using mental strength rather than physical strength, as typical of a psychological thriller Battling for equilibrium in ones mind Use of deception There is a back-story in Shutter Island to allow the audience a chance to see behind the characters motives and a chance to look into their past so they feel more included. Dark, isolated places like buildings, isolated on an asylum on a stranded island. Themes of reality, perception, death, the mind and identity. In this the character finds his true identity, and the devil side of himself. In this way, Shutter Island is a very effective thriller in the way that it immediately signifies to the audience that it is a psychological thriller.

Black Swan
Nina Sayers (Portman), a young dancer with a prestigious New York City ballet company, lives with her mother, Erica (Hershey), a former dancer who gave up her career at 28 when she became pregnant with Nina. The company is preparing to open the season with Swan Lake. The director, Thomas Leroy (Cassel), has to cast a new principal dancer after forcing Beth Macintyre (Ryder) into retirement. Leroy wants the same ballerina to portray both the innocent, fragile White Swan and her dark, sensual twin, the Black Swan. Nina competes for the part. Although her audition goes badly, she asks Thomas to reconsider. He tells her she is ideal for the White Swan but lacks the passion necessary for the Black Swan. When he forcibly kisses her, she shows some spirit and bites him, and lands the part.An intoxicated Beth angrily confronts Thomas and Nina. She is later hit by a car and seriously injured in what Thomas suspects was a suicide attempt.Nina begins to witness strange happenings. Thomas, meanwhile, becomes increasingly critical of her "frigid" dancing and advises her to stop being a perfectionist and lose herself in the role. Thomas points to Lily (Kunis), another dancer in the company, whom he describes as lacking Nina's flawless technique but having the qualities she lacks.The relationship between the two dancers is cool because of Lily's indiscretions, but Lily invites Nina to a night out. Nina is hesitant at first but decides to go against her mother's wishes. At a nightclub, Lily offers Nina a capsule to help her loosen up. Though reassured its effects will only last a few hours, Nina turns it down. Lily later slips it into her drink while she is absent. When she returns home late, Nina has another fight with her mother, barricades herself in her room, and has sex with Lily.Next morning, Nina wakes up alone and late for rehearsal. When she arrives at the studio, she finds Lily dancing as the Swan Queen. Furious, she confronts Lily and asks her why she did not wake her up that morning. After Lily tells her she spent the night with a man whom she met at the club, Nina realizes she imagined the encounter.Nina's hallucinations become stronger as she sees Thomas and Lily have sex in a backstage area and Beth stabbing herself in the face at the hospital with a nail filer which Nina drops bloodied in the elevator. She has a violent argument with her mother, after which Nina passes out. Concerned about Nina's erratic behavior, her mother tries unsuccessfully to prevent her from performing on opening night. Since her mother had called to say Nina was sick, Thomas assigned understudy Lily to take over, but reluctantly gives way when Nina insists on performing.The first act goes well, until Nina is distracted by a hallucination during a lift, causing her partner, playing the Prince, to drop her. Distraught, she returns to her dressing room and finds Lily there. As Lily announces she is to play the Black Swan, she transforms into Nina's double. Nina shoves her into a mirror, shattering it. She grabs a shard of glass and stabs her rival in the stomach, killing her. The corpse transforms back into Lily. Nina hides the body and returns to the stage to dance with passion and sensuality. Sprouting feathers, her arms become black wings as she finally loses herself and is transformed into a black swan. At the end of the act, she receives a standing ovation. Offstage, Thomas and the rest of the cast congratulate her on her stunning performance. Nina takes Thomas by surprise and kisses him.Back in her dressing room before the final act, Nina is congratulated by Lily, showing that their fight was imaginary. The mirror, however, is still shattered. She removes a shard from her own body and realizes she had stabbed herself. Dancing the last scene, in which the White Swan throws herself off a cliff, Nina spots her mother weeping in the audience. As Nina falls backward onto a hidden mattress, the theater erupts in thunderous applause. Thomas and the rest of the cast gather to congratulate her. Then they see that she is bleeding. She whispers, "I felt it. Perfect. It was perfect."

Analysis of Black Swan

Deep focus on the character and their state/s of mind Overlaps with the drama thriller and the psychological horror genre Not reliant on physical strength but more on mental strength Battling an equilibrium in their own mind Themes of reality, perception, the mind, identity, and death Learning true identities, the devil side of herself. This is a successfully carried out psychological thriller as it hits all the trademarks of a conventional psychological thriller.

In an unidentified big city of near-constant rain and urban decay, the soon-to-be retiring Detective Lieutenant William R. Somerset (Morgan Freeman) is partnered with the short-tempered Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt), who recently transferred to the department. Somerset is an intelligent, well read, veteran homicide detective who has decided to retire. He is an old school detective who wears a fedora hat and carries a Smith and Wesson Combat Masterpiece .38 Special revolver and switch blade knife as a back up weapon. Mills is a young, smart, ambitious detective anxious to demonstrate his abilities as a big city homicide cop. He carries a customized Model 1911A1 .45 ACP caliber semi-automatic pistol with stag horn grips.The detectives investigate a series of murders relating to the seven deadly sins, such as an obese man who was forced to feed himself to death, representing "Gluttony". They find clues at each crime scene related to other deaths, and believe they are chasing a serial killer. A set of fingerprints found at the scene of the "Greed" murder the fatal bloodletting of a rich attorney leads them to an apartment where they find an emaciated man strapped to a bed. Though he initially appears to be dead, it soon is discovered that the man, a drug dealer and sexual deviant before his captivity, has been kept alive and immobile by the killer for exactly one year to the day. This victim, who dies soon after being found, represents "Sloth". Though unable to learn anything from the insentient victim, the detectives conclude that the killer has planned these crimes for more than a year.Somerset is eventually invited to meet Mills' wife, Tracy (Paltrow), who is unhappy with Mills' recent move to the city. Somerset becomes Tracy's confidant, and she meets with him after the first few murders. Upon learning that she is pregnant but has not told her husband, Somerset confides in her his fear that the city is no place to start a family, and reveals that he had ended a relationship years earlier after pressuring his girlfriend to have an abortion. Somerset advises her to not tell Mills if she plans to have an abortion; otherwise, if she decides to keep the child, "spoil that kid every chance you get".Using illegally obtained library records, Somerset and Mills identify a man named John Doe (Spacey) who has frequently checked out books related to the deadly sins. When Doe finds the detectives approaching his apartment, he opens fire on them and flees, chased by Mills. Eventually, Doe gains the upper hand and holds Mills at gunpoint, but then abruptly leaves. Investigation of Doe's apartment finds handwritten volumes of his irrational judgments and clues leading to another potential victim, but no fingerprints. They arrive too late to find their "Lust" victim, a prostitute killed by a man wearing a bladed S&M device, forced by Doe to simultaneously rape and kill her. Some time later, they investigate the death of a young model whose face had been mutilated. Having chosen to kill herself rather than live with a disfigured face, she is the victim of "Pride".As they return to the police station, Doe unexpectedly appears to them and offers himself for arrest, with the blood of the model and an unidentified victim on his hands. They find out that he has been cutting the skin off his fingers to avoid leaving fingerprints. Through his lawyer, Doe claims he will lead the two detectives to the last two bodies and confess to the crimes, or otherwise will plead insanity. Though Somerset is worried, Mills agrees to the demand. Doe directs the two detectives to a remote desert area far from the city; along the way, he claims that God told him to punish the wicked and reveal the world for the awful place that it is. He also makes cryptic comments toward Mills.After arriving at the location, a delivery van approaches. Somerset intercepts the driver, leaving Mills and Doe alone. The driver hands over a package he was instructed to deliver at precisely this time and location. While Mills holds Doe at gunpoint, Doe mentions how much he admires him, but does not say why. Somerset opens the package and recoils in horror at the sight of the contents. He races back to warn Mills not to listen to Doe, but the killer reveals that the box contains Tracy's head. Revealing that he purchased information about Mills by posing as a tabloid reporter, Doe claims to represent the sin of "Envy"; he was jealous of Mills' normal life, and killed Tracy after failing to "play husband" with her. He then taunts the distraught Mills with the knowledge that Tracy was pregnant. Somerset is unable to contain Mills as he fires his gun into Doe, becoming the embodiment of "Wrath". After a catatonic Mills is taken away, Somerset is asked where he will be; he replies, "around".The film ends with the sun setting over the desert, with Somerset quoting Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls: "'The world is a fine place and worth fighting for.' I agree with the second part."

Se7en

Analysis of Se7en
Focus on characters states of mind Psychological horror influence Emphasising characters more than the plot Mental resources more than physical resources Deception games or trying to demolish the others state of mind Themes of reality, death, identity, the mind Dark isolated places, give it a grim feel Successful in bring a psychological thriller, uses all the typical conventional codes and conventions of a psychological thriller.