Psychological thriller

Psychological thriller is a genre commonly used to describe movies and books that deal with psychological narratives in a thrilling setting.

In terms of context and convention, it is a subgenre of the broader ranging thriller narrative structure,[1] with similarities to Gothic and detective fiction in the sense of sometimes having a "dissolving sense of reality". It is often told through the viewpoint of psychologically stressed characters, revealing their distorted mental perceptions and focusing on the complex and often tortured relationships between obsessive and pathological characters.[2] Psychological thrillers often incorporate elements of mystery, drama, action, and paranoia. Closely related to the psychological horror genre, the latter generally involves more horror and terror elements and themes.

Definition

Peter Hutchings states varied films have been labeled psychological thrillers, but it usually refers to "narratives with domesticated settings in which action is suppressed and where thrills are provided instead via investigations of the psychologies of the principal characters."[3] A distinguishing characteristic of a psychological thriller is it emphasizes the mental states of its characters: their perceptions, thoughts, distortions, and general struggle to grasp reality.[4]

According to director John Madden, psychological thrillers focus on story, character development, choice, and moral conflict; fear and anxiety drive the psychological tension in unpredictable ways. Madden stated their lack of spectacle and strong emphasis on character led to their decline in Hollywood popularity.[5] Psychological thrillers are suspenseful by exploiting uncertainty over characters' motives, honesty, and how they see the world.[6] Films can also cause discomfort in audiences by privileging them with information they wish to share with the characters; guilty characters may suffer similar distress by virtue of their knowledge.[4]

However, James N. Frey defines psychological thrillers as a style, rather than a subgenre; Frey states good thrillers focus on the psychology of their antagonists and build suspense slowly through ambiguity.[7] Creators and/or film distributors or publishers who seek to distance themselves from the negative connotations of horror often categorize their work as a psychological thriller.[8] The same situation can occur when critics label a work to be a psychological thriller in order to elevate its perceived literary value.[7]

Literary devices and techniques
  • Plot twist – Films such as Psycho and The Skeleton Key have advertised the fact that they contain plot twists and asked audiences to refrain from revealing spoilers. Psychological thrillers with poorly received plot twists, such as The Village, have suffered in the box office.[9]
  • Unreliable narrator – Andrew Taylor identifies the unreliable narrator as a common literary device used in psychological thrillers and traces it back to Edgar Allan Poe's influence on the genre. Criminal insanity may be explored as a theme.[10]
  • MacGuffin – Alfred Hitchcock pioneered the concept of the MacGuffin, a goal or item that initiates or otherwise advances the plot. The MacGuffin is frequently only vaguely defined, and it can be used to increase suspense.[11]
  • Red Herring - Red herring was popularized by William Cobbett and is defined as a kind of fallacy that is an irrelevant topic introduced to divert the attention of the audience. A red herring is used to lead the audience to make false assumptions and mislead their attention.[12]

Themes

Many psychological thrillers have emerged over the past years, all in various media (film, literature, radio, etc.). Despite these very different forms of representation, general trends have appeared throughout the narratives. Some of these consistent themes include:[4]

In psychological thrillers, characters often have to battle an inner struggle. Amnesia is a common plot device used to explore these questions. Character may be threatened with death, be forced to deal with the deaths of others, or fake their own deaths.[4] Psychological thrillers can be complex, and reviewers may recommend a second or third viewing to "decipher its secrets."[13] Common elements may include stock characters, such as a hardboiled detective and serial killer, involved in a cat and mouse game.[14] Sensation novels, examples of early psychological thrillers, were considered to be socially irresponsible due to their themes of sex and violence. These novels, among others, were inspired by the exploits of real-life detective Jack Whicher.[15] Water, especially floods, is frequently used to represent the unconscious mind, such as in What Lies Beneath and In Dreams.[16] Psychological thrillers may not always be concerned with plausibility. Peter Hutchings defines the giallo, an Italian subgenre of psychological thrillers, as violent murder mysteries that focus on style and spectacle over rationality.[17] According to Peter B. Flint of The New York Times, detractors of Alfred Hitchcock accused him of "relying on slick tricks, illogical story lines and wild coincidences".[18]

Examples

Screenwriters and directors
  • Brad Anderson – Ethan Anderton of firstshowing.net describes Anderson's psychological thrillers as "unique" and covering the theme of memory loss.[19]

Video games

Film

Television

Literature

Anime and manga
gollark: Yes, gibson is owner now, he got 25 votes.
gollark: Ah, Galaxtone, hello. The vote gibson thing has now been dealt with.
gollark: ·· ······.
gollark: Yes, it was resolved perfectly well in our conference.
gollark: * for reasons, but ones which were somewhat bad

References
  1. Dictionary.com, definition, psychological thriller (definition), Accessed November 3, 2013, "...a suspenseful movie or book emphasizing the psychology of its characters rather than the plot; this subgenre of thriller movie or book – Example: In a psychological thriller, the characters are exposed to danger on a mental level rather than a physical one....",
  2. Christopher Pittard, Blackwell Reference, Psychological Thrillers, Accessed November 3, 2013, "...characteristics of the genre as “a dissolving sense of reality; reticence in moral pronouncements; obsessive, pathological characters; the narrative privileging of complex, tortured relationships” ( Munt 1994)..."
  3. Hutchings, Peter (2009). The A to Z of Horror. Scarecrow Press. p. 253. ISBN 9780810870505.
  4. Packer, Sharon (2007). Movies and the Modern Psyche. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 87–90. ISBN 9780275993597.
  5. Bowie-Sell, Daisy (2012-01-23). "John Madden on Psychological Thrillers". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  6. Whitney, Erin (2012-11-15). "Gretchen Mol Returns to the Stage in 'The Good Mother'". Backstage. Retrieved 2013-08-21. element of a psychological thriller because ... suspenseful feeling of who did what, who's being honest ... about perception...
  7. Frey, James N. (2010). How to Write a Damn Good Thriller. Macmillan Publishers. pp. 15–19. ISBN 9781429913638.
  8. Barton, Steve (2008-05-27). "Six Things that Still Drive Me Psycho". DreadCentral. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
  9. Breznican, Anthony (2005-08-11). "This Shocking Twist Is ... Secret". USA Today. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  10. Taylor, Andrew (2009-01-16). "The DNA of detection". BBC. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  11. Santoski, Teresa (2012-08-13). "The Week in Preview: "I am a typed director. If I made Cinderella, the audience would immediately be looking for a body in the coach." – Alfred Hitchcock". The Nashua Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
  12. "Red Herring". 2020.
  13. Holden, Stephen (2011-04-14). "Romance or Film Noir? Both, and a Thriller". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-08-21.
  14. Wright, Chris (2011-07-31). "Your Psychological Thriller". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  15. Summerscale, Kate (2008-04-04). "The Prince of Sleuths". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-11-02.
  16. Indick, William (2004). Movies and the Mind. McFarland & Company. p. 70. ISBN 9780786480920.
  17. Hutchings, Peter (2009). The A to Z of Horror Cinema. Scarecrow Press. pp. 141–143. ISBN 9780810870505.
  18. Flint, Peter B. (1980-04-30). "Alfred Hitchcock Dies; A Master of Suspense". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-03-23.
  19. Anderton, Ethan (2010-05-14). "Brad Anderson Helming an Amnesiac Serial Killer Film 'Jack". FirstShowing.net. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  20. Hutchings, Peter (2003). "The Argento Effect". In Jancovich, Mark; Reboll, Antionio Lázaro; Stringer, Julian; Willis, Andy (eds.). Defining Cult Movies: the Cultural Politics of Oppositional Taste. Manchester: Manchester University Press. pp. 128–132. ISBN 978-0-7190-6631-3.
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  25. Canby, Vincent (2004). "Dressed to Kill". In Nichols, Peter M.; Scott, A.O. (eds.). The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 9780312326111.
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  27. Crowther, Bosley (1941-11-21). "Suspicion a Hitchcock Thriller at Radio City". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-08-21.
  28. de Semlyen, Phil (2010-08-27). "Satoshi Kon Dies At 46". Empire. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
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  39. [theguardian.com/film/2007/sep/30/thriller.features "The Brave One"] Check |url= value (help). 2007-09-30.
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  48. de la Fuente, Anna Marie (2011-08-31). "DirecTV Latin America nabs 'Mad Dogs'". Retrieved 2013-11-03. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
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  51. Feroze, Towheed (2012-07-28). "The night of eternal stars is yours . . ". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2015-11-24.
  52. Unsworth, Cathi (2011-07-13). "Blue Monday by Nicci French – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  53. "Patricia Highsmith; U.S. Mystery Novelist". Los Angeles Times. Reuters. 1995-02-05. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  54. Korbren, Gerri (1992-01-26). "Private Eyes". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  55. Levesque, John (2002-01-24). "Stephen King's miniseries makes about as much sense as our traffic". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2013-10-29.
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