Codes & Conventions of a Psychological Thriller
Famous Films
Iconography
Martin Scorsese
Alfred Hitchcock
Gregory HoblitDavid Fincher
David Lynch
KeyDirectors
Themes
Psychological thrillers tend to follow certain themes which is the centre of the story. Some of them as follows are: • Death• Reality• Identity• Existence• Purpose
Conventions of a psychological thriller
• Low Key lighting- shadows to create fear/tension.• Quick edits & changes in camera angle- increase the feeling of
fear and shock. Often used during significant scenes.• Music- high tension, eerie, silence.• Flashbacks- time disorientation confusing the audience or
showing the past to give an insight into why the characters are the way they are.
• Chiaroscuro- increase effectiveness of shadows.• Claustrophobic spaces- entrapment of the mind, planes or house.• Font/colour of title- may be written in a certain way to emphasise
the theme of the film.