The document outlines several common codes and conventions used in psychological films. These include characters suffering from delusions or hallucinations that blur the lines between reality and fiction for both them and the audience. Costumes are also used to distinguish real characters from imagined ones. While horror elements create tension, the focus is on psychological fear rather than graphic violence. Questions of reality, identity and perception are central themes as characters and viewers struggle to determine what is real. The deterioration of the main character's mental state drives the narrative.

1. In my research of
psychological films I have
noticed the codes and
conventions regularly used in
this genre:

2. Characters
! A main or subsidiary person suffers with some kind of
delusions and is plagued with hallucinations of the
antagonist
! The lines between what’s real and what’s not may be blurred
for the audience, as the protagonist works to figure out
what’s real
! e.g. Fight Club (1999); the narrator is living a second life but
only realises when this character points it out to him. Up
until then the audience witness a number of clues to hint at
the narrative, but only start to realise when it becomes clear
to the narrator

3. Costume
! Colloquial, creates a sense of realism
! The protagonist wears normal clothes but his hallucinations
may dress oddly, to show how they’re only real in the lead
character’s mind
! e.g. Donnie Darko (2001); Donnie is
presented as a normal teenage boy and the
antagonist is Frank, an unknown figure in a
disturbing rabbit suit – making it obvious that
he is either a figment of Donnie’s
imagination or a very strange person

4. Horror
! There is less physical harm or bloody gore, as the horror
of fear and discomfort is used
! Not all psychological films use horror aspects but when
they do is is generally focused on suspense and tension
! e.g. Psycho (1960); the narrative focuses on the
characters and their mental health, but an element of
horror is used for the murder scene

5. Reality
! Characters and audience alike often struggle to
determine what is real and what is not
! It may be revealed to the audience before the
protagonist
! e.g. The Shining (1980); Jack
struggles to see what’s real, as the
audience struggle to see the
difference between the
supernatural elements of the film
and the fact that Jack suffers from
schizophrenia

6. Mind
! There is usually a first person narrative so we understand
what the protagonist is feeling
! We may see the conflict they go through and/or the
deterioration of their mental health
! The character’s psychological state is the driving force of the
narrative so it helps for us to understand and see their
psychological state of mind
! e.g. A Beautiful Mind (2001); We see what John Nash is
going through and begin to understand what’s happening,
even though he doesn’t know what’s going on

7. Identity/perception
! The protagonist often has to discover who they really are
! However, their perception of it can be different to everyone
else’s if they are suffering from delusions
! Often we are presented with a perception of reality that is
either wrong, and also what the protagonist experiences, or a
different one to them; the real world
! e.g. Shutter Island (2010); we
are presented with 2 different
aims of Teddy Daniels, and it
is up to the audience (as well
as him) to realise which is
right

8. Death
! There is often an element of death; the character is either
fascinated or scared of it
! There is usually an aspect of dying; either in terms of the
character, their past, or their mental health
! e.g. One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (1975); death is
heavily featured in this film, and the ending shows us the
lobotomy of the protagonist – leaving him in a vegetative
state, as though he has been killed