The document discusses conventions and expectations in psychological thriller genre research. It notes that antagonists are often portrayed as psychopathic or unstable, while victims are usually female "damsels in distress" to elicit audience sympathy. Using younger characters can increase suspense by subverting innocence. Settings like forests and hospitals feel realistic and allow audiences to imagine themselves as victims. Non-diegetic sounds, editing techniques like quick cuts, and low-key lighting are employed to manipulate audiences and build tension.

1. {
Genre Research
Expectations of the psychological

2. CHARACTERS
• Often in psychological thrillers the antagonists are portrayed psychopathic, unstable and have forms of insanity
as oppose to the location the film is set – usually reflective upon normality and easily interpretable for an
audience. Typical victims are demonstrated as the ‘damsels in distress’, in particular females, in order to allow
an audience to sympathise with character. This victim-like perception can be adopted through a significant
change in the narrative, used to show inventible danger to that specific character, usually established by the
callous thoughts of the antagonist.
• In this particular sub-genre, the use of younger characters allow an increase of suspense and uncertainty to be
established, as the audience may associate an attribute of innocence with children, so when this ideology is
subverted, the impact on the audience is far greater due to the clear contrast from society and the plot.
Moreover, children are frequently used as the symbolism of possession or death in the psychological genre,
which may exploit the fears of the elder demographic and therefore, creating further tension.

3. General Conventions
• The psychological sub-genre aims to discomfort an audience through the exposure of irrational thoughts and
emotional fears/vulnerabilities, explored by revealing parts of the psychic minds of a human that are of a darker
nature that an audience may suppress.
• Usually a narrative can enforce the psychopathic nature of a film, commonly using linear-flashbacks which allows an
audience to be informed of the antagonists journey and how an evil soul/spirit can be generated through an audience
exploring the background of a specific character, perhaps linking to how a character has been nurtured which would
provide reasoning of the present state of mind of the antagonist. Moreover, the use of settings such as woodlands,
mansions, schools and hospitals are conventional to the sub-genre as we associate these settings with a sense of
realism. This could be linked back to the ‘Uses & Gratifications Theory’ as an audiences fear is created as they would
be able to image themselves as the victim and thus, adding to the illusion. This further contributes to the relatability of
the sub-genre due to the normality of everyday life being portrayed on screen, as oppose to other genres e.g. the
supernatural, as this tends to reflect a fictional storyline for an audience and perhaps, difficult to interpret if not
executed correctly.

4. Sound & Editing
• The use of non-diegeitc sounds are an effective way to manipulate an audience in order to create a sense of fear and
control, in addition to the creation of suspense and climactic tension, conventional to increase enigmas. A slow-paced
soundtrack is usually used which guides the narrative and the audience to specific moments that hold significance and
therefore, acts as an illusion to play with an audiences mind. In contrast, the use of silences are typically relied upon to
enhance the eerie quality of an atmosphere, with the alternation in rhythm and pace to heighten the panic and mood
of the characters. Moreover, a chaotic sense of sounds can be used to add to the confusion and to captivate the
audience, typically using sound that is contraption which has a juxtaposition with the image. This sound could be
reflect an innocence of laughter, typical of the psychological genre to manipulate the minds of an audience and to
forebode the inevitable danger.
• Regarding editing - quick cuts and editing in a montage style are used to engage the audience in a moment of
suspense, and to highlight the tension in the most significant scenes. Where as low-key lighting s typically used in then
genre to emphasise an emotion of the character, and to distort the characters appearance to seem more ominous and
to portray inner psychic thoughts of a darker nature.