Psychological thriller posters typically use red, black, and white colors which connote danger, violence, and mystery. Low-key lighting is often used on main subjects to create mystery and intrigue against a dark background. Most thriller posters place the title near the bottom in red to stand out, and use thin, clean fonts. Cast names may be placed at the top or bottom depending on where they stand out best against the background image. Psychological thriller posters often use close-ups of unsettled protagonists to emphasize the mental issues and enigma at the story's core.

1. Conventions of Psychological
Thriller Posters

2. Colours
The colours used in
psychological thrillers are
predominantly red, black and
white. Red and black are also
closely linked to horror. They
connote danger, violence,
blood, evil and mystery.
Whereas in horror, these
connotations are often literal, in
psychological thrillers these
connotations are often implied.
Low-key lighting is often used
on the main subjects to create
enigma and mystery. The
background is often dark to
emphasise this. It also helps to
create an unsettling atmosphere;
building tension.

3. Layout/Font
The majority of thriller posters I have seen have
the title near the bottom of the page. The colour
of the title is often red to make it stand out from
the rest of the image. The fonts used within
psychological thriller posters are predominantly
condensed, clean and thin. This makes them look
professional and also connotes the genre. Many
of the posters I’ve looked at show the most
famous cast members in bold at the top of the
poster. However many place the cast at the
bottom dependant on where the font stands out
most against the background. As the majority of
viewers will look at the top first I may have my
title at the top of the poster to subvert the
conventions and make my film title stand out. As
the film and cast are unknown it would make
most sense to promote the film title so
composing the poster with the title at the top
could be the most successful arrangement.

4. A preferred reading of a psychological film
poster would often be that the unsettled imagery
of the protagonist is due to their mental issues.
An aberrant reading might be that the audience
believes that the subject depicted is in serious
danger. There is often very little content within a
psychological thriller poster as the genre often
revolves around enigma. The psychological
aspect within a thriller is the focal point so the
use of close-ups promotes this.