1. Codes And Conventions Of A
Psychological Thriller

2. Mise-En-Scene
• Shadows and low key lighting – These things are a typical convention of a
psychological thriller, they are used to add tension into a scene, and in some cases
are used to represent the inner darkness within the character.
• Props –Mirrors are commonly used in psychological thrillers to portray the use of
reflections of a characters inner self as well as representing the ‘dark side’ of a
character.
• Costumes – Most commonly the villains wear casual/smart clothes fitting in with
the theory we have came to that most psychological thrillers are set in an urban
and modern setting.
• Location – Location is an important element in a psychological thriller, in the
majority of the openings we have watched they are set in modern and urban
settings, the countryside is not often used as it could be confused with horror.

3. Sound
• Most commonly in psychological thrillers the
music used is very eerie and tense, they use
this to build up tension in a scene or create
shock within an audience.

4. Camera Movement
• Camera movements are a important factor in a psychological thriller. Quick
camera movements are made during most psychological thrillers to build
tension and panic within the scene which then makes the audience feel
the same emotions as the character.

5. Editing
• Obtrusive & montage editing is used frequently in psychological thrillers to
highlight the feelings and emotions of suspense and tension within a
scene, this is mostly used in important scenes.
• Flashbacks – this is a typical convention of a psychological thriller because
it shows what has previously happened to give the audience insight in to
the characters past or to highlight an important message that would not
usually fit into the scene, this could be to show the audience why the
character is how they are.
• Black and white colouring is used in psychological thrillers to enhance the
effectiveness of shadows.