‘How do the features of a restricted narrative build suspense for the audience in Psychological Thriller films?’ I will be analysing the narrative structure of Psychological Thrillers, as well as the ideologies that distinguish thriller films from suspense films; by completing this research, I will gain an understanding of how texts are constructed in this genre to be effective at producing suspense throughout the narrative. The research I will be conducting will be referencing two films belonging to the Psychological Thriller genre: Se7en (1995, David Fincher), and Memento (2000, Christopher Nolan). I have chosen these two films because they are both constructed utilising restricted narratives, but the strategies involved in achieving that differentiates greatly.…
The movie “The Machinist” was a psychological thriller film first written by Scott Kosar then directed by Brad Anderson, it was first on air in 2004. The main character of the film was named Trevor Reznik, who suffered from a psychological disease called insomnia, leads to obsessive compulsions to write down things on a note-it and leave it on the fridge door as a reminder and unusual hallucinations of a new co-worker that cause life threatening and health harming problems for himself and along…
many critics, Alfred Hitchcock is known for his suspense and psychological thriller in his movies. The movie crafted by Hitchcock “The man who knew too much.” is an absolute masterpiece containing Mystery, suspense and drama. There are two versions of the movie one released in 1934 and the other released in 1956 and both the remakes were directed by Hitchcock himself. Even though the original movie was remade after 22 years, both original and the remake are considered equally great, and are a…
The shot being referred to throughout this essay is that between 01:42:05 and 01:44:17 of Hitchcock’s psychological thriller film Vertigo. Before this shot takes place, we ,along with John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson, have been lead to believe that Madeline Elster committed suicide, jumping out of the church bell tower at Mission San Juan Bautista. In the time following the suicide, Scottie becomes emotionally unstable and blames Madeline death on himself, his acrophobia holding his back from climbing…
Alfred Hitchcock once said “there is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it”(Crow, Jonathan).One of the greatest filmmakers of all times, was nicknamed “The Master of Suspense” for he was creating a psychological suspense in his films, which resulted in a unique watching experience (Alfred Hitchcock." Bio.com.). He was also an acknowledge master of the thriller, a genre he virtually invented (Ramirez Berg, Charles) and a brilliant technician. Born in London on August 13, 1899…
Casablanca is considered to be one of the greatest films of all time, and it’s not hard to see why. Coming at a time when the world needed it most, the film brings comedy and romance to a dark situation. It is often considered a noir film because if this darkness, but it’s lightheartedness, along with other elements, keeps it from falling into the gloomy genre. Released only a year apart, Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon share multiple commonalities, which fuels the debate over whether or not…
M (Fritz Lang, 1931) is a cinematic German piece that aided in introducing the psychological thriller genre to a wide audience across the globe. When compared to American cinema at the same time, M is distinguishable by its’ dark theme and clear opposition toward the Nazi regime in a time of censorship, American cinema during the time was experiencing the ‘Golden Age’ of Hollywood, producing very star-studded films that were transitioning from the family friendly to adult oriented and thus, also…
Through is use of violence, suspense and surprises, the thriller has long been one of the most popular genres in film. Since the father of the thriller, Alfred Hitchcock, released Psycho, thrillers have captivated audiences with the combination of suspense and anxiety. Austrian-born director Michael Haneke, takes the central ideas of thrillers and places his own twists and style in his film to create his own unique brand of thriller. This is very evident in this 2002 movie, Caché. Despite…
A thriller can be defined as “a work of fiction or drama designed to hold interest by the use of a high degree of intrigue, adventure, or suspense.” While this is very true, there is one literary element that is or should be necessary when writing a thriller. There are two short stories that can be compared with each other in terms of the author’s use of a literary element known as irony. “The Watchers” by Florence Engel Randall and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson contain varying levels of…
Lino Brocka’s best-known film, Maynila sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, is arguably the most complicated work in Philippine cinema. Translated as “Manila in the Claws of Neon” and “Manila: in the Claws of Darkness” to foreign audiences, the film made it in some international critics’ lists as one of the most important films ever made. The indecision in providing a more accurate translation sheds light to the uncertainty of the film’s characters, their fates bounded by Manila’s luminescence and…