Psychological Thriller Conventions

Psychological Thrillers use the conventions of classic thrillers, but they also have their own sub conventions. These include: The central theme of 'Identity' which involves mistaken identity, stolen identity, dual identity, doppelgangers, confused identity and amnesia. The theme of 'Perception and Reality' can give the sense of seeing the narrative from the perspective of multiple characters. A character having a different perspective of what is and what isn't real compared to the norm establishes in the film. The theme of 'Memory' can often involve the torture of an individual with a traumatic memory. The trauma of a specific last memory (i.e. the death of a friend that haunts the characters). The theme 'Stream of consciousness' is a device of ten used in psychological thrillers to give an insight into the psyche of a particular character — usually the main protagonist. Another common convention used is an 'Unreliable Narrator'. Psychological thrillers often play on the idea of the inherited trust placed in the narrator or the central character that the narrative follows. 'Technical devices' such as flashbacks and repetition in editing are common. 'Imagery' — a close up of eyes are a frequent motif, also another classic psychological thriller convention.