Class
case study- Psychological thrillers history
1920s the first well known psychological
thriller was ‘the lodger’ by Alfred Hitchcock. It is a black and white silent
film.
1930s ‘the most dangerous game’ by Irving Pichel is an
adaptation of a 1924 short story by the same name.
1940s Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rebecca’. The film is shot in
black and white, and is gothic tale.
1950s the man who cheated himself is a 50s american crime film
noir directed by felix e. feist.
1960s
‘the sinister urge’ is a film that was written and directed by Ed wood. The film
revolves around a series of murders of young women.
1970s sleuth is a 1972 mystery thriller film directed by
Joseph L. Mickiewicz (his last film).
1980s brimstone and teachle by Dennis
potter is about a strange young man who has a sinister effect on the family of
a middle-aged writer.
1990s the silence of the lambs. A young F.B.I cadet must
confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on
catching another serial killer who skins his victims.
2000s the
machinist (2004). An industrial worker hasn’t slept in a year begins to doubt
his own sanity.
Most recent
black swan (2010). A ballet dancer winds the lead in ‘swan lake’ and loses her
mind slowly.
Narrative of
psychological thriller:
·
The
plot sequence will usually start with equilibrium, where all is fine nothing is
wrong.
·
This
equilibrium will then be disrupted by something, for example someone gets
murdered.
·
Then
the hero characters will make an attempt to restore the equilibrium an example being
that they try to catch the murdered.
·
This
usually follows the situation where they try to restore the equilibrium but
fail in doing so far, for example they try to catch the murderer but he slips
away.
·
This
is then followed finally by restoration of a new equilibrium, which usually
involves the catching or killing of the murderer.
How has the
thriller genre developed over time?
Thriller movies
are intended to create an intense effect on the viewer, making them feel the uncertainty
and suspense. The thriller movie began with the silent movies. As time went
passed more thrillers were created with sounds which created a much more effect
amongst the audience. However, if we have a look over the plots of the
thrillers films they have developed over time as well. The amount of suspense
and tension is more and the message is conveyed with more effectiveness. The character
profiles changed as the actors used were more effective in the roles and their
work was displayed very well. One of the famous thriller films directors of the
ancient times is Alfred Hitchcock who gave many of the award winning iconic
thriller films of the time. His most famous film of the time was ‘psycho’ which
was much appreciated at the time. Later on, in the years many other thriller
films were created by many other directors which were well known and helped the
thriller genre to grow and become more known.
