Conventions of a psychological horror

Conventions of Psychological Horror

Character: The type of characters that we would find in a psychological horror film would be very mysterious, dark, and gothic in looks, they would also be mentally unstable and emotionally unstable. Sometimes you would not be able to guess that they would be the killer, as they could act like someone else, but that is what makes them unstable. The character would be very creepy, someone that would keep an image in your head of what they look like, and freak you out a little. They would also be very clever with the things they do if they are trying not to get caught, and also very threatening towards people if they don't want to get caught. Other characters would be normal, but very suspicious of the person, or on the other hand, they could be not suspicious at all and just not even notice, which is worst when the audience could know who it is, and this creates a more interesting storyline.

Music and sound: The music would always be very tense, creating a tense atmosphere. It would build up to a moment that would scare everyone. Some of it would be slow, and then when something is happening such as a fight, fast music would be played. There would be less dialogue, to keep the audience guessing what is happening, and focusing more on the action. Music can set a scene straight away.

Set: The set would be very dark and gloomy, setting a scary atmosphere, they would be set somewhere conventional such as in someone's house, school, or hospital. Somewhere with places to hide, if they were being chased. Or they could be set in a woods, which feels enclosed like you have no where to run, it gives a feeling of claustrophobia.

Storyline and cinematography: The storyline would not be expected, there would be a twist at the end that would shock people. There could be flashbacks to give clues, or twist the story even more. Most psychological horrors are really confusing to watch, but when the twist is revealed, it all makes sense in the end. There is always blood and gore, because if there wasn't, it wouldn't be a good horror film.

Examples: An example film of psychological horror would be orphan, the character who is the killer is a little girl. She has dark hair, dark eyes, and a very mysterious look about her, as you can see she is a little child, but she turns out to be freaky, and a face that you wouldn't forget. We know throughout the film that she is the killer, but we don't find out the big twist about her till the end of the film. There is tense music, because she creeps up on a lot of people, and when the fight is happening at the end, there is fast music played.