Settings in Psychological

ThrillersJoe Sheldon

Introductory Settings and The Home

• The initial setting of the main character in a psychological thriller is often used to establish their themes and emotional state.

• Their home can often outline the state of their life, including family and lifestyle. For example, a character owning guns or having a dark and dingy room can be used to portray an evil side.

• In contrast, a happy and safe initial setting can be used to juxtapose their initial mental state with that of the one after a series of traumatic events.

• For our idea, the main character Charlie will start in a darkened room, illuminated by his lighter. The dark symbolises his isolation and evil tendencies, while it also immediately introduces his idiosyncrasy of the lighter.

Location of Pivotal Moments

• The setting of moments which define the plot or the protagonist often follow certain tropes of psychological thrillers. The main feature is darkness, which is often provided by a natural or normal setting that is being subverted.• For example, a woodlands or forest is often seen as serene yet dangerous

when dark, making it an ideal place for a key scene. Our movie idea follows this trope, with the body being found beneath a tree in woodland at dusk.• Since the primary function of this setting is to foreshadow what is to come, the

darkness is apt. Natural settings do not have to include nature, as a house or school at night time can be equally as effective in creating dramatic effect.

Symbolism of Mental States

• The use of a setting can convey the stage of a character’s progress or ark.• Cities are often used as a metaphor for a state of claustrophobia and not being

able to escape. Later in our film, the character pursues his friends to kill them in London, being jealous of Gemma’s high-rise flat.• A character’s feelings can also be mirrored by the weather in the setting; pathetic

fallacy. A stormy situation can connote sadness and anger, while sun near the end of a film can symbolise the coming of peace.• Furthermore, the severity of a setting can be used to show how negative the state

of a character is. A mild grey dusk conveys less fear than a pitch black woodland.

Conclusion

• Since a psychological thriller is meant to manipulate both the mind of the primary character and the audience, the initial use and connotations received from settings are not to be ignored.• The hidden meanings can amplify any setting or emotion.• For example, in Shutter Island (Dir. Scorsese, 2010), many claustrophobic

and close up shots are used to illustrate DiCaprio’s character’s “trapped in” state of mind. Many shots of bare brick walls and sweeping pans of the island demonstrate his isolation and desolate living space.