Genre Question

[jetty]

Can anyone comment on "psychological" thrillers? Does that genre technically exist in film (in novels I'm quite sure it does). If so, can you think of any films? Thanks.

jetty

[CRASH]

That horrible film with Ashley Judd, "Eye Of The Beholder" is a psychological thriller.

So is "Primal Fear," "Final Analysis," "Color Of Night."

Hitchc0ck's "Rope," "Suspicion," "Strangers On A Train."

The list is endless...

[Bill Marquardt]

Jetty - just popped in, as I haven't corresponded with you lately, and didn't want you to think I was ignoring you. Like Crash says there, just about any Hitchcoc-k film fits the genre, my fave being "North by Northwest." Brian DePalma has many psycho thriller films, such as "Dressed to Kill", but his work is largely considered imitative.

Bill M.

[Zeeman13]

Uhh...Psycho? American Psycho? Psycho Beach Party.

[Goreomedy]

The genre does exist in film, with Repulsion and the original The Vanishing being my favorites.

Notice the brilliant use of subjective camera work in Repulsion.

-- Gore

[Bill Marquardt]

Gore guy - yeah, the European "The Vanishing" has to be at the top of the list for psycho thrillers. It showed the protag's thought process in how he set up everything and learned from mistakes. Very scary in its realism.

Bill

[wcmartell]

All of the good ones have been mentioned... except THE TENANT and GASLIGHT.

- Bill

[jetty]

Crash Bill Zee and Gore
Thanks a bunch. I'll look into some of those....

Actually I'm trying to reassure myself that labelling a screenplay a "psychological thriller" is not going to raise eyebrows -- I've heard it used with novels but rarely if ever with film. That's just my recollection. I guess I'd call that one with Michael Caine and Christopher Reeves one (can't remember title). Also by tacking on "psychological" to the genre (though it is one in my mind) I don't want to cast into the land of unwanted/odd scripts.

Bill, never noticed, no worries here. But I'll be the first to tell you if I'm feeling neglected. (I think you're letting that Play Misty For Me crackpot creep into your unconscious ;) ) I'm pretty happy go lucky for the most part.

Right Zee?

[Zeeman13]

Yes, you are Jetty. And you're thinking of Deathtrap, which was adapted from a play. (And don't forget Adrian Lyne's Fatal Attraction.)

[Couchguy]

To an extent, The Sixth Sense is the most successful psychological thriller of all time. Did the kid really see dead people, or was he just disturbed? The moment that Bruce Willis became a believer was the best twist ending...maybe ever.

Your pal,
Couchguy

[Leandro]

Remember this one?

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

And then there are many that, in part, revolved around psychological themes:

Misery
The Dead Zone
Dead Again
Basic Instinct
Silence of the Lambs
Still of the Night (with Streep and Scheider)
M
Dial M for Murder

[CRASH]

Jacob's Ladder.

[SONNY LISTON]

DEAD CALM - how about DUEL

[spidey12]

"Dead Again" messed with my head.
"Raising Cain" as well.

[ksk2]

Fritz Lang's "M" (rentable)

Tod Browning's "Freaks"

The original, silent Cat and the Canary

The Old Dark House (w/Karloff)

American Perfekt

Seconds (w/Rock Hudson)

The original version of The Mask

House of Wax

Play Misty For Me

The Hitcher

Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

The original Night of the Living Dead (zombies were just a sub-text for the societal allegories)

The Roman Polanski flick w/ Gerard Depardieu w/the title I can never remember (Gerard plays a writer questioned by Polanski, playing a police detective)

The list goes on...

[SONNY LISTON]

kosk one great man once said, the more you know the less you have to find out. . .

[Leandro]

Une pure formalité (A Pure Formality)

GREAT movie. A mind-bender with a twist of an ending ala "The Sixth Sense"

Thanks for the reminder!

[ksk2]

Actually, Leandro, thank YOU. It's one of my fave flicks (for many reasons, including camerawork and "Cyrano" REFUSING, NOBLY to be typecast). And I've been saying for a while that 6th Senth needs to at least give a NOD to the ending of A Pure Formality, since although the circumstances differ, the twist is exactly the same.

Just like Le Jettee/12 Monkeys...

Like sitcoms, seems the Brits/French get ripped off w/no credit a lotto the time... but anyway...

Once again, thank you for coming to this board. As with so many, I'm glad tou're around.

May you get sold in the way that you wish, kosk

[jetty]

I wanted a list of films to reference, to see what people consider a psychological thriller. THANKS A BUNCH!! I will look into those mentioned.

And again, to restate the gist of my question. I wasn't asking if there are films "psychological" in nature, but whether it is a viable genre in which to define my screenplay. For example, in a query, "I have just completed a Psychological Thriller...." If there are no "nays" then I guess I'll go with that.

Thanks Zee, that's it! Thanks Bill, Bill, and down the list.
Leandro.... I sure do remember What Happened To Baby Jane. Now that was some acting.

[Leandro]

Jetty,

If you liked Baby Jane...Bette's incredible performance in "Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte" will blow you away!

[Steve]

You might consider just calling your screenplay a "thriller" in your query letter. Thrillers are hot right now and just in case someone doesn't understand what a psychological thriller is, or they have some negative connotation, you can avoid that. Since the purpose of the query is to get them to read the script, I'd just call it a thriller and let them figure out the psychological part for themselves.

[jetty]

Thank you Steve! That's the sort of POV I was looking for. I'll let that percolate. I was also considering that if psychological thrillers were rare, and had a good rep, it might be to my benefit to call it that. The flip side is what you said. And I definitely wouldn't want an agent or producer to read "psychological thriller" and say "Boy is she out of it. Nobody calls them that."

Your perspective gives me something to work with. I may very well go with thriller only.

LEANDRO..... years ago I saw Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte. I recall it blew me away. I need to watch it again. Thanks for the reminder. :)

[Leandro]

The common theme in both--and what makes both so powerful--is what years upon years of mind-warping guilt can do to the otherwise innocent and vulnerable.