Location Shots

School

 Astro Turf
Shots 16,17

Field
Shot 5 (Photo)

Foot Path
Shot 4

Mac Room
Shot 12

Drama Studio (Black Curtain)
Shot 13

Drama Studio (Green Screen)
Shot 2 (Photo)

Classroom
Shot 20

Home

Living Room
Shots 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 21

Hallway
Shot 23

Bedroom (Under the Bed)
Shot 19

Bathroom
Shot 24

Garden
Shot 15

Brigstock

Church

Shots 1,2,3

Country Park

Shot 18

Source: http://www.northamptonshireparks.com/PublishingImages/wood-with-teepee-1.jpg?RenditionId=23

Filming Plan (Notes)

Images Used in Other Shots (Must be Done Before Anything Else)

At School (Daytime)

• Shot 2 - Image of victim to put on missing poster (drama studio).
• Shot 5 - Image of victim and protagonist (school field).
• Shot 13 - Video of victim reading out kidnap terms (drama studio).
• Shot 13 Onwards - Voice recording of victim reading out terms.

Whilst out with Chloe and Michael (Daytime)

• Image of victim in a bedroom window (unknown).

Home Shots

Daytime

• Shot 5 - Close-up of framed photograph of victim and protagonist (living room).
• Shot 15 - Bloodied hand clutching brick wall (garden).
• Shot 21 - Surveillance image of victim in bedroom window on table (living room).

Night time

• Shot 6 - Protagonist watching television (living room).
• Shots 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 - Protagonist receiving text messages (living room).
• Shot 14 - Protagonist shining light into dark room (living room).
• Shot 19 - Protagonist looking under bed (bedroom).
• Shot 23 - Protagonist walking through corridor (hallway).
• Shot 24 - Bloodied hand print on bathtub (bathroom/hallway).

School Shots (Daytime)

Alone (With Someone to Work the Camera)

• Protagonist throwing papers off table (classroom).

With Sam

• Shot 4 - Protagonist looking at vandalised church window (school footpath).
• Shots 16, 17 - Protagonist looking through fence and seeing kidnapper (astro turf).

Brigstock Shots (Daytime)

• Shot 1 - Establishing shot of church (Church St.)
• Shot 2 - Missing poster on telephone pole (Hall Hill).
• Shot 3 - Church window being vandalised (church path).

Whilst Out with Sam (Daytime)

• Shot 18 - Search party going through woods with dogs (Brigsrock Country Park).
• Shot 22 - Kidnapper walking down garden path (Sam's house).

From this I can see there will be up to 8 days of filming. After summarising my shots and locations, I can now go on to creating my action plan.

Risk Assessment (Signed by Teacher)

Trailer Breakdown and Analysis of Psychological Thriller (Shutter Island)

Dialogue - Can build up the storyline without needing a narration, is very good for representing the relationships between characters and establishing the main conflict of the film (e.g Villain vs Hero). 

Subtitles - Helps sell the film with potential award statements, review comments, institutional, directive, and production information, cast names, and selling statements such as 'scariest film of the year'. 

Fast paced - Short clips and intense music works well for horrors and thrillers. For low budget filming, short clips work well because it disguises the low quality of the camera work as the viewer's eyes aren't attracted to it for too long a period of time. 

Structure - First half of the trailer tends to establish the setting, relationships and storyline. A lot of trailers, especially horrors, will use this half to represent the normality of the character's life before the 'fall' if there is a fall in the film. Second half represents the 'climax' of the trailer and will traditionally feature the most action-filled parts of the film.

Order - Trailers are not in chronological order; this tends to make the trailer seem far too 'uniform' and make the viewer feel as though they are simply watching a shortened down version of the film. The trailer must 'tease' the viewer about the film by showing a scramble of clips from the film. 

Voice Over - Can be used for more light-hearted films, especially ones that feature a narrator. This can be easier for low budget filming as dialogue from filming will be of low quality due to the lacking of microphone equipment being used for filming. Either dialogue is recorded separately to the filming and then blended in, or a narration is used to portray the film's plot.

Music - Depending on the genre of the film, the music will vary. For intense trailers, an actual soundtrack may not be used and instead a fast-paced score with drums will be used to give the trailer a build up of some sorts. A comedy will traditionally include an upbeat soundtrack whereas a drama will either use a mellow soundtrack or score.

Trailer Analysis 

Structure - Opens up with an establishing shot of the ship approaching the island since the fact the mental facility is on an island plays a big part in this film. To begin with, the film is relatively calm, showing the main character as an ordinary detective. This is to give the audience a look at the character before his downfall. As the trailer jumps to the character entering the institute, he is confronted by guards to hand over his weapon. This is developing the conflict between the main character and the island as the island is being portrayed as a very dangerous and problematic place. Then the case is brought in, showing the main character as being a good and professional detective. Before, during, and after this hints are dropped in that the institute is extremely dangerous due to the patience it inhabits - introducing a possible problem that will arise for the main character. But as the trailer draws on, the conflict of the film is introduced - the people who run the island vs the detective. And then at the end it is revealed that the people who run the island are possibly using the detectives for something or trying to mess with them.

Dialogue - Dialogue opens up by introducing the setting of the film as being in a mental institute, the establishing shot of the island shows that the mental institute is situated on an island. As the camera pans into the institute, the dialogue laps over it introducing the place as 'Shutter Island'. When the dialogue goes on to announce the hospital only takes the most dangerous and violent mental patients, this grows more tension because we're getting the idea that this is a dangerous place. Towards the middle of the trailer dialogue about the case the main character is investigating is then overlapped with shots of him searching the missing patient's room. Towards the end, dialogue is no longer structured clearly and instead becomes an overlap of the main character and his partner shouting things ands rising possible questions for the audience. The increase in tension is represented by how panicked and disturbing the dialogue becomes the further on the trailer gets. As the trailer ends and the title of the film is introduced, one final piece of dialogue of Ben Kingsley's character stating that if you confront a monster you must stop it, this is shown overlapping a clip of DiCaprio being attacked by a patient of the institute. 

Music - The music opens with large boom noises that are slow-paced. But despite this, the way they come forward after each shot prepares the audience for what's to come. Once the case is introduced, the music takes a more horror-themed tune and uses fast paced strings. Towards the end, various other instruments are used such as piano and other ambient noises. This matches more with the psychological drama. Near the end, we have a fast-paced drumming-type music to represent the increase in tension.

Subtitle - The subtitle first introduced this as a Martin Scorsese film. Martin Scorsese is a well known director, especially for gangster films, and has a large backing of fans so his name alone is likely to get people interested in seeing the film. Martin Scorsese is also well know for featuring a downfall of the main character in most of his films so fans of this director will have a slight idea of what is to come. At the end, Leonardo DiCaprio's name pops up as since he's one of the largest names in hollywood right now, just his name alone is enough to attract a backing for this film.

Effects - Quick flashes are used to make the audience jump, showing that not only is the institute dangerous but it is also a scary place. This is out of the ordinary for a psychological thriller as usually flashes and loud noises are common in horror trailers. Freeze frames are used during the rise in tension of the trailer as the main character starts to realise things are very wrong on the island. Jump cuts are also used between shots, sometimes during a shot to give the impression of insanity. 

Shooting Script

Character by JessCB on Scribd

Questionnaire Results

Results from 999msvalkyrie

Storyboard

Psychological Thriller Questionnaire

Link: Survey Monkey Questionnaire

Font Analysis

Font by JessCB on Scribd

Because I will be creating my own font for my film, I will include only SIMILAR fonts to the one I could possibly be creating in my audience questionnaire so my target audience can advice me on the font style to use.

Legal Responsibilities

Legal responsibilities from 999msvalkyrie

My Film Title

Brief Synopsis:
A psychological thriller film set in a small village. When a young woman goes missing within this reclusive community, her sister begins receiving messages from her possible kidnapper. Unable to contact the police, she must play along with this kidnapper's mind games if it means finding her sister unharmed.

Film Titles:
A good film title is short and snappy so it is easily eye-catching on a poster and also sticks inside the viewer's head. Based on my synopsis, these are the titles of psychological thriller films with similar storylines:
- The Vanishing
- Gone Girl
- The Conspiracy
- Prisoners
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

All of these are short and to the point, they immediately give the viewer an idea of what the film is about. It should also be related to the genre of the film. Films like 'Saw' and 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' hint to blood and violence therefore are instantly recognisable as horror. My title must hint towards the mind or my synopsis about a missing person. Most film titles are around the central conflict of the film. 'The Vanishing' instantly tells us that the main conflict is a person going missing whereas 'Gone Girl' narrows this further by telling the audience a girl has gone missing. 'Prisoners' has a different effect because the centre of the plot is more about the father of one of the missing girls taking prisoner one of the suspects rather than finding the two girls that have gone missing.

Because a film title is very important and effects how the films comes across to the audience and how the marketing material will look, I will instead come up with a number of titles and then allow my target audience to choose the most effective one in my target audience questionnaire. These titles will be thought of based on my plot and genre, I will also be researching these titles to make sure no major films have the same title as that would cause problems for people looking to watch my film as they may get the two films confused.

My Film Title Ideas:
- Mind Games
- The Missing
- Pieces
- Finding Alice
- Breaking Down
- Wicked Games

Directors of Psychological Thriller

Richard Dyer's 'Star Theory'

Richard Dyer's 'Star Theory' from 999msvalkyrie

BBFC Age Classification

The British Board of Film Cassification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organisation responsible for film age classifications in the UK. Film classification is needed to protect children from unsuitable content within films and also gives viewers the opportunity to decide whether or not to watch a film based on its content. 

The BBFC work by having two examiners watching a film for its theatrical release (one for DVD) and giving it both an age rating and short description of issues found within the film such as swearing or drugs so the viewer knows what they or their children are watching. Each age rating has its own standards of what is or is not allowed, BBFC give a film an age rating depending on whether it matches the criteria or not. A senior examiner will then confirm the two examiners' reccomendation and if they disagree with the rating, the film will be seen by other members of the board, include the chief executive and presidential team. Sometimes the BBFC will also take specialist advice on the legal acceptability of the film and whether it has any potential for harm.

The themes looked at include discrimination, drugs, horror, imitable behaviour, language, nudity, sex, and violence. Tone is also taken into consideration as often a horrific scene can be very different depending on whether its tone is also horrific. DVD and Blu-ray rating tends to be more strict than cinema release as home viewing is more accessible for underage viewers, this is why cinemas allow a 12A whereas a home release becomes a 12. 

Bbfc classification from 999msvalkyrie

When My Film Would be Exhibited in Cinemas and Why

Psychological Thriller Timeline Release Dates

1940s

Rebecca (1940) - March 28

Spellbound (1945) - October 31

1950s

Rear Window (1954) - September 1
Les Diaboliques (1955) - January 29

Vertigo (1958) - May 9

1960s

Psycho (1960) - June 16
Repulsion (1965) - October 27
Wait Until Dark (1967) - October 26

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) - June 12

1970s

Straw Dogs (1071) - November 2
Play Misty for Me (1971) - November 3
The Conversation (1974) - May 22

Taxi Driver (1976) - February 8

1980s

The Shining (1980) - May 23

Fatal Attraction (1987) - September 18

1990s

Misery (1990) - November 30

The Silence of the Lambs (1991) - January 30
Cape Fear (1991) - November 13
The Vanishing (1993) - February 5
Falling Down (1993) - February 26
The Good Son (1993) - September 24

Se7en (1995) - September 22
Copycat (1995) - October 27
Primal Fear (1996) - April 3
The Game (1997) - September 12
Pi (1998) - July 10
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) - July 16

Fight Club (1999) - October 15
The Bone Collector (1999) - November 5
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) - December 12

2000s

Memento (2000) - March 16
What Lies Beneath (2000) - July 21
The Cell (2000) - August 18
Hannibal (2001) - February 9
The Others (2001) - August 10
Session 9 (2001) - August 10
Don't Say a Word (2001) - September 28

Donnie Darko (2001) - October 26

Frailty (2001) - November 7
Vanilla Sky (2001) - December 14

Insomnia (2002) - May 24
One Hour Photo (2002) - September 13
Red Dragon (2002) - October 4
Identity (2003) - April 25
Mystic River (2003) - October 15
Oldboy (2003) - November 21
Gothika (2003) - November 21

The Butterfly Effect (2004) - January 23
Secret Window (2004) - March 12
November (2004) - July 22
The Village (2004) - July 26
Trauma (2004) - September 17
The Machinist (2004) - December 17
Hide and Seek (2005) - January 28
Next Door (2005) - March 10
Hard Candy (2005) - April 28
Zodiac (2007) - May 18
Mr Brooks (2007) - June 1
Anamorph (2007) - September 21
The Killing Room (2009) - January 16
Orphan (2009) - July 24
Triangle (2009) - October 16

2010s

Shutter Island (2010) - February 19
Inception (2010) - July 8

Black Swan (2010) - December 3

Sound of my Voice (2011) - April 27
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - December 20

Side Effects (2013) - February 8
Prisoners (2013) - September 20

Gone Girl (2014) - October 3

The research shows that September and October are the two most popular months for a psychological thriller film release. Naturally I would avoid summer, christmas, and 'dump months'. Summer and christmas months such as July and December should be avoided because these are months where children have a break from school and visit the cinema often, therefore these months are filled with blockbuster releases that could become potential competition for my own film. 'Dump months' are months commonly known to feature movies that flop. The biggest one of these is January and February though August and September can also be considered 'dump months' some years. The reason for these months being so unpopular amongst audiences is because they come right after christmas and summer months which are typically the most active months where all the blockbusters are released.

Because my film is likely to be released in 2017 since most trailers are released a few months before the film's actual release, I researched what other films are scheduled to be released in September and October so I could decide between them.

September
IT (Horror) - September 8
The Solutrean (Thriller) - September 15
The Lego Nijago (Children's) - September 22
Granite Mountain (True Story) - September 22
Victoria and Abdul - September 22
The Equalizer 2 (Thriller) - September 29
American Made (Crime) - September 29

October
Blade Runner 2049 (Sci-fi) - October 6
My Little Pony: The Movie (Children's) - October 6
Friday the 13th (Horror) - October 13
The Snowman (Mystery) - October 13
The Commuter (Suspense) - October 13
Insidious: Chapter 4 (Horror) - October 20
The Mountain Between Us (Romance) - October 20
Geostorm (Sci-fi) - October 20
Saw: Legacy (Horror) - October 27

Because October has more film releases during this year and more films similar to my own such as 'The Snowman' and 'The Commuter' therefore more competition, my film will be released in September. I also examined the release days of the films released in the September month and decided to release my film on September 5 since that puts it before any of the big releases in September such as The Equalizer 2 and IT. I searched up what films come late August just to make sure my film is not close to any potential competition and the last film to be released before mine that's worth noting is Flatliners but this is a Sci-fi and comes out August 18.

Audience Use and Gratification Theory

What is it?
Audience theory strives to ask three questions; why do audiences choose certain media, how do they consume this media, and what happens when they consume it? Audience use and gratification theory asks why and what people do when they choose to consume a media rather than the media's affect on the actual audience. It believes that rather than the media being forced onto an audience, the audience willingly chooses the media in order to gratify their needs. Audience use and gratification theory works on the idea that the relationship between the audience and the media has evolved to the point where the audience no longer simply consumes the media but becomes a part of it. The audience choose a certain type of media to fulfill their gratification therefore it is up to marketing to win the audience's gratification over competing medias.

Audience and Media Relationship
An audience can interact with a media in numerous different ways. An example would be writing a review on a movie rather than just watching it, or even just talking about the movie on social media counts as interacting with the film rather than consuming it. People start conversations about TV shows or films and media has become a part of our everyday lives. But because of this, it's believed that audience use and gratification theory is false because we have become so addicted to the media it is no longer an option to willingly choose not to consume it. The media is everywhere whether we want to see it or not. Therefore it's the media that has influence over the people and not the other way around. This has come around with the growth of the media. We can now have more control over the media we consume and how we can interact with it.

Criticism
This theory excludes marketing strategies that target a specific audience group. For example, marketing campaigns assume that women are the general audience for romance films therefore it doesn't market towards a male audience therefore goes against the audience use and gratification theory. But this theory would apply to my own psychological thriller film because it's targeted towards a niche audience that typically explores various films whether they are independent or low budget. Therefore my targeted audience is very open age and gender-wise as it's the type of audience that doesn't follow general trends or fads. 

The theory also suggests we have some form of control over the media which many believe is not true. The media is everywhere from advertisements to television and can have influence over our lives without us even realising it. This happens at a very young age, maybe even before we our conscious of what influences us. An example of this would be children's television shows such as Bob the Builder which is a show clearly targeted towards young boys and first plants the idea that a male role is typically filled with manual labour whereas girls are introduced to shows such as Barbie which introduces feminine elements such as dresses, hair and makeup. This follows up into adulthood where the typical daytime shows revolve around cooking or house refurbishing - shows that have a general audience of housewives. The general public also does not have much control over the information shared across the media. Newspapers decide what information they want to prioritise such as having a celebrity on the front page rather than an update on the Syria crisis. 

My Target Audience

Psychological thrillers prioritise storytelling over visual elements which means they can often be unpopular amongst the mainstream film audience. Because of this, my film marketing will be targeting a niche audience. Because my film will mainly be shown in independent cinemas or art houses, it's important that it targets directly towards a certain target audience in order to generate a profit. A niche audience is typically mature therefore my target audience would be over 18 years old. Therefore the age range of my target audience would be 18-45 years old. Most psychological thrillers will typically have either a 15+ or 18+ rating therefore this suits my target audience. 

Despite psychological thrillers being aimed towards a more mature audience, the majority are given a 15+ rating in order to gather a bigger revenue since psychological thrillers do not easily make a large amount of money like blockbuster movies. An older audience is more suited to a psychological thriller film because whereas a typical teen audience is looking for a thrill-seeking horror or eye-catching cinematography, a mature audience is more likely to be looking for a film with an interesting plot and characters. Despite teens typically being the generation most associated with social media, the adults within my age range are also likely to have access to social media so it is still possible for me to use social media sites such as Facebook and Youtube for marketing strategies. 

Since my film will be targeting a niche audience, they will be the type of people who regularly watch independent films such as The Machinist and Memento, films that are out of the ordinary and not popular amongst the general audience. This type of audience would also be considered 'film buffs' and watch an endless amount of movies within their spare time. This type of audience will also not mind watching low budget films such as American Psycho and Donnie Darko as they focus more on storyline and character development of a film rather than cinematography and action.

My target audience won't have a certain gender to it as both male and females are in a typical niche audience. This is opposed to, say, and action movie which would target towards a male audience as it's usually men who are interested in action. 

Because independent cinemas and art houses tend to be more expensive with food and drinks yet cheaper on the ticket, watching a film at an independent cinema isn't a typical night out with friends. Therefore my mature target audience would be there for the film rather than a good night out with friends.

Codes and Convetions of Psychological Thriller

My chosen genre for my film is Psychological Thriller, I chose this genre because I wanted to create a niche film trailer and thought this genre fit in really well with that type of film. Psychological genres also open up the ability for more artistic scenes since one of the most common themes of psychological thriller is the difference between appearance and reality. 

Methods of Distribution

Creativity Evaluation

Link: Creativity Evaluation Mind Map

Psychological Thriller Timeline

Timeline of the Most Well-Known Psychological Thriller Films

1940s

Rebecca (1940)

Rebecca is about a young woman who is a ladies' companion and falls in love with a wealthy businessman. The two fall in love and move in together but she finds out that he is still obsessed with the death of his previous wife, Rebecca. The psychological thriller genre applies to this film through the moral dilemma of being an accomplish to this man despite having an inkling that he was involved in the death of his wife. It also deals with perception vs reality and whether these accusations are all inside the narrator's head.

Spellbound (1945)
Spellbound is about Dr. Edwardes who is a famous psychiatrist arriving at Green Manors mental asylum after the previous head retires. He then falls for Dr. Constance Petersen who goes on the run with him once she realises he is a paranoid amnesic imposter. Constance then tries to help the man with his condition and also find out what happened to the real Dr. Edwardes. Psychological thriller comes into this through the use of the imposter's amnesia and the moral choice of choosing to try and help him despite his potential crime.

1950s

Rear Window (1954)
Rear Window is about a photographer who has been in his office for weeks after suffering a broken leg. With nothing to do but look out the window and spy on his neighbours, he soon becomes frustrated. But then he witnesses one of his neighbours taking part in a potential murder and must use the help of his nurse and girlfriend in order to find the trust. The genre of psychological thriller comes into this movie through the use of the audience's uncertainty in whether the main character is right in his assumption or not. There are times whether the audience begins to feel maybe all of this is in his head from weeks of being locked up in his apartment.

Vertigo (1958)
A retired detective who suffers from acrophobia is asked by an old school friend to investigate his wife who he believes is going insane and may be contemplating on suicide. She believes she is the reincarnation of a woman who died many years ago. The psychological thriller genre is explored in this film through the use of both the main character's acrophobia and the wife's mental state. It explores the possibilities of her being actually insane or some other truth.

1960s

Psycho (1960)
A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client and goes on the run. She settles at The Bates Motel managed by Norman Bates, a shy man who is dominated by his bedridden mother. Psychological thriller comes into this movie both by the moral dilemma the main character faces when she must choose whether to use the money and get away or turn herself in. Another aspect of psychological thriller films is the mental state of Norman Bates that the film focuses very heavily upon.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Rosemary and her husband move into an apartment together despite warnings that the place has a bad history. The neighbours are friendly and her husband begins to spend a lot of time with them. But suddenly, Rosemary becomes pregnant and begins to have nightmares and fear something may be wrong with her baby. The psychological thriller genre applies to this film through the mental state of Rosemary as she begins to doubt her baby's health. It challenges the question of whether something is actually wrong with the baby and the neighbours are planning something, or whether it's all in her head.

1970s

The Conversation (1974)
A secretive surveillance expert spies on people for a living. When he believes one of the couples he is spying on may be murdered, he jumps into action in finding out who the murderer is, allowing his obsession to part him from his personal life. Aspects of the psychological thriller genre are included in this film through the mental state of the main character. We are left to question whether his suspicion is real or if it's paranoia.

Taxi Driver (1976)
Taxi Driver is about an ex-marine Vietnam war veteran who works night shifts as a taxi driver. He's a lonely man who has strong opinions against the way the world works. Slowly sinking into depression and relying on his night shift to solve his insomnia, Travis is a very troubled man. When the woman he falls in love with rejects him, Travis makes it his mission to save a young prostitute called Iris from her pimp. Psychological thriller is brought into this film through the use of Travis' mental state. He suffers from a lot of mental problems which begin to deteriorate even more as the film goes on.

1980s

Fatal Attraction (1987)
When a happily married man decides to sleep with another woman whilst his wife and daughter are away on an extended weekend, he soon realises the woman he is sleeping with will not let him go and will try anything to keep their relationship together - even if it means harming herself, him, or his wife and child. The psychological thriller genre applies to this film through the use of the moral dilemma of the main character cheating on his wife, and the mental state of the woman he sleeps with and how it effects everyone within the film.

1990s

Misery (1990)
When a best-selling novelist is involved in a car crash, he is pulled from the wreck by his 'number one fan' who makes an attempt to nurse him back to health but does not tell anyone she has taken him. But when she finds out he killed off her favourite character in his latest book, she begins to punish him. The aspects of the psychological thriller genre come into this film through the mental state of both Annie and Paul as he has to live through her torture.

The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
When a young FBI agent is assigned to help find a missing young woman, kidnapped by a murderer who skins his victims, she must confide in cannibalistic psychopath, former respected psychiatrist, Hannibal Lecter. But Lecter is extremely clever and manipulative, she must first gain his trust and work around his games in order to find the girl alive. Psychological thriller is applied to this movie through the use of the relationship between Clarice and Hannibal. We're given an insight on both their mental states and how they can work together in order to find this killer.

Se7en (1995)
Two homicide detectives track down a serial killer who is killing people in the style of the seven deadly sins. Psychological thriller comes into this film both through the mentality and the ethical dilemmas the detectives have to go through in order to catch this killer, and the mentality of this psychopath who believes his murders are for the 'greater good'.

Fight Club (1999)
A nameless insomniac and soap salesman meet and decide to form a new type of therapy for men to take out their aggression; a fight club. But things soon get out of hand when the group ends up becoming an anti-capitalist terrorist organisation. The psychological thriller aspects in this movie are seen through the mentality of 'the narrator' as he struggles to cope with his insomnia and what's going on around him.

2000s

Memento (2000)
After suffering a head injury when robbers break into his house and murder his wife, Leonard can no longer make new memories as his mind is wiped every few minutes. With his last memory being of his wife dying, he's on the hunt for the killer. This film shows psychological thriller aspects through Leonard's condition and his struggle to come to terms with those who he can or cannot trust.

Donnie Darko (2001)
Donnie suffers from daylight hallucinations, when he comes across a giant bunny rabbit called Frank, who warns him the world will soon end. Donnie tries to fix things. But his mentality prevents him from doing this and his hallucinations start prompting him to commit acts of vandalism and worse. The psychological thriller genre comes into this film through Donnie's mentality as he struggles to cope with his hallucination and reality.

Insomnia (2002)
Two homicide detectives are sent to investigate the murder of a teenage girl. But when one accidentally shoots and kills his partner in an attempt to track down the murderer, he decides to cover up his tracks rather than admit to the unfortunate crime. The guilt of killing his partner begins to takes its toll on him and now he's determined to catch the murderer. But another young detective has begun to deduct her own investigation of looking into the truth of his partner's death. Psychological thriller comes into this both through the audience's tension of seeing whether the detective catches the murderer or not, and through the mentality of the detective as he deals with his guilt and the insomnia that is brought on from it.

The Butterfly Effect (2004)
From early childhood Evan has suffered 'blackouts' where he will wake up and not know what just happened. His friends and family all start to believe he is using them as a way to get out of trouble. Now Evan is grown up and the blackouts have stopped, but when he goes back and decides to read one of his old diaries which he used to record events before the blackouts, he realises he has the ability to go back in time and change the outcome of the events during these blackouts. The psychological thriller aspect comes into this film through Evan's ability to change time and also how it affects those around him. But it also reaches the moral and ethical dilemma of changing time, even if it is for the greater good.

2010s

Shutter Island (2010)
U.S marshal Teddy Daniels is sent to investigate the disappearance of a patient at Shutter Island Ashecliffe Hospital, a mental institute for those too dangerous and troublesome for normal hospitals. But when he starts uncovering shady secrets from the hospital and finds them refusing to give him access or tell him about certain information, he starts to suspect they are in on something. Psychological thriller comes into this film both through the tension of finding this missing patient, and also the audience seeing the main character's struggle between his presumptions and reality.

Black Swan (2010)
Nina is a very dedicated ballerina and when the current main casting of the latest Swan Lake production requires a replacement, Nina is the first choice. But although she can perfectly portray the innocent white swan, she doesn't have the dark passion to portray the black swan. Desperate to remain in this role, Nina pursues this dark passion and slowly descends to madness. Psychological thriller comes into this film through the mentality of Nina as she slowly descends to madness.

Gone Girl (2014)
On his 5th wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne finds his wife, Amy, has gone missing. Soon, both the media and police begin to turn on him, questioning his lies and strange behaviour which ultimately leads to the question; did Nick Dunne kill his wife? Psychological thriller comes into this film through the relationship between Amy and Nick and their mentality before and after Amy's disappearance. The audience is lead to both agree and doubt with Nick as it is revealed he may not be as trustworthy as he seems.