BJ: Psychological Horror

Psychological Horror

Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror fiction, film, and video games (as a narrative) which relies on the characters' fears and emotional instability to build tension. Psychological horror typically relies on the shadowy characteristics of the “other”. Also, many play on the shadowy parts of the self that most people repress or deny, making the viewer uncomfortable. The genre relies on the fact that the antagonists are completely normal people, making it seem more realistic as it feels like it could happen to any of us. Psychological horror uses mental illness and common psychological instabilities to build a character. Often the antagonist will have had a bad background that will have caused them to be mentally ill and this sets them up for the plot.

Donnie Darko (Kelly, 2001)

Donnie Darko (2001)

Donnie Darko is a 2001 American supernatural drama film written and directed by Richard Kelly and starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze. It depicts a teenage boy who regularly sees a person in a rabbit costume that he calls Frank. This ‘Frank’ character tells Donnie that the world will end. The Frank character continues to torment Donnie and eventually causes Donnie to have a breakdown and shoot someone. The doctors dismiss his condition as paranoid schizophrenia.

Donnie Darko is quite an unconventional horror film but it stills holds many of the typical conventions of horror. It is classed as more of a drama.

A Tale of Two Sisters (Jee-woon, 2003)

Other famous psychlogical horror films include The Shining (Kubrick, 1980), The Others (Amenabar, 2001) and A Tale of Two Sisters (Jee-Woon, 2003). A common denominator in psychological horror films is a lonely, isolated person who becomes vengeful or mentally ill due to his/her isolation. They then start to do terrible things due to their built up anger.

Conventions of Psychological Horror

These are some typical iconography you would see in psychological horror:

• The main antagonist/protagonist will have mental issues or be defined as a psychopath.
• Use of weapons like chainsaws and knives.
• Use of seemingly normal people, not much special effects.
• Isolated and lonely antoagonist/protagonist.
• May sometimes play on irrational childhood fears (Clowns, Dolls, Nursery Rhymes)
• Locations such as old mansions, forests etc.
• Low key lighting to create tension.
• Music used to create tension, usually low or minor chords.

Classic scene from The Shining (Kubrick, 1980)

Another famous still from Psycho (Hitchcock, 1960)