K.H - Psychological Horror

• Psychological horror is heavily reliant on enigma.
• It often hinges on an implied threat rather than one that is explicitly shown, and while the danger may become apparent and visible at some point within a film, it is, for the most part, hinted at or concealed.
• It would be fair to say that the sub-genre lends itself to being part of a hybrid.
• Seven (Fincher, 1995) is a good example of a film that strikes a balance between psychological horror and gore, the murder scenes left by the antagonist John Doe being shown to the audience, but the psychology of the character and background of the murders is still being left somewhat ambiguous.
• Shot composition is often pivotal to psychological horror, as the concept does not typically lend itself to pro-filmic effects such as blood packs and prosthetics.
• The Shining (Kubrick, 1980) is heavily reliant on the rule of thirds and use of colour to create an unnerving atmosphere.
• As a few noteworthy examples have proven, psychological horror can lend itself to character studies.
• Both May (McKee, 2002) and American Psycho (Harron, 2000) have proven that a psychological horror film can operate on the disturbing personalities of their protagonists
• The thought processes of their leading characters, communicated through narration and dialogue respectively, cause concern not only over what the characters are capable of and willing to do, but concern for their well-being also, if the characters prove to be likable.
• Additionally, surrealism can often tie-in well with the sub genre, as is very clearly demonstrated by the widely unknown film, Beyond the Black Rainbow (Cosmatos, 2011).
• This is a particularly interesting example as it is psychological horror that use prosthetics, costume, make-up and filters to create a strange, unnatural environment that the audience struggles to relate to and comprehend.