Q; With reference to Psycho and other thrillers studied discuss some of the key conventions and techniques used in the thriller genre.
Within the thriller genre there are many different conventions and techniques used to grasp the audiences attention and to connect with them in an emotional or psychological way. The use of disturbed characters and twisted story lines intrigues the viewers into entering the mind set of these types of people and the use of sounds, camera angles and story line also have a huge affect the audiences reactions.
The three thrillers I have studied Psycho, Seven and No country for Old Men all have different conventions and techniques to create tension and suspense throughout the stories. One key convention used in thriller films is the way in which character is represented and developed. Psycho, released in 1960, is the oldest thriller of the three and is considered one of the ‘pioneer’ films within the thriller genre. It went against the general traditions of films at this time and brought something people had never seen before. Psycho is based on a young woman, Marion Crane, who steals $40,000 from her employer when asked to pay the cash in at the bank for him. Due to this she flees her town only to arrive at a small, quiet motel ‘off the beaten track’. She then meets the young man Norman Bates. The film Psycho is a very clever and complex film in the way in which characters are developed and displayed throughout the film. The viewers growing understanding and awareness of key characters is in itself part of the thriller genre.
The character Norman Bates is shown through an uneasy and almost awkward character and identifies to the audience from the first meeting that there is something suspicious and uncertain about this person. This is shown through his uneasy body language and tone of voice when talking to Marion. He has an excited and rushed like tone that displays to the audience his enjoyment of the company of another person however this seems unnatural to the audience watching as he seems to have no understanding on how to act and communicate normally around people. In the discussion between the two characters Norman displays his unnaturally close relationship with his mother which shows to the audience this character is quite lonely and closed off from the rest of the world and this is shown clearly through the way he acts towards Marion. He then goes on to describe his mother to Marion as "Mother--what is the phrase? She isn't quite herself today." Which we then find out is because she is insane and isn’t happy with the presence of a young attractive woman around Norman. Marion then returns to her room to unpack and prepare for the evening. She begins to get undressed and ready to go in the shower and as this happens Norman is shown to be taking down a painting on the wall and looking through a peep hole to watch her undress. This confirms to the audience the characters twisted mindset and that there is something not right and worrying for the situation that Marion is in. We then later on in the film as the story develops find out that the character of Norman Bates has a schizophrenic mind, one side is a confused young man with no real understanding of the world around him and one side which is the insane mother who has the mind of a disturbed killer. Norman then rushes up to the house where his mother is supposedly waiting and Marion begins her shower. The shower scene is one of the most iconic thriller scenes in the history of this genre as it displayed such a horrific act never seen before within film.
During Marion’s shower a figure appears through the door of the bathroom which the viewers are lead to believe is Normans mother but is in fact Norman, however we do not see the killers face throughout the scene, the scene then progresses and the most famous and shocking event occurs where he then stabs Marion to her death. After this horrific act Norman is his young man character cleans up after his ‘mother’ and carries on with his life as if he is used to the process. This is an unusual act to take place as we have only seen his ‘good’ side so far through the film. As the film progress more people come to the motel in search for lost Marion and one by one the are killed off by Normans ‘mother’ however the audience do not know it is Norman committing the crimes until the final scene of the film. Alfred Hitchcock develops and displays his character extremely well in masking his evil side through the film. 
In comparison to Psycho in the film No Country for Old Men the use of an deranged serial killer is portrayed in a completely different way. The character of Anton Chigurh played by Javier Bardem is a disturbing character who shows no emotion through his facial expressions and body language and takes the decision between life and death by flipping a coin. As this character is displayed throughout the film the viewers begin to see the inhuman and disturbed acts he undergoes and how he does them in emotionless way and this makes the audience feel awkward and uncertain at what he could do next. The Coen Brothers (the directors) have used this character in a very effective way to draw the audience into his insanity and affect them in an emotional way throughout the film.
In the film Seven we follow two detectives hunting down a psychopathic serial killer and trying to prevent the murders that are yet too happen, however we do not see the killer until the end of the film and this leaves the audience guessing throughout the whole film who they are looking for. In “No country for old men” the disturbed killer character is present throughout the whole film in contrast to “Seven” where the serial killer does not enter the film until the final scenes.Throughout the story it follows two detectives, Somerset and Mills. Somerset played by Morgan Freeman is a very organised and very experienced detective who takes the leading role in their partnership. Mills on the other hand played by young Brad Pitt is an enthusiastic and eager character who without the guidance from a more experienced detective would rush into dangerous situations. He is also married to a woman played by Gwyneth Paltrow who is an innocent, kind, welcoming character who has a huge impact on the film in the later scenes. The story evolves around solving 7 murders relating to each 7 deadly sin, gluttony, envy, wrath, greed, sloth, pride and lust. The two characters develop a strong relationship as the story unravels and begin to share the same passion to stop this psychopathic killer John Doe played by Kevin Spacey and the horrific murders he is committing. The film is directed in an extremely effective way in that even though we do not see the killers face or body language throughout the majority of the film we have seen the acts he has committed and this connects with the audiences emotions and they can draw conclusions and be embraced into the mind of this crazed murderer. We also see through these well thought out plans that the killer is extremely intelligent, unlike the “kill everyone” method that Anton Chigurh has in “No country for old men”. His plan resolves in handing himself in to the two detectives with two murders left to complete all his seven murders. This confuses the audience as surely this cannot be the end, he wouldn’t have given up without completing all of his “work” however as we later find out it is all part of the process. John Doe leads the two detectives where to two final murders are going to take place. There is no music throughout the journey just the excited sound of the killers voice and this builds the tension as the neither the audience or the two detectives know what is about to happen. The penultimate murder is the most shocking, a perfectly timed package is delivered to the detectives with head of young detective Mills wife this then triggers Mills to shoot John Doe himself and this concludes the 7 deadly murders and the killer ultimately wins. This concludes the portrayal of bizarre mentality of this man and that he is willing to kill himself so that he can complete all his seven murders. His disturbed plan and method have a huge impact on the thrilling aspect of the film as you cannot work out why someone would do this and what is going to happen next.
The use of sound throughout films however often has the most effect on the audience and gives the film its main thrilling aspect. The iconic section of strings throughout Psycho has a huge effect on building tension and suspense as events unfold and murders begin to occur. When the music occurs throughout the film it highlights to the viewers that something bad is going to happen and gives them a sense of unknowing and anxiety for what is going to happen. This puts the audience on the edge of their seat and Alfred Hitchcock used this use of music extremely well.
In contrast to Hitchcock’s use of music, the film ‘No country for old men’ uses the absence of music throughout the film to create an uneasy and tense atmosphere. The removal of music means that the audiences emotions and feelings throughout the film are affected by the story and characters rather than the music. This method seems unconventional as they’re are thoughts that this could make the film dull and emotionless the absence of sound is incredibly vital in drawing the audience in and leaving them almost breathless at the events that are happening. For example, in the scene in which the character Anton Chigurh is closing in on his money at the motel in which the protagonist Llewelyn Moss is hiding, there is no sound throughout the scene apart from the ticking sound of Anton’s money tracker and this creates an incredibly tense atmosphere as it speeds up when moving closer to the money and the viewers begin to fear for the life on the other characters. “Seven” uses a mixture of silence and low, tense music to creates a uneasy, murky atmosphere throughout the film as the plot thickens and as they get closer to finding the next clue and solving the murders. The opening credits have almost jittery and edgy use of music. This gives a first impression to the audience of the atmosphere and setting the film is going to have. In some sections such as when the two detectives are investigating an area where the killer may be hiding there is no music and just the sound of the rain falling in the background. This is used extremely well as it focuses the audience on the scene and creates an intimate relationship between the viewers and the emotion of the characters.
In all three thrillers discussed above the use of techniques and conventions of the thriller genre are used very effectively and have an impact on the psychological and emotional mindset if the viewers. They have all used mixtures of silence and low tense music that builds up to create tension and have the audience on the edge of their seats. The use of characters and casting is also extremely beneficial to the films thrilling aspect as the acting and writing draws the audience into the story line, this means that when a certain character is in the shot all focus is on him and every action and event that takes place throughout the film affects the audience in an emotional or psychological way as you develop a bond between the character and yourself.
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