Aice Media Portfolio Project: Choosing between Psychological Thriller and Horror

This past week, I've started to brainstorm for my film opening portfolio project. Right away I knew I wanted something that builds suspense and keeps you on the edge of your seat. At first I thought of the genre thriller, and two ideas came into my mind, Psychological Thriller, and Horror. Since I was little I loved watching Horror films and Psychological Thrillers, so getting the opportunity to make a film opening for one of them seems extremely exciting.

First I will talk about Psychological Thriller.

This sub-genre messes with both the characters and the audience. Unlike Horror they don't rely on monsters or supernatural things, instead the fear comes from within. They normally incorporate elements of mystery, drama, action and paranoia. Some key elements in this sub-genre is how the main character may not be telling the full truth, sometimes even to themselves. They also have many twists and mind games which often leave the audience questioning what is real. They don't rely on jump scares instead they build tension, gradually, as the film goes on.

 An example of a great Phycological thriller is The Silence of the Lambs. This film follows FBI trainee Clarise Starling as she seeks help from Dr.Hannibal Lecter, a serial killer, to catch a murderer. The fear comes from mind games and manipulation, not jump scares. 

1991

The next genre I'm considering is Horror. 

These film are meant to create fear, shock, and tension by playing on our anxieties. They rely on low lighting, and creepy sounds and music. Unlike phycological thrillers, horror movies often use an external source of fear, like supernatural creatures, killers, or something unknown. The main goal of horror films is to unsettle the audience, mainly using jump scares, eerie sounds, and gory images. They normally utilize dark and creepy atmospheres, intense jump scares, themes of death, evil, and normally explores what we fear the most.

A great example of a horror film is The Conjuring. It's based on real events. It follows a paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren as they help a family tormented by a dark presence in their home. They utilize many jump scares and horrifying images.

2013