Page "Thriller (genre)" Paragraph 78

* Psychological thriller: In which ( until the often violent resolution ) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical.

Characters, either by accident or their own curiousness, are dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation that they are not prepared to resolve.

Characters are not reliant on physical strength to overcome their brutish enemies, but rather are reliant on their mental resources, whether it be by battling wits with a formidable opponent or by battling for equilibrium in the character's own mind.

At times, the characters attempt solving, or are involved in, a mystery.

The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters preying upon one another's minds, either by playing deceptive games with the other or by merely trying to demolish the other's mental state.

The Alfred Hitchcock films Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Strangers on a Train and David Lynch's bizarre and influential Blue Velvet are notable examples of the type, as are The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Machinist, Don't Say A Word, House of 9, Trapped, Flightplan, Shutter Island, Secret Window, Identity, Red Eye, Phone Booth, Psycho, The River Wild, Nick of Time, P2, Breakdown, Panic Room, Misery, Straw Dogs and its remake, Cape Fear, The Collector, Frailty, The Good Son and Funny Games.