Psychological Thriller Storyline

Pyschological and emotional stress are the core issue shown in psychological thriller movies. A typical psychological thriller would include a character to overcome their problem with their mind, whether that problem be external (other characters or circumstances) or internal (the character dealing with mental health, fears, stress, emotions, e.t.c.). If this problem be external and the character is facing an enemy, these conflicts are usually brought with mind games, focusing on the psychology of the main character. 

 In many psychological thrillers it is sometimes confusing for the viewer to grasp who is the good guy or bad guy in the film, playing mind games with the viewer as well. This psychological part of the film also links to the classic thriller storylines where tension is built throughout the film, these mind games intensifying the mood and thrill of the film. This tension is usually brought along by the film allowing to keep the audience guessing the next move in the film, or the intentions of a character, doing this by anticipating different developments at each major point in the specific storyline creating a thrill when all the tension is dropped by the resolution at the end of the film - creating the thrill out of the thriller genre.

An example of a psychological thriller storyline is that  from the Silence of the Lambs;

An FBI trainee names Clarice Starling, trying to put behind her West Virginia roots is working hard to advance her career. She decides to work in the agency's behavioural science unit under the leadership of Jack Crawford. Whilst training, Crawford asks her to question Dr. Hannibal Lecter; a pyschiatrist imprisoned for 8 years in maximum security fore being a serial killer, cannibalising his victims. Clarice had to try understand the workings of Hannibal's mind in order to help them solve another serial murder case named "buffalo bill" killing 5 victims, all young women, all drowned in natural bodies of water, and all stripped of large areas of their skin. Clarice also figures out that Crawford used her as a woman to try trigger emotional responses from Lecter. After her first speaking to Lecter she realises these interviews would be a psychological game, where she has to figure out his information by giving him back personal details about herself, deciding how much she will play along like he wants to in return for talking  to him to figure out the case. The case takes a turn when a sixth victim is found, this one allowing them to retrieve a key piece of evidence if Lecter is being true to its meaning. A potential seventh victim   is found to be named Catherine Martin, a senators daughter, placing greater scrutiny on the case as they search for her, hopefully alive.  Whilst in custody to offer the senator information herself, Hannibal kills 2 security guards, escaping by wearing one of the dead guards faces. Clarice finally figures out that 'Buffalo Bill" is skinning the women in order to make a woman suit out of real women, accidentally going to his house while trying to get information on his identity, She gets caught in the basement by him, discovering the senator's daughter alive and shoots and kills him. After the ordeal she is promoted to anFBI agent. However she then gets a call from Lecter, who is abroad and about to make another kill; the doctor at the prison he was held at for 8 years.