In films and television series, psychological horror creates tension through exploiting the shared psychological and emotional vulnerabilities of the human psyche, differing from traditional horrors, where the source of the fear are material threats like grotesque monsters, serial killers, or aliens, as well as the splatter and slasher film genres which derive its frightening effects from gore and graphic violence. In Jungian psychology, this concept aligns with the "shadow" archetype, which encompasses darker, often repressed human traits like dread and paranoia of others, oneself, and the wo
In films and television series, psychological horror creates tension through exploiting the shared psychological and emotional vulnerabilities of the human psyche, differing from traditional horrors, where the source of the fear are material threats like grotesque monsters, serial killers, or aliens, as well as the splatter and slasher film genres which derive its frightening effects from gore and graphic violence. In Jungian psychology, this concept aligns with the "shadow" archetype, which encompasses darker, often repressed human traits like dread and paranoia of others, oneself, and the wo
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In films and television series, psychological horror creates tension through exploiting the shared psychological and emotional vulnerabilities of the human psyche, differing from traditional horrors, where the source of the fear are material threats like grotesque monsters, serial killers, or aliens, as well as the splatter and slasher film genres which derive its frightening effects from gore and graphic violence. In Jungian psychology, this concept aligns with the "shadow" archetype, which encompasses darker, often repressed human traits like dread and paranoia of others, oneself, and the world.
Cinematic techniques
Audience fear is considered to be a defining characteristic in horror films. Filmmakers orchestrate audience fear through specific cinematic techniques to heighten tension and unease among their viewers. While filmmaking techniques might differ across regions and time periods, there are shared visual and storyline elements that better influence a viewer's emotional state during psychological horror films. These elements include, but are not limited to, music and sound, lighting, and story pacing.
Music and sound
In the 1980s, researchers Thayer and Ellison conducted studies examining how different types of music affected the psychological response to stressful visual stimuli. Using dermal electromagnetic measurements to track physiological reactions while participants watched and listened, they discovered that combining stressful music with intense visual images led to stronger psychological reactions than when the same visuals were paired with neutral or non-stressful sounds. The study also found that music with a positive tone influenced viewers to interpret the accompanying visuals more positively, while music with a negative tone made the visuals appear more threatening or unsettling. Professor Blumstein from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California discovered in the screams of yellow-bellied marmots how "nonlinear chaotic noise" in nature was associated with danger or distress.
Academic Xiangyi Fu connects Blumstein's observations with the iconic notes played in Jaws (1975) before characters were about to get attacked by the great white shark. "In The Shining, sound designers even used recordings of animal screams in the film," Fu wrote. Classical music emerged in both The Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal to align with Dr. Lecter's intellectual demeanor along with a more eerie, experimental soundtrack that better mirrored the grim realities that surrounded the cat and mouse dynamic between the serial killer(s) and FBI agents.
Bill Gibron of PopMatters defined psychological horror films as a genre that prompts tension and unease, relying on the audience's or character's imagination to fill in what isn't explicitly shown on screen. Rather than drawing out a visible threat, like zombies in an apocalyptic terrain, the anticipation of a threat is drawn out. This cinematic and storyline element in psychological horror films builds an atmosphere of doubt and confusion among the audience. Gibron ultimately characterized the genre as a "clouded gray area" that lies somewhere between graphic splatter horror and a more unsettling, cerebral cinematic experience.
However, academic Susan Hayward suggested that the terms "psychological horror" and "slasher film" are often interchangeable, both falling under the broader category of "horror-thrillers," and share thematic similarities—particularly in the portrayals of "vicious normalization of misogyny." She noted that in both genres, male characters often derive their sense of identity from their relationship to women, whom they then kill—frequently with knives or chainsaws—reinforcing their own distorted sense of power. In a publication titled Feminist Frameworks for Horror Films, Cynthia Freeland critiques how the existing approaches to horror films primarily align with male viewer interests. Unlike the femme fatale archetype, involving a mysterious and seductive female character that enchants the protagonists into traps, women in horror films are formed by male-determined frameworks.
Since psychological horror films highlight internal conflicts, favoring scenarios that are more grounded in realism than the fantastical elements of supernatural horrors, the genre often challenges the audience's understanding of the narrative by focusing on characters who question their perception of reality and/or their mental stability. For example, the television series Hannibal (2013) follows the destructive relationship between FBI profiler Will Graham and his therapist Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who is secretly a cannibalistic serial killer, and the titular antagonist in The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. Graham grapples with emotional trauma, hallucinations, and mental disorders throughout the series while Dr. Lecter manipulates and gaslights him—blurring the lines between the hard truth and digestible lies.
Psychological horror films often employ unreliable narrators like Graham to suggest that certain elements of the story are misperceived, causing viewers to experience confusion. Alternatively, characters who might appear mentally stable are placed in scenarios where they interact with others who are not—similar to the physician Edwin who works alongside killers in the science fiction film Predators (2010), or the passive husband Lester Nygaard in the crime drama series Fargo (2014). Furthermore, in the critically acclaimed motion picture The Silence of the Lambs (1991), prospective FBI agent Clarice Starling is recruited to interview the imprisoned Dr. Lecter about another serial killer case. In these stories, mental conflict plays a central role, particularly as characters confront morally corrupt situations.
Furthermore, in a body horror film titled The Substance (2024), the goth-style song "Ugly and Vengeful" by Swedish artist Anna von Hausswolff provided an intense backdrop for the film's blood-soaked finale. Screenwriters, produce
