It is likely in a psychological thriller that external events will prompt an inner crisis, where perhaps a protagonist investigating a crime<\/a> finds themselves with a dissolving sense of reality due to the investigation\u2019s impact on them. A suspicion about a loved one might prompt our main character to spiral, questioning what they truly know about others around them \u2013 and themselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Psychological thrillers have obvious associations with the crime genre<\/a>, but a less well-known aspect is how strongly they are related to the gothic genre. The tension between appearance and reality, a preoccupation with altered or disturbed mental states, and isolation of their protagonists are all common features of both the gothic and psychological thrillers. <\/p>\n\n\n\r\n Our Writing Crime & Thriller Novels course is tailor-made for you! Taught by former Chief Superintendent and best-selling author Graham Bartlett, it covers everything from developing compelling characters to crafting killer plot twists!<\/p>\n<\/div> There are a number of types of psychological thrillers, which all share the key element of a preoccupation with darkness and the inner life of their protagonist(s). <\/p>\n\n\n\n These stories will often have ordinary characters living mundane lives that are disrupted by an inciting incident. This incident prompts a crisis for the main character, who becomes more isolated as they struggle with an external mystery<\/a> and an internal conflict. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Supernatural psychological thrillers often incorporate elements of the paranormal and occult, which intertwine with the protagonist\u2019s perception of reality and may be a factor in the balance of their mind becoming disturbed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In these types of stories, protagonists are driven by vengeance. Perhaps they are the one who is wronged, or someone important to them was. Either way, the desire for revenge at all costs takes a toll on their life, relationships, and ultimately their sanity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The workplace is a perfect setting for a psychological thriller<\/a> \u2013 the possibilities for stressful situations, life-defining events, and toxic relationships are endless. Workplace psychological thrillers will centre around a sudden change in someone\u2019s working life with ever-increasing fallout, threatening the protagonist\u2019s career, relationships, and perhaps even their sense of identity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cuckoos lay their eggs in other birds\u2019 nests, to be raised as their own. The fear of an interloper stealing your very identity \u2013 while no one else seems to even notice anything is amiss \u2013 is a key feature of the gothic genre with the archetypical doppelg\u00e4nger: a chilling and unnatural double. Psychological thrillers featuring the fear of replacement play on this trope, and can cross over with the \u2018domestic\u2019 subgenre \u2013 someone being replaced in a relationship \u2013 or \u2018workplace\u2019 \u2013 being usurped in their career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n From the types outlined above, it is clear to see that a psychological thriller will likely feature a protagonist who experiences an inner crisis due to external events<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That crisis will often cause the protagonist to question their understanding of reality and truth,<\/strong> especially if they experience an altered state of mind. This also links to one of the most enjoyable elements of a psychological thriller \u2013 the unreliable narrator<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reliability of other characters<\/strong> around your protagonist is also brought into question. Who is telling the truth? Who thinks they are telling the truth, but actually is not? Who can be trusted? <\/p>\n\n\n\n All of these aspects of a psychological thriller play out in the genre\u2019s exploration of the darkness in humanity<\/strong> \u2013 the capacity for evil in an individual or societal group. The more familiar the settings, individuals, or groups, the more chilling the exploration of the potential for evil can be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Familiarity provides excellent opportunities for twists \u2013 play with your reader\u2019s expectations<\/strong> of families, colleagues and social groups so that you can pull the rug out for them at the opportune moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, the best psychological thrillers live and die on the authenticity of their protagonists<\/strong>. Providing a backstory that explains who your character is and why they act in the way they do is a key element in creating an authentic and compelling character \u2013 but you may want to hold elements of that context back, so that the character\u2019s history forms part of the twists and turns of your plot. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Catriona Ward\u2019s gripping psychological thriller fits well within the \u2018revenge\u2019 subgenre, as one of the main protagonists, Dee, is engaged on a years-long crusade to find out what happened to her sister. Convinced that the reclusive Ted is the prime suspect in her kidnapping, Dee sets up in the house opposite his to watch him and wait for her chance to prove his guilt. However, nothing in this story is quite what it seems \u2013 including the characters themselves. Ward\u2019s gradual revelation of her characters\u2019 backstories<\/a> is a masterclass in building a compelling and shocking plot that keeps readers engaged until the last page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A classic of the genre, Highsmith\u2019s Ripley stories show him inveigling his way into the lives of others \u2013 making it an excellent example of the \u2018cuckoo\u2019 subgenre. The tension in the plot is driven largely by Ripley striving to replace others in his quest for acceptance and affection, and the lengths that he is willing to go to in order to achieve this. As a result of his subterfuge, even the most innocuous scenes and events are dripping with tension. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Another classic in the \u2018revenge\u2019 subgenre, Park\u2019s stylish and disturbing film follows Dae-su, a businessman who is inexplicably kept prisoner in an apartment for years. Swearing revenge on his mysterious captors, Dae-su embarks on a mission to discover who they are once he is released, and to take his revenge. Twists and turns follow, including who is actually taking revenge on whom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Korede has a quiet and ordered life \u2013 except for when it comes to clearing up her sister Ayoola\u2019s messes. Braithwaite\u2019s examination of Korede\u2019s relationship with her sister, how it developed and what it implicates her in, is the backbone of this darkly hilarious domestic psychological thriller. The juxtaposition of the mundanity of Korede\u2019s life and the brutality of the murders Ayoola blithely commits provides a gradually escalating conflict \u2013 especially when Ayoola sets her sights on the man Korede is secretly in love with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Akhtar\u2019s darkly comedic take on the \u2013 literally \u2013 cutthroat fashion industry has elements of the \u2018workplace\u2019 and \u2018cuckoo\u2019 psychological thriller subgenres. Anya St. Clair has fought her way up the fashion world totem pole, and her main rival is also the woman she most desires a friendship with \u2013 the beautiful and privileged Sarah Taft. An entertainingly unreliable narrator, the increasingly unhinged Anya will do anything to get to where she wants to be, providing much of the dark humour of this novel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A psychological thriller features a protagonist whose perspective is or becomes compromised in some way \u2013 perhaps they are gaslit, or deceived, or suspect they are. They may be under the influence of mind-altering substances, or in the grip of an addition or condition that affects the balance of their mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever the reason is, your protagonist\u2019s reliability being in question will provide much of the tension inherent in a psychological thriller\u2019s plot. Playing with your readers’ expectations of who can be trusted makes for an enjoyably twisty plot as you gradually reveal what is really going on, and what the truth really is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In all thrillers, steadily increasing tension<\/a> is a must. Lacking the sudden \u2018jump scares\u2019 notable to the wider thriller genre<\/a>, the best psychological thrillers will gradually ramp up the tension to make an unputdownable read. But how to do this? Incorporating the key elements outlined above, such as twists, unreliable narrators, the exploration of darkness, and drip-feeding the reader key backstory information can all be utilised to increase tension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also consider continually raising the stakes \u2013 what begins as a small, seemingly innocuous change in the protagonist\u2019s life should snowball, widening the impact out to all corners of their life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Psychological thrillers often have a mystery at their centre, which is not resolved until the end. This mystery might be a large, external one \u2013 ‘who was responsible for my loved one\u2019s death?’ \u2013 or it might be internal and personal \u2013 ‘am I going mad?’<\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to effectively build tension, introduce limitations to your character\u2019s quest for the truth. Perhaps key evidence is missing, or other characters act as obstacles. Increasing the limitations (is their freedom restricted? Have all their friends\/family\/colleagues turned against them?) will work to increase the stakes as well, as solving the (murder) mystery <\/a>becomes intertwined with vindicating themselves as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In Aristotle\u2019s \u2018Poetics\u2019, he wrote: \u201ctragedy represents not only a complete action but also incidents that cause fear and pity, and this happens most of all when the incidents are unexpected and yet one is a consequence of the other.\u201d This is often paraphrased as the advice that plot twists should be \u2018surprising yet inevitable\u2019. Basically, you should not \u2018cheat\u2019 at plot twists<\/a> by introducing something so out of left field that the reader could not possibly have seen it coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although a twist should be a shock, it should also retrospectively make complete sense. Developing such a twist is where your editing and revising skills come in \u2013 adding details in subsequent drafts once you\u2019ve come up with your big twist enables you to lay a trail that, though hidden when first travelled, is obvious when your reader looks back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"how-crime-writers-can-research-police-procedure\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/bruno-martins-i6Ynmfi6UBg-unsplash-1.jpg\")
\r\n <\/a>\r\n <\/div>\r\n Want specialist support with crafting your crime or thriller novel?<\/h2>
Types Of Psychological Thriller<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Domestic <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Supernatural <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Revenge <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"person-aiming-a-gun-psychological-thriller-writing\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/psychological-thriller-writing.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWorkplace <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Cuckoos <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Key Elements Of A Psychological Thriller<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Examples Of Psychological Thrillers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Last House On Needless Street<\/em> By Catriona Ward<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Talented Mr Ripley<\/em> By Patricia Highsmith<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
OldBoy<\/em> By Park Chan-wook<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"trapped-shadowy-figure-psychological-thrillers\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/psychological-thrillers.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMy Sister The Serial Killer<\/em> By Oyinkan Braithwaite<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
#Fashion Victim<\/em> By Amina Akhtar<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How To Write A Psychological Thriller<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Include An Unreliable Narrator<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Steadily Build Tension<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Give Your Characters Limitations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Create Plot Twists<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"scared-man-writing-psychological-thrillers\"](\"https:\/\/jerichowriters.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/writing-psychological-thrillers.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWithhold Information<\/h3>\n\n\n\n