The Brain and How We View Psychological Thrillers

The Brain and How we View Psychological Thrillers

Differences

Impact

Fight Club (1999)

Viewers

Shutter Island (2010)

Get Out (2017)

Approaches

Fractured (2019)

The next time you watch a psychological thriller, try to be more aware of how the film plays with your mind, and you'll likely be more captivated by it.

Fight Club (1999)

• Key Themes: Identity, Consumerism, and Mental Instability
• Plot Twist: Tyler Durden is a figment of the narrator's mind
• How to Watch: Look for clues that suggest the narrator's instability
• Where to Watch: Disney+ or Hulu

Differences

• Focus on perception vs. reality

• Subtle clues, plot twists, and unreliable narrators

• The brains reaction to suspense and fear

Impact

• The Brain loves suspense and unpredictability

• Thrillers activate our fight-or-flight response

• The confusion, tension, and the plot twists play on both our emotional reactions and logical reasoning

Shutter Island (2010)

• Key Themes: Trauma, Paranoia, Delusion
• Plot Twist: Everything you believe is questioned
• How to Watch: Pay attention to details and contradictions
• Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video

Why some people get clues faster than others

• Cognitive processing speed and attention varies with all people

• Experience and familiarity with the genre plaus a huge role in finding clues faster

• The role of parttern recognition is a big factor

Approaches

• Stay Engaged with the Details: Small details often reveal key truths.

• Trust Your Instincts, But Question Everything: Always question what you’re seeing and hearing.

• Expect Uncertainty: Ambiguity is central—don’t expect everything to make sense right away.

• Be Ready for a Twist: Expect the unexpected; the ending often flips the narrative.

Fractured (2019)

• Key Themes: Unreliable narrator, Perception vs Reality
• Plot Twist: What's real? What's imagined?
• How to Watch: Question what's happening---who's telling the truth?
• Where to Watch: Netflix

Get Out (2017)

• Key Themes: Fear, Manipulation, and Hypnosis
• Plot Twist: The true horror is psychological
• How to Watch: Focus on psychological manipulation and foreshadowing
• Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video