Society and Psychological Thrillers

By slascelles

  • Sigmund Freud founded personality model

    (id, ego and superego)

  • Hitchcock director debut: The Pleasure Garden

  • The Jazz Singer (1927)

    First "talkie" film
  • Period: to

    Hays Code

    Enter Hays Code information
  • Period: to

    Rise of Nazism and World War II

  • Period: to

    End of World War Two

  • Rebecca directed by Alfred Hitchcock

    Based on book by Daphne du Maurier
    Enter Hays’d: Decoding the Classics — ‘Rebecca’ (1940)
  • Period: to

    Post World War Two Baby Boom

  • Lobotomy introduced by Freeman

    Walter Jackson Freeman II known as “The Lobotomist”, was an American physician who specialised in lobotomy.
    Lobotomy was known as the "ice-pick"
  • Period: to

    The Cold War

    The Cold War between capitalist and communist countries begins with the Berlin Wall. Gives birth to the spy thriller and James Bond franchise

  • First modern credit card

    In 1950, the first modern credit card was introduced which would eventually change the financial lives of every American in the years to come
  • Period: to

    Interest in psychology increases

    1950s-1960s
  • Period: to

    Psychological Thriller became a significant subgenre

    1950s-1960s

  • First anti-psychotic developed (Chlorpromazine)

    New era of treatment

  • Rear Window directed by Alfred Hitchcock

  • First video game released

  • Deinstitutionalization began

    Deinstitutionalization began
    Deinstitutionalization is a government policy that moved mental health patients out of state-run "insane asylums" into federally funded community mental health centers. It began in the 1960s as a way to improve the treatment of the mentally ill while also cutting government budgets.

  • Vertigo directed by Alfred Hitchcock

  • Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchcock

    Codebreaker for the Hays Code - broke many production and censorship rules

  • Thomas Szasz (psychiatrist and psychologist)

    Claimed there was no such thing as a mental illness in his "The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct" book

  • Cape Fear directed by J. Lee Thompson

    Scored by Bernard Hermann (who scored Psycho).
  • Period: to

    Box office demand declines

    Increased and sensationalised publicity of stalkings and bizarre murders involving serial killers (Charles Manson). Audiences favour more graphic horror movies. Stalking becomes a more common character motivation.

  • Freeman performed his last lobotomy

    (Freeman was the first to use this procedure)

  • Hays Code became the Motion Picture Production Code

    This changed the rating to R-16 etc.

  • Ed Gein

    Ed Gein was finally declared mentally competent to stand trial in November 1968, and tried for the murder of Bernice Worden. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity, and sent back to Central State hospital in Waupun.

  • First "atypical anti-psychotic" drug introduced clinically (clozapine)

  • One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)

    Film starring Jack Nicholson - won all five major Academy Awards (Best Picture, Actor in Lead Role, Actress in Lead Role, Director and Screenplay)

  • Death Race video game came out

    Based on the cult movie "Death Race 2000", the first video game to spark controversy for its violence

  • Taxi Driver directed by Martin Scorsese

  • Times Person of the Year: The Computer

  • New development in "atypical anti-psychotics" for schizophrenia

    Had fewer side effects

  • Misery directed by Rob Reiner

  • Period: to

    1990s - revived popularity of Thriller genre.

    Increased escalation of violence and gore in thriller films to attract audiences.

  • End of the Cold War

  • First Gulf War ended

    1990-1991

  • The Silence of the Lambs directed by Jonathan Demme

  • Cape Fear directed by Martin Scorsese (REMAKE)

    Soundtrack from original was modified for this film. Original score was done by Bernard Hermann who scored Psycho.

  • The term "post-truth" was coined by a playright

  • OJ Simpson Trial

  • Se7en directed by David Fincher

  • Social Media began

    The site was called "Six Degrees" and allowed people to send messages

  • Release of "Grand Theft Auto" causes controversy

  • Columbine School Shooting

  • The Talented Mr. Ripley directed by Anthony Minghella

  • The Sixth Sense directed by M. Night Shyamalan

  • Memento (2000) Christopher Nolan

  • Y2K

    The Millennium bug, Y2K bug, the Y2K glitch, or Y2K, refers to events related to the formatting and storage of calendar data for dates beginning in the year 2000.

  • 9/11

    Conspiracy theories become increasingly popular

  • Donnie Darko directed by Richard Kelly

    Released start of 2001, before 9/11 - became controversial after 9/11 in September

  • Mulholland Drive directed by David Lynch

  • George W. Bush lied to public about WMD

  • Iraq War began

  • Facebook founded by Zuckerberg

  • Secret Window directed by David Koepp

  • Shutter Island (2010) Martin Scorsese

  • Black Swan directed by Darren Aronofsky

  • Aurora Shooting (The Dark Knight screening)

    James Holmes

  • Boston Marathon Bombing

  • Gone Girl directed by David Fincher

  • Donald Trump became president

  • “Post truth” became word of the year following the US election and Brexit

    “Post-truth” is commonly used by media and political pundits when describing ”post-truth politics,” or political campaigns that appeal to voters’ emotions and are often disconnected from facts.

  • The Killing of a Sacred Deer directed by Yorgos Lanthimos

  • Get Out directed by Jordan Peele

    Jordan Peele considers this a Psychological Horror - some could argue it is a Psychological Thriller (hybridisation, "the lines between genres are often blurred")

  • Joker (2019) Todd Phillips

  • The Lighthouse directed by Robert Eggers

    Described as a Psychological Thriller/horror
  • Period: to

    Covid-19

  • 12 Minutes

    Game inspired by Memento and Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window.

  • Rebecca directed by Ben Wheatley

    Based on Daphne du Maurier. Netflix has claimed this is not a Hitchcock remake - more of a romance

  • Ratched (Netflix TV show)

    Loosely based on nurse, Mildred Ratched, from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest film.
    Soundtrack is modified from psychological thriller Cape Fear (1962)
    which was scored by Bernard Hermann (who scored Psycho). Soundtrack for original was also modified for Scorsese's 1991 remake of Cape Fear. Colour is inspired by Hitchcock's Vertigo (red and green).
  • Period: to

    Donald Trump ongoing indictment 2020-present

    By 2020, the Manhattan district attorney had opened a criminal case to determine whether The Trump Organization had committed financial fraud. In December 2022, two of the organization's subsidiary companies were found guilty of 17 charges including tax fraud. Mishandling of 100's of highly sensitive documents. Paying hush money to a pornstar - found guilty.

  • Last Night in Soho directed by Edgar Wright

  • Capital Riots 2021

  • America leaves Afghanistan

    The last US military planes left Kabul airport at 11:59 p.m. Kabul time on 30 August 2021.

  • Don't Worry Darling directed by Olivia Wilde

  • Period: to

    Russia Invades Ukraine

  • Knock at the Cabin (2023) M. Night Shyamalan

  • Joker: Folie à Deux (2024) Todd Phillips

    Psychological Thriller and a musical...