Cape Fear (1962)
In the crime thriller 'Cape Fear' we can see many conventions are portrayed to give the audience an idea of who the characters are and insights of their relevance and personality. From how the antagonist is conveyed by the use of costume in the opening of the clip - wearing an all white suit, hat and cigar - we can see the reverse of stereotype as it would be unusual for an antagonist to be wearing the colour of purity and peace. This shows that the convict is meant to be made out to seem harmless and has no threat to the protagonist, which gives a the character a twist later on in the film. On the other hand, by how the character is regularly smoking a cigar we can tell he is sly and crafty - this use of mise-en-scene symbolises the traits of a gangster and therefore shows his dark side, especially when he crushes the cigar in his hands when about to enter the court room to see his enemy.
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
In this thriller tension, suspense and mystery is built up by how the evil sister is portrayed. From the story we know the relationship of the two sisters - one, a previous actress severely injured in a car crash (now in a wheelchair) and the other, a crazed woman jealous of her sisters success. By how the sister in a wheelchair is presented, we can see she is 'trapped' by her sister; tension is continuously built as the audience know the crazed sister will take action against her, but the question is: when? When the scene of the crazy sister delivering food, which turns out to be a dead rat from the cellar, all is revealed, however, the audience is left knowing more evil will take place.
Fatal Attraction
This thriller is very successful in building tension and suspense: the affair of a man with an over obsessed woman turns out to be a great mistake as she turns to violence in revenge. In the car park scene when the man is getting in a lift, the shadows create a brilliant sense of unease and anxiety; from the dark outline of the woman standing on the platform we know the man has a problem yet to face, creating mystery within the scene. When finally the man gets to his car to uncover it has been vandalised with acid, the audience immediately feel surprise and shock as this extreme crime shows the situation is soon to get out of hand.
Silence of the Lambs
This psychological thriller conveys a wide range of thriller conventions. It particularly exploits camera work by using a point-of-view angle when the antagonist is using the night vision goggles: this is used to put the audience in the mind of the killer while portraying the victims fear and distress. The use of lighting - shadows and darkness - installs fear in the audience as the victim is concealed in darkness which shows her helplessness and vulnerability.
