psychological horror films!

[theshit]

what are the codes and conventions of psychological horror films (psycho, seven etc)? and how do they differ from normal horror films (ie. scream,halloween etc)? tried looking this up but cant find any info. any help is appreciated. thank you.

[andy hughes]

The format relies on the establishment of tension within the audience, which is then increased as the film develops. 'Psycho' is a classif of the genre because the violent scene is relatively early on in the film, Hitchcock then ratchets up the tension as the film progresses, until the climactic cellar scecne. The psychological horror always relies on the imagined, and possible, rather than overt scenes of violence - this is the fundamental difference in the two genres.