Genre Investigation: Shutter Island

'Shutter Island' is a psychological horror directed by Martin Scorsese which is based around an U.S Marshal investigating a psychiatric facility in Boston Harbour. 

There are numerous ways in which the film 'Shutter Island' conforms to the common conventions of psychological horror, such as:

• The main character often being an detective as well battling with their own personal issues. 

Here in the film the main character, Edward 'Teddy' Daniels is a U.S Marshal who is investigating Ashecliffe Hospital for the criminally insane for a woman who murdered her own children had gone missing. The protagonist, Daniels, also is struggling with the lose of his wife, Dolores.

• The struggle between illusory and reality

The protagonist struggles to differentiate between whether he is dreaming/hallucinating or whether it is real life. Within in the film he sees his deceased wife and 'children' in real life situations.

• Plot Twists and Deceptive Games 

Within 'Shutter Island' there are several plot twists and deceptive games from the woman who went missing suddenly appearing to the antagonist trying to convince Daniels that he is a patient in the psychiatric facility telling him how he is the most dangerous patient of them all for killing his wife after she killed their children by drowning them in the lake.

Setting

• The film 'Shutter Island' is set in Boston Harbour
• Severe storm giving pathetic fallacy
• Dark, dull grey skies gives an negative outlook to the plot
• Typical of psychological horror films to be secluded from outside world

Typography 

Sound

Editting