Red Herrings

 

The Conventions of Thrillers - Red Herrings

A widely used convention since the dawn of thriller films is a Red Herring this is a part of the film that distracts the audience from the main plot line. An example of a red herring from Psycho would be the character of Marion. This is because viewers spend a large portion of the film investing themselves in Marion as they are let inside of her thoughts  and learn a lot about her personality through her interaction with Norman before she is taken away and the audience discover that she is not their main point of focus but in fact Norman is.