The psychological thriller (or psychological suspense) genre typically involves characters whose inner conflicts involve fear, obsession, guilt, desire, or other driving forces of behavior. The mood of psychological thrillers is chilling and unsettling, usually resulting from immoral or ominous character behaviors and “edgy” topics that reflect the darker sides of human nature. This genre often blends with crime fiction, especially when the antagonist subjects the protagonist to disturbing misconduct. The Cellar contributes to this blended genre of psychological thriller/crime fiction: Antagonist Clover’s behavior is rooted in the impact of his mother’s crimes, while Summer, the protagonist, experiences great emotional and psychological conflict during her imprisonment in Clover’s cellar.

In recent years, psychological thrillers such as The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl have been popular with readers, and many others in the genre enjoy bestseller status. While many psychological thrillers/crime novels are widely known in the adult realm, this genre is well represented in the young adult category as well. Several YA novels feature kidnappings or abductions or have other plot similarities to The Cellar.