Research Into Thriller Films

What Are The Conventions & Sub-genres Of A Thriller Film?

Action Thriller

o In which the hero/heroine confronts dangerous adversaries, obstacles, or situations which he/she must conquer, normally in a violent or suspenseful manner.

o Examples include ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ ‘Taken’ ‘The Bourne Trilogy’

Conspiracy Thrillero In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent

only she/he recognizes.o Examples include: ‘Awake’ ‘Snake Eyes’

Crime Thrillero This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful

account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. These films often focus on the criminals rather than a policeman. Crime thrillers usually emphasise action over psychological aspects. Central topics of these films include serial killers/murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, heists and double crosses. This includes, ‘Silence of the lambs’ ‘oceans eleven’

Legal Thriller o In which the lawyer-heroes/heroines confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the

courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives. Examples include: ‘Time to Kill’ ‘Primal fear’ ‘Fracture’

Political Thrillero In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him.

Some examples include: ‘Notorious’ ‘The Ghost Writer’

Psychological Thriller o In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is

mental and emotional, rather than physical. Characters, either by accident or their own curiousness, are dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation that they are not prepared to resolve. Characters are not reliant on physical strength to overcome their brutish enemies, but rather are reliant on their mental resources, whether it be by battling wits with a formidable opponent or by battling for equilibrium in the character's own mind. The suspense created by psychological thrillers often comes from two or more characters preying upon one another's minds, either by playing deceptive games with the other or by merely trying to demolish the other's mental state. Examples include: ‘Panic Room’ ‘Phone Booth’ ‘Psycho’

Supernatural Thrillero In which the film brings in an otherworldly element mixed with tension, suspense and plot

twists. Sometimes the hero and/or villain has some psychic ability. Examples include: ‘The dead zone’ ‘The Skeleton Key’

Conventions of a Thriller

o Thrillers often overlap with mystery stories, but are distinguished by the structure of their plots. In a thriller, the hero must thwart the plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that has already happened. Thrillers also occur on a much grander scale: the crimes that must be prevented are serial or mass murder, terrorism, assassination, or the overthrow of governments. Jeopardy and violent confrontations are standard plot elements. While a mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved; a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life and often the lives of others. In thrillers influenced by film noir and tragedy, the compromised hero is often killed in the process.

Convention of a Thriller

o In recent years, when thrillers have been increasingly influenced by horror or psychological-horror exposure in pop culture, an ominous or monstrous element has become common to heighten tension. The monster could be anything, even an inferior physical force made superior only by their intellect ( as in the Saw movies), a supernatural entity (Dracula, Christine books, The Amityville Horror, Ringu films), aliens (H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos books), serial killers (Stepfather, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre films), or even microbes or chemical agents (Cabin Fever, Richard Matheson's The Last Man On Earth). Some authors have made their mark by incorporating all of these elements (Richard Laymon, F. Paul Wilson) throughout their bibliographies.

Conventions of a Thriller

o Similar distinctions separate the thriller from other overlapping genres: adventure, spy, legal, war, maritime fiction, and so on. Thrillers are defined not by their subject matter but by their approach to it. Many thrillers involve spies and espionage, but not all spy stories are thrillers. The spy novels of John LeCarre, for example, explicitly and intentionally reject the conventions of the thriller. Conversely, many thrillers cross over to genres that traditionally have had few or no thriller elements. Alistair MacLean, Hammond Innes, and Brian Callison are best known for their thrillers, but are also accomplished writers of man-against-nature sea stories. Thrillers may be defined by the primary mood that they exhibit: excitement. In short, if it thrills, it is a thriller.