Thrillers aim to provide thrills and keep audiences engaged through tension and anticipation. They involve characters facing dangers like mysteries, missions, or escapes. Common technical elements include quick cuts, low lighting, and tense music to build suspense. Thrillers often evolve around double emotions and switch audiences between anxiety for characters and enjoyment of the film. Common subgenres include action, crime, disaster, and psychological thrillers involving threats like crimes, disasters, or conspiracies that characters must work to defeat.
2. What is a thriller?
A thriller is a film genre that creates tension and
anticipation. Thrillers are known for keeping the
audience alert and interested. In thrillers, the main
character is faced with a problem such as an escape,
mission or mystery. The danger the characters faces
is always emphasised and the tension leads to a big
climax. A thriller has the aim of providing thrills
and keeping the audience at the edge of their seats
as the plot builds towards the climax. In thrillers,
tension increases when the main character is in a
threatening situation, mystery or an
escape/dangerous mission which seems impossible.
The main characters life is being threatened due to
not knowing or suspecting that they are in a
dangerous situation.
Examples of thrillers:
The Revenant
In the Heart of the Sea
Captain America: Civil War
Spectre
Legend
Taken
Knock Knock
Panic Room
Cape Fear
Identity
Psycho
Buried
Shutter Island
Saw
3. Thrillers usually evolve around double
emotions, feeling and sensations. An
example of this is terror and excitement,
humour and suspense, enjoyment and
hurt. The audience are switched between
two directions – between anxiety
(troubled and uneasy for the main
character) and pleasure. In good thriller,
the main character is a recognisably
human and we recognise that we are
watching a film so we can watch it
without suffering ourselves.
Usually, thrillers are located in interesting settings such as foreign cities, deserts, Antarctic
Regions or high seas. In thrillers, the heroes are mainly strong men familiar with danger –
law enforcement officers, spies, soldiers, seamen or aviators.
Mystery stories and thrillers are usually
linked, however they are recognised by
their plot structure. Instead of revealing a
crime that’s previously happened, the
hero need to stop the plans of the enemy.
The crimes that need to stopped are
terrorism, assassination, serial or mass
murder or the defeat of governments. A
thriller climaxes when the hero has
defeated the villain, in the process he
saves his own life and other lives whereas
in a mystery, the climaxes is when the
mystery is solved.
4. Subgenres of Thrillers
Action Thriller
An action thriller involves physical
action such as physical stunts, chases,
fights, battles and races. Violence is
usually a factor in this type of thriller
and the main character is obvious. They
also contain lots of guns, explosions and
huge and complex set pieces.
Conspiracy Thriller
In a conspiracy thriller, the main
character must confront a large,
powerful group of people who only he
sees as a threat and he usually does this
alone.
Crime Thriller
Crime Thriller film has gripping aspects
of a thriller. The plot usually focuses on a
serial killer, murderer, robbery, or
manhunt. The storyline focuses around
the criminal and the central character.
Action and psychological aspects are
used in order to build tension and
suspense. Main topics consist of chases,
robbers, shootouts, double-crosses and
murders.
Disaster Thriller
A natural disaster such as floods,
earthquakes, hurricanes etc usually
happen in this type of subgenre and the
enemy is trying to stop the disaster, the
extent of the disaster or just save
themselves before time runs out and the
disaster has stopped.
5. Forensic Thriller
The main character/s are forensic
scientists and are involved in an
unsolved crime that makes their lives
dangerous.
Horror Thriller
The clash between the main characters
are mental, physical and emotional. The
main characters have to face superior
force and they will be the victims
themselves and they will feel the fear
that comes to them by attracting the
monsters attention.
Legal Thriller
The lawyer-heroes/heroines confront
enemies inside and out. Usually the
main character is a lawyer who has
found that their case is death
threatening for them or their client. This
happens in and around a courtroom.
Eco-Thriller
In an eco-thriller the main character
needs to stop a threat to the
environment, either man made or
natural that whilst dealing with enemies
and obstacles. The damage of this could
be local, but nation or even world-wide
stakes are more dramatic.
Mystery Thriller
A mystery thriller is faster pace than a
regular mystery and also the main
character is on the run and the threat of
another crime is the “ticking-clock.”
6. Political Thriller
In a political thriller, political
associations or the whole government is
at risk and the main character is
employed by the government to stop the
risk and they have only been low-level
before gaining attention.
Religious Thriller
Religious Thriller films consist of
religious themes, including religious
questions, ceremonies and objects.
Many religious thrillers include
supernatural experiences and the
themes of religious thrillers are
exorcisms, demon possession, and
church cover-ups.
Romantic Thriller
In a romantic thriller there is tension,
suspense, and excitement, but the main
part is the developing relationship
between two characters.
Science Fiction Thriller
In this sub-genre, there are hypothetical,
science-based themes and there will be
heroes, villains, unexplored locations
and advanced technology within it.
These elements can be used to create
anticipation and suspense.
7. Supernatural Thriller
In this subgenre an aggressive force is
used and some characters may have
supernatural abilities and other
supernatural novel elements may be
present. This type of thriller links
tension of a regular thriller with basic
horror characters/elements such as
ghosts, the occult and psychic
phenomenon. In supernatural thrillers,
the main character is usually fighting a
malevolent paranormal force or trapped
in a situation that is influenced of
controlled by another world further
than their knowledge.
Techno-Thriller
This genres is a cross between near-future science fiction and thrillers. Cutting-edge
technology is used either as something to obtain, or working for or against the main
character.
Spy Thriller
A spy thriller focuses on the high
adventures of field agents and it can be
in the form of a drama, melodrama,
comedy, or a good-humoured action
thriller and are set during wartime. Spy
thriller films could be serious, fact-
based stories , films based upon
novelists' fictional or fact-based works
or fanciful-escapist films. The hero is
usually a government agent who must
take violent action against agents of a
rival government or terrorists
8. Codes&Conventions of Thrillers
The use of mirrors:
Mirrors are shown through reflection of
someone's inner self. Mirrors can make
the audience feel claustrophobic and
uneasy. Mirrors can represent the
darkness and evil in some characters.
Flashbacks:
Flashbacks are used to create the feeling
of space and discomfort which makes the
audience confused. It also shows what's
happened in the past and helps the
audience understand what has happened
in the characters past. Flashbacks are
mainly used in an important scene.
Characters:
The characters in thrillers consist of prisoners, criminals, innocent victims, psychotic
individuals, police, characters with dark pasts, prison inmates, terrorists, escaped cons,
people involved in twisted relationships and many more. The themes of thrillers may
include pursuit, terrorism, political conspiracy or romantic triangles leading to murder.
The plots of thriller films usually involve characters that clash with eachother or outside
forces.
9. Cinematography:
Tracking shots are used in order to follow characters, this can create tension.
Close ups and extreme close ups are used in order to show the characters
emotions (e.g. fear, panic, sadness etc). High angle shots are also used to see a
wider view of the location and to see action in a certain scene as more action
goes on in the faster paced films. Also in thrillers the enemies face is hid using
different camera shots.
Mise en scene:
Low key lighting is usually used in order to create mystery and tension and
this low-key lighting is linked with shadows which indicate the inner darkness
within people and is used to build tension and a disturbing atmosphere. In
terms of colour, mainly dark greys, blacks and reds are used in thriller films.
Dark grey and black suggests death and red suggests blood. In thriller films,
minimal makeup is worn to create a more realistic vive and the audience can
relate. The enemies usually wear dark clothes connoting that they are evil and
the main characters usually wear ordinary everyday clothes. Where the film is
set depends on the subgenre and props help to determine the character and
genre of the thriller. Weapons are usually used such as guns, knives, chains etc.
A sense of claustrophobia, isolation or loneliness is usually shown in horrors,
this is because the individual trying to solve the mystery of the films plot.
10. Editing:
Rapid editing is used in order to increase tension for the audience and it is increased in
important scenes of the film. Montages are used in important scenes and it creates
uneasiness foe the audiences and puts them on the edge of their seats in anticipation of
what is going to happen next. Jump cuts are also used as there are things that happen that
the audience are unaware and chaos is created. Also used is continuous editing so that the
film can be understood.
Sound:
Non-Diegetic music is in the background creating a sound bridge which creates the
wanted atmosphere of panic and suspense. Orchestral music builds tension causing the
audience to feel something bad is about to happen. In thrillers, the music starts quiet and
slow and then it gets louder and faster building up to a dramatic moment and tension.
Also in thrillers there is pleonastic sound used to show a dramatic moment in the scene –
e.g. someone stabbing or shooting someone.
11. Thriller Generic Characteristics
The plot focuses on a crime
The main character is frail and has an ‘Achilles heel’ which is demoralized by the enemy.
The main character is seen as in danger in one or more scenes before the problem is
solved.
The enemy tricks the main character in a largely complex web, until the main characters
starts to feel isolated and helpless.
The plot includes ordinary situations where extraordinary things happen.
Micro elements link in a build up of anticipation.
Themes of identity are common - mistaken identity, doubling/doppelgangers, amnesia.
There are themes of seeing, reflection and mirroring. There is also manipulation of
perspectives, visual McGuffins and optical illusions.
The viewers of a thriller are put in a confusing situation of voyeur. This can be a theme and
the structure of female characters.
A variety of/one important enigma/s is/are set up in the opening sequence of the film, this
gets more complicated during the first apart of the film and is solved at the very end.
12. Thematic Elements
Thriller movies are supposed to be mysterious, creation tension, creating and exciting.
In thrillers, the atmospheres are of anticipation, adrenaline rush, anxiety and sometimes
horror.
Thrillers are mainly characterised by a mood of danger, violence, crime and murder by
showing the society in a dark and dangerous way.
There is usually a happy ending where the enemies are killed or arrested and at the end
justice is served.
Thrillers include plot twists and cliff hangers to build suspense.
Directors may use sub genres to fit the intended target audiences in order to get the
audiences attention and give them a sense of thrill. E.g. horror thriller, action thriller, crime
thriller, comedy thriller etc.
13. Technical Elements
-Quick cuts, invisible editing and a change in camera angels.
-Lighting mainly low key (shadows), mirrors, twists, surprises, flashbacks, fight/chase
scenes and stairs.
-Use of tracking
-POV
-Dramatic angles
-Eerie, tense music
-Off screen sounds
-Strong directional lighting
-Over exposed or colour manipulation
-Fast paced editing
-Jump cuts
-Parallel editing
-Obtrusive editing
-Silence
-Exaggerated sound
-Disorientation of time/space
