THRILLER - Individual Research

One question that always arises is "what is a thriller film?". There are many different definitions, but with each one being so different, we are given the impression that maybe there is no concrete definition for a thriller, but just a conclusion of ones interpretation of the genre. However, if the genre is defined strictly, a genuine thriller is a film that relentlessly strives to provide thrills and keep the audience on the edge of their seats as the plot build towards a climax.

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, TV and gaming that includes various subgenres which will often overlap. Thrillers are known to be fast paced with lots of action. There is almost always a hero/heroine who must use their own resources to overcome the better-equipped villain. There will be extensive use of suspense, red herrings and cliff hangers.

Thrillers often take place in settings that the audience will recognise eg- New York. The hero in a thriller will usually be male and accustomed to danger eg- police officer, spies or soldiers. However, it is not uncommon for ordinary citizens to get drawn into danger eg- Edward Norton in Fight Club (1999). It is, however, becoming more popular to portray a strong female heroine in thriller films, an early example of this is Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in Alien (1979).

In a thriller, a hero must thwart the plans of a villain, rather than solve a crime that has already been committed. The crimes that must be prevented will be on a grand scale eg- serial or mass murder, terrorism, assassination etc. There will almost always be a showdown between good and evil at some point in the film. The hero is not only trying to save his own life. but that of others who have also found themselves in the situation.

Thrillers may be defined by the primary mood that they elicit: fearful excitement. The audience need to be thrilled for it to be a successful thriller.

There are various subgenres that can be woven into a thriller . . .

ACTION THRILLER - race against the clock, lots of violence, obvious antagonist, guns, explosions, special effects, eg- James Bond, Bourne

CONSPIRACY THRILLER - hero confronts a large powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he realises, eg- JFK (1991)

CRIME THRILLER - suspenseful account of a crime/s, murder, robbery, shootouts, double crosses, eg- Seven (1995), Reservoir Dogs (1992)

DISASTER THRILLER - artifical or natural disaster, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, eg- The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

DRAMA THRILLER - slower paced, character development, plot twists, eg- The Interpreter (2005)

ECO THRILLER - environmental/biological disaster

EROTIC THRILLER - eg- Basic Instinct (1992), Fatal Attraction (1987)

LEGAL THRILLER - courtroom, fighting for justice and life eg- The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

MEDICAL THRILLER - hero/heroine is a doctor or nurse, hospital, eg- Awake (2007)

PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER - mental/emotional conflict rather than physical, eg- Strangers on a Train (1951)

SPY THRILLER - hero= government agent, terrorists, eg James Bond

SUPERNATURAL THRILLER - one of the main characters has supernatural powers, eg- Carrie (1976)

TECHNO-THRILLER - military technologies, technology is essential to the understanding of the plot

HORROR THRILLER - conflict between good and evil are mental/emotional/physical, eg- 28 Days Later (2002), Saw (2004)

Most thrillers will be a combination of various subgenres. The ones that are most commonly used to heighten the tension are horror, conspiracy and psychological. The tension usually arises when the main character is placed in a predicament that is out of the ordinary. Escaping from the situation will seem almost impossible. Life itself is threatened, usually because the main character is unknowingly or reluctantly involved in the events.

One of the most famous thriller directors is Alfred Hitchcock - The Master of Suspense.

He helped to shape the modern day thriller genre, beginning with his early silent film The Lodger (1926). He made cameos in almost all of his films within the first 10 minutes - a trademark of the famous director. Although he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director 5 times, he never won it.

Hitchcock is considered as the master of the thriller or suspense genre, and manipulating his audiences fears and desires by showing the viewer the reality facing the character. He would often incorporate a taboo or sexually-related theme into his films like voyeurism in Rear Window (1954), obsession in Vertigo (1958), and the twisted oedipus complex in Psycho (1960).

His films would often put an innocent character in a life-threatenting situation in a case of mistaken identity eg- The Wrong Man (1956).

Hitchcock utilized various cinematic techniques in his films

- Extreme zoom - the key in Notorious (1946)

- Cross cutting 'tennis match' - Strangers on a Train (1951)

- Dolly zoom/Hitchcock shot/Vertigo effect/Contra zoom/zoom in zoom out - Vertigo (1958)

- Montage accentuated with a screeching violin score - Psycho (1960)

The shower scene in Psycho is one of cinemas most stunning and visually effective sequences. A lot of the poignancy is because of the editing. The fast cuts make the scene frantic and realistic.Most of the shots are from the point of view of the knife. This makes the scene much more personal to the audience. Also, it limits the gore in the scene (which is also why it was shot in black and white). In addition, the knife never actually penetrates the skin, and because the scene goes so fast, you think you see more than you actually do - it left a lot to the imagination. I think the scene implies that thrillers are not defined by their subject matter, but by their approach to it. The violin score by Bernard Hermann only adds to the effect and power of the sequence. This would be something to consider if we did a thriller. Psycho proves that it can see really effective without all the gore. Seamless editing is essential, as well as an appropriate sound track.



In majority of his films, there was the inevitable life and death chase concluding with a showdown at a familiar landmark eg- Golden Gate Bridge (Vertigo). He also reveled in confined space to heighten emotion.

The famed director often captialized on a red herring or a plot element to cath the viewers attention. The audience believe that it will be an important feature in the film, but it will intentionally mis-direct the audience, it then quickly fades into the background and ends up being trivial and irrelevant to the films story.
- Rear Window: Suspected murder committed by the apartment tenant
- Psycho: The stolen $40,000 wrapped in newspaper at Bates Motel
- The Birds: The cause of the strange bird attacks.

Hitchcock would typically cast leading actors against type (James Stewart, Cary Grant) opposite blonde actresses (Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Janet Leigh, Tippi Hendren) who were often subject to abuse, threatening humiliation or murder. Hitchcock would explore the darker sides of human nature through the situation, including sexuality and voyeurism, guilt and punishment, or paranoia and obsession. He would usually let the audience know that something horrible would happen- thus creating suspense while the audience waiting for the inevitable.