Thriller Genre

What is thriller genre?  "Thriller film is a genre that revolves around anticipation and suspense. The aim for thrillers is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats." " Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film and television, having numerous subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit" http://thescriptlab.com/screenplay/genre/thriller https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre) Thriller is a genre used in films and television, the purpose of thrillers is to create suspense, uncertainty and nerve wracking tension for the audience.

Historical overview of Thriller genre Alfred Hitchcock was a famous British film director and a thriller movie maker. In 1926 he made his first thriller film called the "Lodger" which was a silent thriller film and had a similar plot as the story of "Jack the ripper".A lot of thriller films were released in this time period and were considered the most famous films produced. In 1940s thriller genre changed as Alfred Hitchcock no longer made his films in black and white but made the first technicolor thriller film. Technicolor is the name given to a series of colour  motion pictures in a film. Technicolor improved the mise en scene of a film as it contains different lighting and colours. The directors were able to use dark colours and shadows to empathize characters and their intentions.  Alfred Hitchcock's first technicolor film was called "rope" which was released in 1948.One of the most well known thriller films by Hitchcock is " psycho" which was a psychological thriller based on the American 1960s time period.  In the 1970s and 1980s thriller films began to add features of horror genre including violence and gore  but still maintained the difference between both of the genres. The films released in this time period were, Frenzy by Alfred Hitchcock, "play misty for me" (1972) Clint Eastwood. In the 1990s even more thriller genres were produced such as, "mistery" Rob Reiner, "sleeping with the enemy", Unlawful Entry" and many more.

Sub genres of Thriller Action thriller Crime thriller Psychological thriller Science fiction thriller Religious thriller Fiction thriller Techno thriller Political thriller Spy thriller  Supernatural thriller.

Action thriller  Action Thriller uses physical action to create suspense within the film. Action thriller films are action packed movies which aim to keep audiences entertained with semi realistic storylines. This sub genre often includes physical stunts, fights, battles and races. Conventions of Action thriller: Futuristic cars, motorbikes, weapons such as guns and knives, killings death of loved ones, outbreaks in windows, doors, houses. An example of an action thriller is " The Bourne Supremacy" is a 2007 American-German action thriller film directed by Paul Greengrass. In the film, Jason Bourne continues his search for information about his past before he was part of Operation Treadstone and becomes a target of a assassin program.This film includes and empathizes action scenes, car chases, the acrobatic fight sequences. Another example is "Die Hard" 1988 American popular action film series released by Hollywood, which includes buildings being invaded by terrorists, cop chases.

Religious thriller "Religious Thriller film incorporates religious themes, including religious questions, ceremonies, and objects."Also religious films can revolve around religious places such as churches and include supernatural experiences, exorcisms and demon possession. An example of religious thriller is The Devil's Advocate which is a 1997 American religious thriller film. "Supernatural forces hover over the courtroom in this devilish drama adapted from the novel by Andrew Neiderman." Exorcismo (1975) "A young woman unknowingly takes part in a satanic ritual and ends up possessed by the spirit of her dead father."Filmmaker Juan Bosch adds horrific detail to The Exorcist in this horror shocker, complete with projectile vomit, vile curses and twisting heads. http://tooscarytowatch.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/best- religious-horror-films.html

The difference between thriller and horror Thriller involves anticipation and suspense. I think thriller is psychological and requires more explanation as to what happened within a film. I think thriller is more jumpy and intense as scenes usually builds up to something. Horror creates an intense feeling of fear and disgust. Horror includes more blood and gore. Horror movies tend to have no logic or psychological connection.

Key films in thriller genre Memento (2000) Crime/film drama The silence of lambs (1991) Crime thriller Seven (1995) mystery thriller The usual suspects  (1995) crime thriller

Key stars in thriller genre Brad Pitt American actor and producer. Featured in the mystery thriller seven,  Allied American romantic thriller film, Sleepers crime thriller Leonardo DiCapriois an American actor and a film producer, films:  Shutter Island(Mystery, Thriller) Liam Neeson is an actor from Northern Ireland. Featured in the film Taken (action thriller) A walk among the tombstones(mystery thriller) Non-stop (action thriller)

Key directors Thriller genre David Lynch is an American director Known for his surrealist films, he has developed a unique cinematic style. Films directed: Wild at Heart (1990), Dune (1984),The Elephant Man (1980)  Alfred Hitchcock 13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director and producer, at times referred to as "The Master of Suspense Directed and made thriller films. Such as Psycho(1960),Rear Window (1954), Frenzy (1972), The birds (1963) Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, Films directed: Jackie Brown(1997) From Dusk Till Dawn, Death Proof

Typical conventions of Thrillers Thriller is a genre that uses suspense and tension in order to trigger the audiences moods, giving them a high level of surprise and terror. The mise en scene is important for the film as it helps the audience establish the scene. Thrillers often take place in exotic settings such as foreign cities or high seas. Thrillers often have a villain driven plot where the prologist has to overcome difficulties or obstacles Thriller characters can be found to take darker motives than others. They usually have been trapped in a situation and find ways to get out. The protagonist (hero) is normally portrayed as being tough and accustomed to danger. The protagonist is mostly male in thrillers. In terms of costumes the antagonist (villain) will be in dark clothes and the protagonist will be in ordinary everyday clothes.. Conventions of thriller: Dark shadows- used to represent inner darkness of a character and used create Tension music- builds up a scene to create suspense and tension Low lighting Flashbacks