Conventions of the 'Thriller' genre in films

As I discussed earlier, a thriller aims to thrill the audience. This is done by employing a well known set of conventions, mainly these are:-

• Male protagonist - usually very macho or highly intelligent, or sometimes both.
• Female or Child is the vulnerable victim who needs to be saved by the hero.
• Antagonist usually on a par with the protagonist (can match their strength, can play mental mind games, etc). Also, unlike other action based film genres (i.e. Horrors), the antagonist in a thriller is often known to the audience and/or protagonist straight from the outset. And the antagonist often will engage in some sort of communication with the protagonist as well, e.g. telling them riddles through a phone call, etc.
• Fast editing and camerawork
• Plot revolves around a crime, mystery, etc.
• Protagonist does NOT always defeat the antagonist, or at least not without some sort of sacrifice.
• Fast tempo non-diegetic music.
• Emphasis on some diegetic sounds, e.g. the ticking of a clock which is counting down the time for a bomb to explode.

Definition of a 'Thriller' and the Sub-Genres associated with thrillers

The 'Thriller' genre in films is one which uses elements to create suspense or tension, in order to excite the viewers or to carry on the plot of the film.

The genre of thriller is the same in literature, the definition of thriller in books etc is "One that thrills, especially a sensational or suspenseful book, story or play"

A SUB-GENRE is a genre that can be successfully merged with another to make a different type of film entirely.

Different types of 'Thriller' movies are:-

• Crime Thriller - These type of films are a mix between crime films and thrillers which are about successful or unsuccessful crimes and show suspenceful accounts of the people involved. These films often focus on the criminals rather than the police. Crime thrillers usually focus on the element of action scenes. These films are usually about any crime such as murders, heists, etc. An example of this Thriller would be 'Reservoir Dogs'.
• Disaster Thriller - This type of film involves either a natural disaster such as a tsunami or earthquake, etc... Or an artifical (man-made) disaster such as a nuclear explosion. An example of this type of film would be 'The Day After Tomorrow' where the disaster they face is global warming throughout the film, therefore making it a natural disaster.
• Psychological Thriller - In this sub-genre the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, untill the end which is usually violent. Alfred Hitchcock is very good at this type of film. Some examples of this sub-genre are 'Panic Room' and 'The Butterfly Effect'.
• Mystery Thriller - These films are suspenseful and include the Main character(s) trying to solve a mystery. An example of this would be 'Shutter Island', or 'The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations'.
• Political Thriller - This sub-genre usually involves the protagonist either trying to expose a government's corruption, or being a member of the government and tryin to uphold it against false claims/media attacks. An example of this would be 'Frost/Nixon'.

• Horror Thriller - This type of Thriller is one that not only thrills viewers... it scares the mind into submission. Basically, just a very fast paced, "jumpy" horror. An example of this would be 'My Bloody Valentine'.