WHAT IS A THRILLER?
WHAT IS A THRILLER?
A thriller is a genre of literature, play or film with an exciting plot. Typically involving crime or espionage. This type of genre's primary features are what induces strong feelings of excitement, anxiety, tension, suspense, fear, and other similar emotions in its readers or viewer. There are many sub-genres in thrillers. There should be a main 8 things that every thriller needs which help with the elements to be essential to the plot. Thrillers must also include a climax — there must be a plot twist or on rememberable scene to the film
THRILLER Vs HORROR
The first factor that differentiates both themes of the film is that a thriller is more psychological and requires more thought and explantation throughout the film as to what is going on, whereas Horror's are more bloody and gore with carless actions of violence e.g. slashers. Horrors are more focused on the scares and Thrillers mainly focus on trying to solve the mystery or the protagonist beat the antagonist, in a less violent and more realistic way.
What is a Horror?
Horrors have the specific intention to frighten, scare, disgust or startle the viewer by including terror aspects. These elements can be delivered by a variety of ways, but at the end of the of the film the director tries to keep the audience in constant state of worry and dread as they have ended it in a way that makes them feel like they are vulnerable to the antagonist, this often done by creating a eerie or frightening atmosphere or even supernatural elements in normal locations e.g. a bedroom or kitchen. An example is in Sinister, this is located in a house in the countryside, this location is one that people come across on a day to day basis, this is a Horror because the film's main goal is to harm the family living the house, there is a lot of gory scenes in this film e.g. when there is tape of a lawnmower killing a family, we see how in then beginning they too are living in the house. You can tell that the main point of the film was to scare the audience not to make them think only to make them scared that it could happen to them. The reasoning for this is to emphases more on the horror and bloody sights of the film, this makes the film more Horror than Thriller.
Sinister
What is a Thriller?
Thriller is a genre of fiction, having numerous, often overlapping sub-genres. Thrillers are characterised and defined by the moods they create giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety. Successful examples of thrillers are the films of Alfred Hitchcock - he directed Psycho, Rear Window and Vertigo. Other successful Thriller films are The Game, US and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 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. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem – an escape, a mission, or a mystery. No matter what sub-genre a Thriller film falls into, it will emphasize the danger that the protagonist faces. The tension with the main problem is built on throughout the film and leads to a highly stressful climax for example The Great Escape which is when a large group of POW's plan an escape for a German camp in WW2.
IMPORTANCE OF THRILLER
Thrillers are an important genre because they exist to excite audiences—their whole purpose is to induce the strongest emotional responses possible. They allow the audience to experience feelings that they typically do not feel on a normal basis, providing a level of fearful excitement that would regularly be difficult and unusual to achieve. Viewers do not typically want to experience these emotions in their own daily lives; but because thrillers are fictional, the sensations thrillers produce in the audience are exhilarating rather than actually threatening. When the audience watch thrillers—the kind of tension-filled movies that make your heart beat faster and your neck muscles bunch up—you are venting off stress. Think of it like a stress ball for your mind. You squeeze the ball, which involves tensing your muscles, but when you relax, there’s a stress release effect.
SUB-GENRES IN THRILLER
There are so many Sub-Genres in Thriller here is just a few explained:
Action Thriller:
Action Thrillers mainly focuses on physical action and movement to create suspense within the film. It should often have continuous motion and action including physical stunts, chases, fights (good vs evil) battles and races. You are more likely to see Action Thrillers in movies instead of novels because you need to see the visuals to create the suspense of violence. An example of an Action Thriller is John Wick; Chapter 3. John Wick is an Action Thriller because there is a lot of chase scene which is key factor of an action thriller also there is a lot of violence as many people die by gunshots these chase scenes where people die as the stereotypical idea of what an Action Thriller would be like and this film lives up to those expectations that the audience expect. In Action Thrillers there are a lot of scenes where there are quick cuts from different angles — these cuts get faster as the scene progresses to create a feeling of fear or excitement for the viewers. Other examples of Action Thrillers are The Meg, Maze Runner, and James Bond. In Action Thrillers there is usually a representation of a male protagonist alongside a female deuteragonist this is a very sexist stereotype as it is based on old-fashioned mentality that men are stronger and more superior than women. Steve Neals theory states that a genre should change as the audience's ideas change, this way it will appeal to more people. Action Thrillers have only just recently started to have films with a female protagonist this is because there has been an advance in knowledge about gender equality meaning the audiences views are starting to change and the media has to change with it.
The Meg Chase Scene by Jon Turteltaub
Crime Thriller:
Crime Thrillers mainly focus on the crime element of the film, and it is usually focuses on what the criminal does in this type of situation rather than the police, although we do see how the police react but that is only to help the audience understand how the criminal reacts to what potentially could happen. Crime Thrillers bring a suspense feeling to the film as it makes the viewers stress about whether the main character will get caught or not. Crime Thrillers usually focus on the actions the criminal takes rather than how they are feeling about it. The key aspects that must be included in this sub-genre of the Thriller is either Murder, Robberies, Shootouts and Any form of crime or violence. Crime Thrillers include a combination of both action and psychological thrillers. An example of a Crime Thriller is Silence of the Lambs - This film is a good example of a Crime Thriller because the film brings a lot of stress out of the audience as they don't know if he will get caught, the film is made so that we are mainly focused on what Hannibal Lecter (the psychopath) is doing with his kidnapped another one of his victims to murder. All of these aspects of the film fall into the Crime Thriller genre as there is a lot of crime — it may not be loud and violent crime but there is a lot of crime. More example of this include Reservoir Dogs, American Psycho and Seven as they all fall into these categories.
Silence of the Lambs by Jonathan Demme-Most Crime-full Scene as it happens in a prison cell
American Psycho by Mary Hannon-Violent scene
Disaster Thriller:
Disaster Thrillers usually include a natural disaster such as earthquakes, hurricanes and floods or a huge disaster, in which the Hero tries to stop the disaster or to help the civilians around them, and sometimes fails to save everyone. These films often feature large casts of actors and multiple plot lines, focusing on the characters' attempts to avert, escape or cope with the disaster and its aftermath. While the antagonist just tries to save themselves. An example of a Disaster Thriller is Titanic because there is a massive disaster within the film (the boat sinks), people try and not drown but they must face the reality of their death. Jack (Hero) tries to save Rose and succeeds. Titanic is a Disaster Film because loads of people died and nothing could've been done to save them as it was a disaster that killed the Hero. This film falls into this sub-genre because there is a massive disaster that cannot be stopped. Other examples include 2012, Contagion and Pompeii.
Titanic by James Cameron - Boat Sinking
2012 by Roland Emmerich - Tsunami scene
Horror Thriller:
Horror Thrillers are a both combination of Horror movies and Thrillers movies. These sub-genres movies are the most well-known because they include the scariest features from both genres. There must be a sense of suspense created in this film — the audience must be at the edge of their seat. Horror movies are more violent and gruesome whereas Thrillers are more psychological — the Horror Thriller is mixture of both. There must be a fear of death in these films, the protagonist (if there is one) is always going to be in danger, some of these films don't have protagonists or antagonists because it is trying to be a realistic as possible — in life there is not alway hero's and villains. This genre is most popular because there is so much that people can come up with - Horror Thrillers are keeping up with the current trends as there are so many being made all the time this means that there is less stereotypical features in these films. Horror Thriller has a much easier narrative, they follow the Todorov theory of how their is an equilibrium (normal life) — disequilibrium (something comes to displace the normal) — new equilibrium (the new normal as it was displaced. An example of Horror Thrillers would be Escape Room (2019) — this film falls into the Horror Thriller sub-genre because it follows the sort of "guidelines" a Horror Thriller must have. It is set in a realistic environment (an escape room) which a lot people go to on a weekly basis, the is that fear that someone will die through the whole film — it keeps the audience involved in the film as they think that they have been in an escape room (it can be an relatable environment). It has a vert psychological impact on people and there is a lot of violent and gruesome scenes which links to both the Horror genre and the Thriller genre. More examples include - Jaws, A quiet place, Frozen and the Purge.
Escape Room (2019) by Adam Robitel
Frozen by Adam Green
Legal Thriller:
In Legal Thrillers the lawyer is the Hero who tries to help prevent death/danger to their client. Legal Thrillers normally take place in and around the courtroom. The major characters are the lawyer and their client. The system of justice itself is always a major part of Legal Thrillers, at times almost functioning as one of the characters as it is spoke about so much. Often a lawyer finds a new case to be anything but typical, and soon lives are at stake. Those who bypass the law are ultimately judged by it. This sub-genre was popularised by John Grisham, with his blockbuster novel The Firm. In this film there is an Innocent man who finds himself being accused for a murder he didn't commit. The main character is a Lawyer - who works for a big law firm so a lot is mentioned about laws and the system of justice. This film is the perfect example of a Legal Thriller as a lot legal terms are mentioned and it is based in a courtroom. More examples include The Innocent Man by John Grisham and The Client Joel Schumacher. These all are considered Legal Thrillers because of their location and main character choices.
Medical Thriller:
Medical Thrillers envision horrific scenarios where diseases become epidemics and villains use their medical training for more sinister motives which means that doctors are the antagonists, however, there is always protagonist doctor who tries to save the civilians as they cannot help themselves. The protagonist doctor is usually the doctor whose life is threatened (perhaps because they helped a certain patient). Medical Thrillers are not very popular meaning there is a very narrow selection of films this is because there is not many things that writers can write about as not many medical things happen as it is a very difficult genre. Although, now there is a few upcoming medical scenarios that can be created into thrillers such as COVID-19. Medical Thrillers must have some relation to any of the following: Medical Procedures, Diseases, Injuries and Medical Facilities. A film that is a good example is Contagion - this is about a global pandemic and how it spreads. This means that a lot of medical terms will be used, medical facilities will be used (Hospitals) and a disease is being spread. In Contagion there is a protagonist doctor who helps get the vaccination out and there is a few antagonists doctor who do the opposite of that. Other example include: Awake, Pathology, Girl Interrupted and Outbreak.
Contagion by Steven Soderbergh - How infection is spread.
Awake by Joby Harold - Trailer
Psychological thriller:
Psychological Thrillers are one of the most popular type of thriller. In this sub-genre the main focus is the conflict within someones (protagonists) mind - in these films there is more mental so inside the minds behaviour and feelings rather than the physical elements like chase scenes or shootouts. In this type of film the protagonist gets themselves in a dangerous situation which is because of their mental state — in these film people try and make the protagonist feel more wrong than they are so they have to figure out what's real and what's in their head. They often incorporate elements of mystery (this includes: mental illnesses, substance abuse and dissolving sense of reality) the can create the feelings of terror like dread and fear or elements of horror like trauma and shock. Shutter Island is an example of Psychological Thrillers because the film starts off like a normal film only to discover that everyone around was acting to "trick" their minds. The protagonist is questioning all the choices that he and everyone else makes which can lead the audience to believe that he is being tricked into staying on the island only to discover out the ending — the main character got themselves into a dangerous situation because of his mindset and they way he was thinking which put him and everyone else in danger. Other examples of Psychological Thrillers include: Fractured, Get Out and Gone Girl - these all have the main elements of Psychological Thrillers.
Shutter Island by Martin Scorsese - The Ending Scene
Fractured by Brad Anderson - Ending Scene
Supernatural Thriller:
Supernatural Thriller has specific elements that make them supernatural including: Ghosts, gods and miracles. Supernatural Thrillers deal with the unknown questions of life; therefore Supernatural Thrillers include religious elements in the plot to help try and explain what is happening. These types of thrillers emphasise the unknown meaning they can be considered quite suspenseful and create tension between what's happening and the audience. There is normally a force which is brought in with the antagonist character — some characters must have some form of physic or supernatural ability. This Sub-Genre is very popular along side with Psychological Thrillers this is because of the suspense they both create — they both intrigue the audience to watch more. An example of a Supernatural Thriller is IT - this has a lot of Supernatural elements such as the "evil" clown who kills children — this is the force that the antagonist (Pennywise) brings to the movie. The clown can shape-shift and he is an ancient evil spirt who torments children before feeding on them. This film a very supernatural film as we know it will never happen in real life. However, even though we know it isn't real there is still a lot of suspense onto whether the seven specific children will die or not. This is a good example of a Supernatural Thriller. Other example include: Hereditary, Bird Box and The Grudge. These films are the most stereotypical type of films because they just do everything you would expect from a Supernatural Thriller.
It by Andrés Muschietti- most intense scene
The conjuring by James Wan - Hide and Clap scene
Religious Thrillers:
Religious Thriller film incorporates religious themes, including religious questions, ceremonies, and objects. Though some films can revolve around a specific church, many Religious Thrillers include supernatural experiences not pertaining to a certain religion. Exorcisms, demon possession, and church cover-ups are typical themes of Religious Thrillers. An example of a Religious Thriller is The Nun - this about a young nun at a abbey in Romania takes her own life, a priest with a haunted past and a pray on the threshold of her final vow. This falls into the Religious Thriller category because it is based around a religious person (the nun) who was from a church. They try to do specific religious prayers to get rid of the evil spirits of the nun. Other examples of The Exorcisms of Emily Rose, The Conjuring and The Da Vinci Code
The Nun by Corin Hardy - Trailer
The Conjuring by James Wan and Michael Chaves - Clap scene
MAIN CHARACTERS EVERY THRILLER SHOULD HAVE
Characters in thrillers include convicts, criminals, stalkers, assassins, down-on-their-luck losers, innocent victims (often on the run), prison inmates, menaced women, characters with dark pasts, psychotic individuals, terrorists, cops and escaped cons, fugitives, private eyes, drifters, and people involved in twisted relationships, world-weary men and women, psycho-fiends, and more. The themes of thrillers frequently include terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder or worse.
The element of surprise:
The element of surprise is a key thing in every thriller film. The timing of when the surprise happens is very crucial as it can ruin the whole film if it not right. Within every Thriller there will be an interesting storyline based around the main question of the film, this question is built on smaller events that make the audience want to continue watching and sustain their interest along the way.
A Hero:
A hero is also referred to a protagonist in films. A hero is the main character, this is the person who the audience are rooting for most of the time. Sometimes the element of surprise can change the audiences perspectives of the media product they are watching which can change their views on the "hero" in total. Stereotypically the representation of a hero is a man. The man is normally big, strong, brave and has lots of strength although, nowadays the "stereotype" of a hero is chaining. The modern hero is an average person who become heroes through the problems they encounter and how they deal with it. We normally view the film for the heroes point a view. For example Indiana Jones or Katniss Everdeen
A Sidekick:
A sidekick also known as heroes helper. They help support the protagonist and help explain to the audience what the protagonist is thinking without breaking the fourth wall they do this by being a bit stupid so then the hero will have to explain their ideas in more depth. Normally the sidekick gets caught in trouble or in danger meaning the hero has to save them as well as helping the civilians.
A Villan:
A villain is also known as an antagonists, this because they are the defining force that antagonises the hero. This person is normally presented an either foreign person or a a person of power who holds back the protagonist. The villain tries to create obstacles for the hero as their motivation is to see that person struggle. The villain has a dramatic introduction, stimulating a clear message to the audience showing that that character is a malicious person. However, the "villain" is not alway evil, they are just the person who is against the protagonist, normally they have their own backstory's as to why both the protagonists and antagonist do not get along. In old-fashioned films the "bad guys" where usually someone from a different country, which has had a history with that country producing the film. For example Maleficent and Voldemort.
Resources:
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/writing-101-what-is-the-thriller-genre-definitions-and-examples-of-thriller-in-literature
https://www.slideshare.net/nualamckevitt/media-thriller-genre
https://kathrineroid.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/list-of-thriller-subgenres/
https://prezi.com/ztjq50btcrwk/thriller-film-characteristics/
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