Section 1 - What is a Thriller?

What is a Thriller?

      Thriller is a genre of many different medias, including literature, film and television, which can incorporate features of other varieties to create a whole multitude of hybrid genres.

      Thrillers are identifiable by a number of different factors, depending on the different sub-genres (e.g. horror-thriller, drama-thriller, action-thriller) including:

• Fast pacing
• Tension and suspense
• Often gruesome or scary scenes which make the viewer jump
• Action scenes such as explosions and car chases
• Twists in the plot which keeps the viewer hooked and not seeing what will happen next
• Resourceful heroes (often underdogs) who thwart the plans of seemingly stronger villains against the odds
• Quick cuts and changes in camera angles, with fast pace
• Mental illnesses/weak mental states
• Candid angles to show the unstable mind of the characters
• Music that helps build tension, often getting louder and more dramatic in key scenes
• Lighting - dark lighting and use of shadow
• Building of tension and suspence
• Young female victim/protagonist
• Male killer/villain
• Knives/guns/other weapons etc
• Bad weather
• Gore/blood
• Graphics being very big and bold against the background
• Chase scenes between the villain and victim
• Playing with the mind of the viewer and confusing them

Thriller Sub-Genre
Some of the more well-known sub-genres of thrillers are:

-        Conspiracy thriller e.g. Flightplan

-        Crime thriller e.g. Silence of the Lambs

-        Disaster thriller e.g. Knowing

-        Erotic thriller e.g. Lust, Caution

-        Legal thriller e.g. The Runaway Jury

-        Medical thriller e.g. The Experiment

-        Mystery thriller e.g. Shutter Island

-        Psychological thriller e.g. Misery

-        Religious thriller e.g. Angels and Demons

-        Supernatural thriller e.g. Rosemary’s Baby

-        Action thriller e.g. Gamer

-        Horror/gore thriller e.g. Saw
These are just a few of the most common thriller sub-genres. Most thrillers incorporate a combination of these sub-genres and the different aspects of them. Other thriller genres which are becoming more popular are spy thrillers (e.g. The Man Who Knew Too Much), historical thrillers (e.g. Imprimatur) and “Rape and Revenge” thrillers (e.g. I Spit on Your Grave).

Theories of Codes and Conventions

      Many people have theorised the codes and conventions of a successful thriller, these are a few of the more notable ones.
      Thrillers

-        Martin Rubin, in his writing of “Thrillers” in 1999, analysed the thriller genre and all of its subgenres.
The Transformed City

-        C. K. Chesterton, a British author, created the idea of “The Transformed City”; the suggestion that thrillers are a modern genre in which the ordinary is turned into the extraordinary – “the poetry of modern life” – and that the main setting is the urban environment.
The Heroic Romance

-        Northrop Frye developed the idea of “The Heroic Romance” in which, like Chesterton’s theory, the hero is an ordinary person in extraordinary circumstances, where the laws of nature can be defied and the urban environment is again the main setting.
The Exotic

-        John Cawelti theorised the idea of “The Exotic” in which, again, the modern city is filled with mystery and fascination, and that main factors are the introduction of the strange and artefacts from the east or orient.
Mazes and Labyrinths

-        W. H. Matthews created the idea that mazes and labyrinths are a main feature of thrillers, whether metaphorically in the plotline where the hero finds themselves in unwanted situations (a story of twists and turns) or whether the audience is literally presented with the hero’s puzzle solving. The idea originates from Greek mythology from the story of the Minotaur, with the beast in a thriller being the villain which the twists of the plot will eventually lead the hero to.
Partial Vision

-        Pascal Bonitzer developed the idea of “Partial Vision” in which the character is left in an ‘unlimited prison’ and the audience only sees as much as they see, leaving blind spots in the plot which build suspense and create questions which become apparent to both the character and viewer as the plot unfolds. It creates the idea that what the viewer doesn’t see is just as important as what is shown.
Concealment and Protraction

-        Lars Ole Saurberg theorised the idea of “Concealment and Protraction” in which, like Bonitzer’s theory, concealment is used to deliberately hide something from the character, viewer or both, and protraction is used to delay a suspected outcome, both means of creating suspense and tension within the story.
The Question-Answer Model

-        Noel Carroll developed “The Question-Answer Model” in which the audience wait in suspense for answers to blind spots and unapparent details in the story. This plays on the natural dislike of a ‘sure thing’, since an unexpected outcome is more exciting (probability factor), and the moral factor since a morally right outcome increases involvement from the audience and therefore maintains the viewer’s focus on the story.