Typical Thriller Conventions

Conventional Thriller Characters:

• Rapists
• Victims
• Murderers
• Psychotic individuals
• Serial Killers
• Loners
• Ghosts
• Vunrable Women

Conventional Thriller Settings:

• Isolated houses/ areas
• Woods
• Cities/ Towns
• Night
• Graveyards

 Conventional Thriller Themes:

• Murder
• Violence
• Romance
• Suspense
• Mystery
• Death

Thriller Genre Timeline

5 Thriller Films Researched

 1, Hide and Seek (2005) 

• Tense music is used  in order to establish atmosphere

•  hybrid thriller as it contains many stereotypical horror elements such as murder, darkness and fear but also contains mystery, tension and suspense which is very generic of the thriller genre

• Set in a large house in an isolated area 

• Murder is a constant theme throughout the story 

• Ends in suspense when the heroine (Emily) draws hersel in a picture with a double head, suggesting that she to sufffers with the same mental disease her father had 

2, Cape Fear (1991)

• Use of pathetic fallacy to create atmosphere during tense moments 

• Music emphasises the suspense that the audience is meant to feel

• Killer is a psychotic, rapist which is very stereotypical of the thriller genre 

•  Cape Fear is a hybrid thriller as it contains themes of crime such as criminal vs defense lawyer  

• Use of props such as fake blood and make-up wounds make violence and gore a recurring theme 

3,One Hour Photo (2002)

• A psychological thriller that focuses on a loner character 

•  Uses music to indicate when something is not quite right 

• Use of extrememly bright lighting to create the effect of being in a mental institution to emphasise characters state of mind 

•  soundtrack of a heart beat to emphasise tension- very typical of the thriller genre 

4, The Prestige (2006) 

•  Use of dark lighting creates dark and tense mood throughout the storyline 

• Themes of revenge, violence and madness 

• Hybrid thriller as the themes of magic make it a fantasy thriller 

• Dangerous magic tricks performed which create suspense in the audience 

• Use of lashbacks to reveal plot twist at the ending 

5, Taken (2008)

• Hybrid thriller as Taken contains themes of both action and crime 

• Use of split screen

• Sound effects used in the fight scenes - creates a fast paced rhythm that creates tension and fear 

• Reaction shot used on fathers face when he sees his daughter 

•  Setting changes from a clean and bright airport (equilibrium) to dark and grim (disequilibrium)