Thriller is a broad genre. It spans throughout the whole of media, from literature to films and television. It also spans throughout all kinds of different sub-genres, e.g. Horror-Thriller.
Thrillers generally consist of fact-paced, intense and frequent action, a resourceful, courageous hero who responds to the evil plans of more powerful, more cunning villain.
Thrillers often use devices such as cliffhangers, red herrings, mcguffins, suspense, irony, etc. The plots in Thrillers are mainly driven by the villain, who must present obstacles for the hero to overcome in an effort to try to stop him/her.
Thrillers can intrigue the audience through tension, i.e. psychological (Psycho), social or political (The Interpreter) tension. Hitchcock says this is so people can "dip their toe into the cold water of fear" to experience what it's like.
Thrillers tand to be set in exotic places like foreign cities, e.g. Istanbul, Turkey in Taken 2. The heroes are usually "hard men" who are greatly accustomed to danger and were trained to be familiar with what to do in a dangerous situation, e.g. Bryan Mills (played by Liam Neeson), a former U.S. CIA operative (Taken 1 and 2). However, on other occasions, they are complete strangers and citizens, dragged into danger unintentionally, e.g. Max Durocher (played by Jamie Foxx), a taxi driver in Los Angeles (Collateral). Protagonists in Thrillers are mostly male, however females have taken this role as well, e.g. Ripley (played by Sigourney Weaver) (The Alien Quadrilogy).
Thrillers are often overlapped with mystery stories, e.g. murder mysteries; the only difference being the structure of the plot. In Thrillers, the hero must thwart the plans of a villain instead of solving a crime that has already been committed. Mystery stories, however, would have the plot spoiled for the viewer if they were told who the culprit was before he/she is caught; instead his/her identity is revealed at the end. Thrillers introduce the identity of the villain at the very beginning.
Thrillers can occur on a much more fatal scale, e.g. terrorism, serial or mass murder, assassinations, etc. Violent and jeopardising situations are general plot elements in Thrillers. While mystery stories are at their climaxes when the mystery is solved at the end, Thrillers are at their climaxes when the hero defeats the villain at the end, saving his/her own life and, at times, other's lives as well.
Thrillers are often influenced by film noirs and tragedies, in which the hero could be killed off as a price for defeating the villain and saving the world; a heroic sacrifice.
Thrillers are a case of "what you see is what you get" and "it does exactly what it says on the tin". Thrillers are made to "thrill" (fearful excitement). If it doesn't thrill, it isn't a Thriller.
James Patterson's Introduction to his Anthology about Thrillers states that "Thrillers provide such a rich literary feast. There are all kinds. The legal thriller, spy thriller, action-adventure thriller, medical thriller, police thriller, romantic thriller, historical thriller, political thriller, religious thriller, high-tech thriller, military thriller. The list goes on and on, with new variations constantly being invented. In fact, this openness to expansion is one of the genre's most enduring characteristics. But what gives the variety of thrillers a common ground is the intensity of emotions they create, particularly those of apprehension and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness, all designed to generate that all-important thrill. By definition, if a thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job."
Sub-genres
Action Thrillers:- These often feature a plot in which the protagonist(s) are in a race against time, that has a lot of violence and an antagonist who you are aware of throughout the whole film. They also feature a lot of guns and explosions, used by the heros and villains alike, and set-pieces for the large amounts of fast-paced action to take place in, e.g. the Snake-Pit from Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Death Star Trench Run from Star Wars: A New Hope. Examples of Action Thrillers include the James Bond films, the Star Wars films, the Indiana Jones films, etc.
Conspiracy Thrillers:- These often feature a plot in which the protagonist(s) confront a powerful group of enemies that only they know are evil. Examples of Conspiracy Thrillers include The Da Vinci Code, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Manchurian Candidate, The Sentinel, etc.
Crime Thrillers:- These are a hybrid of crime films and thrillers. They feature a suspenseful plot about successful or unsuccessful crime(s) and focus mainly on the criminal instead of a policeman and emphasise and focus on action over psychological aspects. General topics for these Thrillers are murders, robberies, chases, double-crosses, etc. Examples of Crime Thrillers include Collateral, Law Abiding Citizen, Memento, The Transporter, The Dark Knight, Daredevil, etc.
Disaster Thriller:- These feature a plot in which the protagonist(s) has to escape or stop a natural or man-made/artificial disaster, e.g. erupting volcanoes, hurricanes and tornados, floods, earthquakes, etc (natural disasters), nuclear disasters, man-made viruses, etc (artificial disasters). Examples of Disaster Thrillers include Armageddon, Dante's Peak, Volcano, Twister, The Core, The Towering Inferno, The Poseidon Adventure, I Am Legend, the Resident Evil series, etc.
Drama Thriller:- These combine elements of Thrillers and drama movies. These are more slower-paced and focus more on the development of the characters, including plot twists along the course of the movie. Examples of Drama Thrillers include The Interpreter, The Godfather movies, Gravity, The Dark Knight, Inception, etc.
Erotic Thriller:- Consists of elements from Thrillers and erotica. These became popular during the 1980s, when VCR was also becoming popular. Examples of Erotic Thrillers include Fatal Attraction, Obsessed, Dressed to Kill, etc.
Legal Thriller:- These feature a plot in which the hero/heroine is a lawyer who has to confront criminals inside and outside the courtroom and strive to win their cases, as well as survive being a target of said criminals. Examples of Legal Thrillers include The Innocent Man, The Pelican Brief, Michael Clayton, The Rainmaker, etc.
Medical Thriller:- These feature a plot in which the hero/heroine is a medical doctor/personnel who has to solve a spreading medical problem, e.g. a pandemic/epidemic of a deadly virus. Medical Thrillers can either be fiction or non-fiction. Examples of Medical Thrillers include Outbreak, Awake, The Hot Zone, etc.
Political Thriller:- These feature a plot in which the hero/heroine must maintain balance in the government he/she works for. Examples of Political Thrillers include The Manchurian Candidate, Enemy of the State, Argo, The Interpreter, The Hunt for Red October, etc.
Psychological Thriller:- These focus on emotional and mental conflict more than physical conflict, though mostly the resolution of the plot involves physical violence. Examples of Psychological Thrillers include The Sixth Sense, Seven, Alfred Hitchcock's Suspicion, Strangers on a Train and Shadow of a Doubt, Memento, Shutter Island, David Lynch's Blue Velvet, The Good Son, etc.
Spy Thriller:- A sub-genre of spy fiction. These feature a plot in which the hero/heroine is a secret agent working for the government and must fight against agents of a rival government or a group of powerful enemies, i.e. terrorists. Examples of Spy Thrillers include the James Bond movies, several Alfred Hitchcock movies, e.g. North by North West, The 39 Steps, etc; the Bourne movies, the Mission Impossible movies, the Spy Kids movies, Red and Red 2, Austin Powers, The Saint, Johnny English, Stormbreaker, the Jack Ryan movies, etc.
Techno Thriller:- These feature a plot which focuses heavily on the technology involved, e.g. military, futuristic. They are described in detail to help the audience to understand what they do, regardless of whether they are fiction or non-fiction pieces of technology. Examples of Techno Thrillers include the Jack Ryan movies, e.g. The Hunt for Red October; Source Code, etc.
Religious Thriller:- These feature a plot which is heavily focused on and influenced by religious and philosophical aspects, e.g. religious objects, institutions, questions and issues, etc. Examples of Religious Thrillers include The Da Vinci Code (currently the highest-grossing thriller worldwide and most famous Religious Thriller) and its sequel, Angels and Demons, Se7en, etc.
Some of the above sub-genres of Thrillers are combined when making most Thriller movies, sometimes with horror, conspiracy and psychological aspects added in. For example:-
- Conspiracy/Psychological Thrillers:- The Da Vinci Code, The Manchurian Candidate, Inception, etc.
- Techno/Spy Thrillers:- James Bond films, Mission Impossible movies, etc.
- Religious/Psychological Thrillers:- The Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Se7en, etc.
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