By Anissa Brown and Esbeidy Granados

Suspense/Thriller

Most thrillers have settings in common places such as suburbs or cities, but can also take place in more exotic locations such as the ocean, or a foreign country.

Settings

Because of the numerous subgenres, Suspense/Thriller has a wide range of tones, but the most common is seriousness, versus a humorous tone, in order to make the tension much more intense.

These films commonly use cliff-hangers and the covering-up of vital information to the viewers.

Tone/Style

Though the thriller/suspense genre is very broad, the majority of these films feature:

Scores that go higher in pitch as the tension increases, i.e. the shower scene in Psycho, and in Jaws

Low or soft lighting to emphasize the mystery and danger

Filtered shots to evoke feelings of mystery or danger.

And extreme close-ups of parts of the face, especially the eyes.

Tone/StylePsycho Soundtrack

jaws theme

Early Thriller

One of the first films to incorporate the simple aspect of suspense and anticipation was the 1923 romantic comedy Safety Last!

The silent film was directed by Fred Newmeyer and Sam Taylor and starred Harold Lloyd. The film is iconic for the famous daredevil stunt in which Lloyd is hanging from a tower clock.

Often times "Thriller" is split up into even further sub genres such as Psychological Thrillers, Crime Thriller, Sci-fi Thriller, Western Thrillers, Religious Thrillers, etc. but all deal with a mission, escape, or mystery.

Narrative

Narrative

Thriller films usually have storylines that consist of:

•Crime – Because the genre of thriller is so broad, it is easy for crime films to be added to the mix. i.e. Silence of The Lambs

•Heists – Heist films are similar to crime (because heists are crimes). These films consist of the perspective of the people committing the heist, and the plot is usually about when something in their plan goes wrong. i.e. Reservoir Dogs.

•Ransom/Revenge – Revenge movies are very common and are when the protagonist has had something tragic happen to them and they inflict punishment on whoever it was that wronged them. i.e. Taken

The protagonist of a Suspense-Thriller is typically someone who is not prepared for the escape, mission, or mystery (the problem) he is dragged into. His actions determine whether he (or someone else) lives.

The typical antagonist is smarter and stronger than the protagonist, initially, and combats him at a mental or physical level. Antagonistic forces may not always be other people, but can be abstract.

Characters

Characters

In thriller films, some notable aspects that are specific to its own genre are motifs such as femme fatales. Which is a term for a female character that is considered dangerous. i.e. Annie Wilkes in Misery

Many of the characters are criminals, psychotic, law enforcement, innocent victims, and/or have dark pasts

Themes in movies are the main ideas that the director tries to portray to the audience.

•One theme in suspense/thriller films is the desire for justice, which is often the motivation in revenge thrillers

•The morality of individuals is a common theme in thriller films as well. This serve as motivation for the protagonist (s) as well, because it is what keeps them going onwards towards their goal.

Themes

This genre is often called an overlap between Horror and Action, because of the tons of shared aspects. Suspense/Thrillers often feature corpses, crime, and fights.

Chase scenes are in common with Action/Adventures. Cover-ups of important information to the audience are in common in with Horror.

Other Elements

Young audiences constantly watch these films for the fast paced plots that force them to follow everything the character does.

When people watch thriller films, they often get a sense of excitement and a rush of adrenaline. Suspense films contain nerve-racking tension, uncertainty, and high levels of anticipation. These films leave us on the edge of our seats with cliff- hangers and sudden twists in the plot.

Audience Responses

The 1960 Alfred Hitchcock film, Psycho, starring Anthony Perkins and Vera Miles was based on the novel by Robert Bloch. This Suspense/Horror is number one on the American Film Institute's "100 years...100 Thrills" list, with a storyline about a disturbed motel owner/manager and a criminal secretary.

Notable Films

The next must see is North by Northwest starring Carry Grant and Eva Marie Saint. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this a story of mistaken identity.

Notable Films

Hitchcock's 1963 The Birds, based on the novel by Daphne du Marier in which a California town is suddenly under seige by large groups of birds

Alfred Hitchcock is a pioneer in thriller movies, nicknamed the "Master of Suspense." He perfected the use of POV shots to mimic a person's gaze and the psychological analysis of characters.

The #2 on the AFI best thrillers list is Jaws (1975) directed by Steven Spielberg, and starring Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw. The horror/ thriller focused on a massive shark terrorizing Amity Island.

Notable Films

Notable Films

1991's The Silence of Lambs is the next must-see, with a #5 spot on the AFI’s top “100 year, 100 thrills” The film, directed by Jonathan Demme starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins, is a psychological thriller. The movie is famous for Hopkins' performance as the psychopath, Hannibal Lector

Notable FilmsM (1931), directed by German director Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre.

When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.