1. Thriller genre research
With supernatural elements

2. What is the thriller genre? + subgenres
• Thriller genre is a genre that revolves around anticipation and
suspense. The aim of the genre is to keep the audience alert and
on the edge of their seats. The protagonist of the film usually is
set against a problem, such as an escape, mission or mystery. The
genre emphasises the danger that the protagonist faces.
• Examples: The Silence of the Lambs
• A psychological thriller incorporates elements of drama and
mystery. The suspense in this subgenre comes from the mind,
rather than from a physical threat. Protagonists usually rely on
their mental resources to solve a situation. Most psychological
thrillers cross over with the horror genre.
• Examples: Memento

3. Typical settings
• The typical settings of a thriller film:
• Isolated buildings
• Corporate buildings
• Abandoned places
• City centres
• These settings can help to create a suspenseful atmosphere to
benefit the film. Isolated buildings and other abandoned places
can create this, as they are away from general society. Corporate
buildings and city centres allow the thriller to be brought closer to
home, which emphasises the reality of fear and can allow for plot
lines that involve people being taken hostage.
The Others Die Hard
Isolated building City centre / Corporate buildings

4. Characters
• There are a variety of different characters that may feature
in thriller films.
• Anti heroes
• Murderers/serial killers
• Psychopaths
• People with dark backgrounds
• Hero who saves others
• Traditional family who may be at the centre of the problem
• An example of a character in a thriller film is Dr. Hannibal
Lecter, from the film, Silence of the Lambs. Hannibal Lecter
is a psychiatrist and cannibal serial killer.
Silence of the Lambs The Shining Die Hard

5. Iconography
• There are different props that may feature in thriller films, in order to
convey a variety of different emotions or feelings, such as suspense,
tension and fear.
• Knives and guns are typically associated with thriller, as they have
connotations with death, violence and pain. These props generally show
that someone may be about to be harmed or killed, and therefore will
keep the audience engaged as they do not know what is about to
happen.
• Confined spaces can be used in thrillers as it allows the audience to feel
trapped, like the character, and this creates tension and fear.
• Shadows and silhouettes give the thriller a mysterious vibe, and builds
up the fear, as the audience does not know who is behind the shadow
that is there.
Die Hard Session 9 Carrie
Guns Mysterious item Blood Shadows

6. Cinematography
• Cinematography in thriller can be used in order to emphasise the
suspense or emotions of the characters within the film.
High angle – This shot is
used to convey the
powerlessness of the
character
Low angle – This shot is used
to convey how powerful the
characters are in the shot
Close up – This shot is used to convey the
emotions of the character, which
emphasises suspense, for example, in the
Psycho shower scene, where the audience
doesn’t actually see the killer.
Long shot – Long shots can be used in thrillers to
emphasise the location that the characters are in. The
long shot can make the location look creepy, as in this
picture, the characters have encountered a cabin in a
remote location.
Cantered angle – These shots can
be used in thriller in order to
emphasise different emotions,
such as chaos and insanity.
Cantered angles are also used to
convey scenes of confusion in
relation to drug or alcohol use.
Tracking shot – Tracking shots are often used in thriller
films to follow the action, as it may be fast paced. These
shots can be useful to use in thriller films, as the audience
can essentially follow the action, and this can cause
suspense as they may not know what is going to happen
next.
Hand held shot – These shots
can be used in thriller films that
have a documentary element to
it. For example, the Blair Witch
Project is filmed like this, in
which the audience views what
the missing filmmakers
recorded. These shots are
useful in order to create
suspense, as the audience
follows them and therefore
does not know what is about to
happen.
Over the shoulder shot – Over the shoulder shots are useful
in order to create suspense and tension. They can be used
around shots that have mirrors to show reflections in order
to create suspense, as the audience will see this just as the
character does.
In this shot from Pan’s
Labyrinth, we can see
a monster running up
behind the girl,
however she cannot
see that, which can
create suspense.

7. Editing
• In thrillers, there will likely be a few different editing techniques.
• Parallel editing will be used in thrillers, as this can be used create
suspense and action, as the camera will cut back and forth
between two different scenes that are happening at the same
time. Here is an example from Inception, which shows the
character in the ‘real world’, and then crosscuts to the character
in the dream.

8. Editing
• Elliptical editing can be used in thriller to shorten down a journey,
such as during a chase scene, so that the scene is not entirely long
and boring, and this will allow the audience to continue to be
engaged in the action happening in the film. The example here is
from Batman Begins, where a character is seen in an extreme long
shot walking up a mountain and then in the next shot, the
character has reached the top of the hill.

9. Editing
• Shot-reverse-shot is an editing technique that will be commonly
used in any film, as well as the thriller genre. It is mostly used to
show a conversation between characters, and the camera will
switch between them, which can allow the audience to see the
individual facial expressions of the characters. An example of the
shot reverse shot technique is in The Hunger Games, where Peeta
is talking about his feelings in relation to the games, and then the
camera cuts to Katniss, to show her reaction to what he says.
Peeta
Katniss

10. Editing
• Fast and slow paced editing may be used in thriller films, as it can
help in creating suspense and tension in a scene. Slow paced
editing may be used in order to build up the tension or suspense,
as the audience will not know what is about to happen, which will
cause them to be on the edge of their seats. Fast paced editing is
more likely to be used in action sequences, such as a chase scene,
between the ‘hero’ of the film and the ‘bad guy’.
Here is an example of fast paced
editing in Hawaii Five 0, in which
there are a lot of quick cuts
during a chase scene between
Steve and a suspect, and along
with it, there is non diegetic
suspenseful music, to wonder
what will happen during the
chase.

11. Sound
• In any film, sound featured will either be diegetic or non diegetic.
Diegetic sounds are sounds that are heard within the world of the
characters, such as ambient sounds, while non diegetic sounds are
sounds that are not heard by the characters, such as soundtracks and
voice overs.
• Non diegetic sounds are very effective in thriller films, as they can
be used in order to create suspense and tension within a scene, and
to possibly heighten the fear. A classic example of non diegetic music
being used in a thriller film is the shower scene from Psycho. A scene
begins when a female character goes into the bathroom, and there is
diegetic sound of the shower running. The audience sees a shadow
appearing behind the shower curtain, and as the killer pulls back the
shower curtain, very loud intense piano music instantly plays, which
will make the audience jump and be fearful of what is about to
happen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
8VP5jEAP3K4
Psycho shower scene on YouTube

12. Sound
• Another classic example of how non diegetic music is
effective in thriller films is Jaws. The clip where a shark
is surrounding their boat is accompanied by non diegetic
orchestra music, that continues to build as the tension
within the scene grows. When the clip is played without
the additional non diegetic music, the scene is not
effective on its own to create tension, and therefore the
audience would not be scared by what is happening.
• Diegetic sounds within the world in the scene can also be
used to create tension and suspense, for example, in
many psychological thriller films, the audience will be
able to hear footsteps or mysterious noises, which builds
up the fear, as the audience nor the characters within the
film may not know where it is coming from.
https://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=Ae1Z_fWDZ7s
Jaws music vs no music

13. Narrative
• Thriller films will tend to follow a restricted narration, in which the
audience only knows as much as the characters do, however, sometimes
the narrative could slip into an unrestricted narration, in order to create
more suspense, because the audience will know more than the
characters within the film know.
• In terms of narrative theory, thrillers may follow Todorov’s Equilibrium
theory, as a thriller film can start out with a state of equilibrium, in
which everything is okay, and as the film progresses, there will be a
disruption, or a state of disequilibrium, and then towards the end of the
film, the disruption will be solved with a new and different equilibrium
at the end of the narrative. However, thrillers sometimes do not follow
the theory, as they will start out in a state of disequilibrium, for
example, in 28 Days Later, where the UK has already been overcome
with the Rage virus when Jim wakes up. As the film progresses, the Rage
virus victims begin to die, and the survivors find refuge, suggesting they
have found a state of new equilibrium.

14. Narrative
• Eden Lake, a horror thriller film, is an example of a film
that mostly follows a restricted narrative, however, at
some points of the film, it will cross over to a non
restricted narrative, such as when Jenny is running
through a wooded area, and as she enters a clearing,
where there are electrical pylons, the camera shows the
audience a spike before Jenny sees it, and then she
proceeds to run over it, getting it impaled in her foot. In
terms of Todorov theory, Eden Lake starts out with an
equilibrium, in which Jenny and Steve enjoy their
weekend away, however when the teenagers begin to
terrorise them, the plot enters a state of disequilibrium.
However, there is never a state of new equilibrium, as
Jenny and Steve are both killed by the teenagers towards
the end of the film.
Beginning of the film
The pylon that we see before she does

15. Narrative
• Some thriller films may also follow Vladimir Propp’s theory in
which stories follow eight spheres of action in terms of characters
who may appear during the film. The eight spheres of action are
as follows:
The villain The helper The dispatcher
The hero The princess The hero
The donor Her father

16. Propp’s eight spheres of action
• An example of a film that follows Propp’s theory of eight spheres
of action is Die Hard.
The hero
The terrorist
The princess
The dispatcher
(Christmas)
The donor (McClane
gets gun/radio from
dead terrorist)
The helper
Her father (the Police)
The false hero; Hans when he
pretends to be a hostage, the tv
journalist, and Chief of police, who
doesn’t listen to Al, the helper

17. Themes
• There are a number of different themes that can run through thriller
films, including;
• Crime/detective
• Supernatural
• Kidnapping
• Mystery
• Psychological
• This is because these themes in thriller films enable there to be suspense
in what may happen, as there will be a lot uncertainty during the plot
line.
Woman in Black Memento Donnie Darko
House at the end
of the Street
Supernatural Psychological Kidnapping Pyschological