Different Types of Thriller

What is a thriller?

            A thriller, in regards to films, has an exciting plot line peppered with mystery with a sprinkling of suspense, a dash of daring and a teaspoon of tension.  People enjoy thrillers because they give a sense of excitement and anticipation, keeping the audience members "on the edge of their seats".   There are many different types of thriller:

SCI-FI/SUPERNATURAL THRILLER

The sci-fi/supernatural thriller is a thriller with an element of supernaturalism, for example strange creatures or extra-terrestrial beings.  The main conflict of the film usually has to do with the supernatural creature or situation.  "The Thing" is a film about a creature recovered from the ice of Antarctica. 

PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER


The psychological thriller is a thriller usually focussed on the characters and the development of their mindset in the film.  It emphasises the psychology of the characters rather than the plot.  

ACTION/ADVENTURE THRILLER


The action-adventure thriller follows a story with the backdrop of an adventure.  Elements of fighting, "bad guys vs. good guys" and explosions are common motifs in the action-adventure thriller.  These action-packed films are usually more enticing to the male audience.

POST-APOCALYPTIC THRILLER


The post-apocalyptic thriller focusses on life after the apocalypse (obviously), usually featuring a protagonist who wants to change the world or find out what went wrong.  They are often set in wasted cities and feature strange creatures.

CRIME/CAPER THRILLER

The crime/caper thriller is either shown from the criminal's side (The Usual Suspects) or the detective (Sherlock Holmes).  Most of the conflict is either about committing the crime or trying to find out who committed the crime.

WESTERN THRILLER

The Western thriller has many of the main features of an action-adventure thriller, but is set in the backdrop of the American West.

FILM-NOIR THRILLER

The film-noir thriller is more often than not historical, filmed in black and white.  It emerged during WWII as a new film genre, most of the plots being about war or crime in different countries.  They often involve a male-lead, evil foreign men, and a femme fatale.

CONSPIRACY THRILLER


Conspiracy thrillers are based on different ideas that may cause disaster or death for the human race.  They make the audience almost believe that these conspiracies will happen and create a sense of paranoia and questionability.

POLITICAL THRILLER

Political thrillers are much like psychological thrillers, with the backdrop of a political event.  They involve conspiracies against political figures, assasinations, rigged elections and other political scandals. They are mainly targeted at older, politically apt people.

SUB-GENRES OF THRILLER

          Neo-Noir

The neo-noir thriller, derived from the film-noir thriller, is set in the modern world and is frequently based on the issues of today.  They are often stylized in the way that they are filmed as well (colouring, differing techniques).


     Techno thrillers

Techno thrillers are usually set in the context of technology as the enemy, or cause of conflict.  They often involve the motif/moral of technology as the end of society as we know it, an apocalypse of sorts.  They have recently emerged in this day due to the increased availability and use of technology.


      Spy Film

Although many thrillers involve spies, the spy film has broken off into its own category of thriller due to the sheer mass of them.  Spy films usually have the spy as the protagonist who goes on a quest/journey to defeat the antagonist, along the way learning about theirself/the world.