2. Thriller Genre - An
Overview
• Most thriller films have a crime at the
core
• The narrative and characters tend to be
very complex
• The plot will build towards a dramatic
climax
• Thrillers are hard to define as there are
many sub-genres such as crime,
psychological and legal
• In most thrillers, extraordinary events
happen in ordinary situations with
ordinary objects, places and people
3. History of the
Thriller genre• Alfred Hitchcock is known to be the master of Thrillers. He
famously declared that his intention was to “give the public
good healthy mental shake-ups”.
• Silence of the lambs is one of the most suspenseful, psychological thrillers
ever produced.
• Thrillers became more physiological in the 1990s and continued to focus on
playing with the audience’s mind.
• Thrillers today continue to be physiological or focus around the protagonist
and a crime which takes place.
