This document discusses various subgenres of thriller films and novels. It outlines the key elements and examples of action, conspiracy, crime, disaster, medical, mystery, and psychological thrillers. Action thrillers focus on explosions and violence over character development. Conspiracy thrillers involve a protagonist confronting a powerful threatening organization alone. Crime thrillers are usually from the criminal's point of view and involve evading the police. Disaster thrillers center around attempts to stop or survive a natural calamity. Medical thrillers use medical elements like viruses as dangerous weapons. Mystery thrillers are fast-paced with the protagonist on the run. Psychological thrillers involve mental rather than physical conflicts that threaten the protagonist's sanity.

1. THRILLERS

2. A FEW OF THE MANY THRILLER
SUBGENRES:
 Action Thriller
 Conspiracy Thriller
 Crime Thriller
 Disaster thriller
 Medical thriller
 Mystery thriller
 Psychological thriller

3. Codes and
Conventions of a
thriller
Cliff-hangers
Low key
lighting
Shadows
Music
Tension
Change
in angle
shots
Black &
white
shots
Mystery
Suspense
Plot
twist

4. Action thrillers:
Take any other thriller subgenre, give it’s defining
elements a back seat, and focus on the action, and you
have an action-thriller. This is more common in movies
than novels because of the visual appeal of explosions
and violence.
Examples of an action thriller:
o The Dark Knight
o Jaws
o The Bourne Trilogy
ACTION
THRILLER

5. Conspiracy thrillers: In this subgenre the
protagonist must confront a large, powerful
organisation whose threat only he sees. Usually he
must do so alone.
Examples of Conspiracy thrillers:
 Blow out
 Blue thunder
 Eagle eye
CONSPIRACY
THRILLER

6. Crime thrillers:
• Focuses on crime,
• Usually from the criminal’s point of view
• Physical action and eluding the police take the
place of gathering evidence and trying to
discover the criminal.
Examples of crime thrillers:
 Brighton rock
 The killing jar
 The next three days
CRIME THRILLER

7. Disaster thrillers:
＊ Usually natural disaster is taking place
＊ Antagonist is either trying to stop the
disaster, the extent of the disaster, or
just save themselves before time runs
out
Examples of Disaster thrillers:
• Zombie land
• Resident evil
• The book of Eli
DISASTER
THRILLER

8. Medical thrillers:
o Involves something usually used for medical purposes
becoming a deadly weapon
o Often it is a virus that is leaking out to the public
o The protagonist or antagonist or both are doctors
Examples of Medical thrillers:
• The human centipede
• Repo! The Genetic Opera
MEDICAL
THRILLERS

9. MYSTERY THRILLERS
Mystery thrillers:
∞ It differs from a regular mystery by being much more
fast-paced
∞ The protagonist generally on the run and the threat of
another crime serving as the “ticking clock.”
Examples of Mystery thrillers:
Sherlock Holmes
Shutter island

10. PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER
Psychological thrillers:
 Allot of the conflict is mental, rather than physical
 The protagonist has become involved in a dangerous situation
which literally threatens their sanity.
 They must use mental prowess to overcome their opponent,
whether the battle is inside their own head or it a battle of wits.
Examples of psychological thrillers:
• Suspicion
• Black swan
• Red eye