2. INTRODUCTION OF THE GENRE ‘THRILLER’
• Thriller is a vast genre of film, as it is combined with many other genre’s resulting in
different turnouts of what thriller can be. The use of suspense, tension and excitement are
the key elements of the genre, heavily stimulating the viewers mood giving them a high
level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, surprise, anxiety and
terror.
• Thriller films tend to be adrenaline fueled and fast paced, Red herrings, Plot twists and
cliffhangers are used extensively.
• A thriller is always a villain driven plot where the protagonist must over-come obstacles
physically and mentally to over come the antagonist.
3. FIRST THRILLER
• One of the earliest Thriller movies was Harold Lloyds ‘Safety Last’ released in 1927. This
opened a new genre to the public promising a good future of the genre. This led to
another set of films known as ‘The Lodger’ (1926) and ‘M’(1931) created by Alfred
Hitchcock and Fritz Lang. These two films helped shape the modern day thriller.
4. ALFRED HITCHCOCK
• Regarded as England’s best director, Alfred Hitchcock made a huge impact on the genre
setting forward a great success throughout modern cinema. His main key area was in
suspense and psychological thriller, in which he pioneered many effects. His most
recognized films are Psycho, The birds, Vertigo and Rear window.
• Many of Hancock's films consisted of twist endings and depictions of violence, murder
and crime.
5. PROTAGONIST
• The protagonist is always set to be an innocent character surrounded in a world
completely out of the characters jurisdiction. The protagonist must overcome physical and
mental obstacles that are set out by the antagonist, making the character grow into a
powerful figure. The audience becomes attached to this character making what ever they
are going through be felt by the audience.
• Prime examples of a protagonist would be the characters Ellen Ripley (Alien 1979) and
John McClane (Die Hard 1988)
6. ANTAGONIST
the antagonist is usually set to a de-ranged character whom is of a rather large intelligence
but is twisted. The antagonist set physical and mental obstacles for the protagonist and winds
the hero into almost quitting. The force of antagonism is far stronger than the protagonist but
is later prevailed after the protagonist goes through life changing event’s that are set out by
the antagonist.
Characters such as Hannibal Lecter and Buffalo Bill in ‘silence of the lambs’ (1991) are both
good examples of an antagonist.
