Thrillers are characterized by creating feelings of suspense, anxiety, and surprise in audiences. They often use techniques like withholding information and cliffhangers to keep viewers engaged and on the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds to a climax driven by an antagonist. Common thriller themes include investigations, kidnappings, mind games, and conspiracies. Thrillers employ conventions like tension music, low-key lighting, flashbacks, and varied camera angles to build atmosphere and match characters' feelings. Examples subgenres are action, crime, horror, psychological, and supernatural thrillers.

1. Codes and Conventions of
the Thriller Genre in Film
By Sarah Nurse

2. What is a thriller?
• A broad genre of literature, television and film, which is
characterised by the mood it creates in audiences e.g. the
feeling of suspense, anxiety or surprise.
• Within these films, information is often covered up, and
techniques such as cliff-hangers are used so viewers are left
wanting more and are practically on the ‘edge of their seats’
as the plot builds towards a climax.
• Usually, the plot will be villain-driven, whereby the antagonist
presents various obstacles that the protagonist must
overcome in order to get to the new equilibrium by the end
of the film.

3. THEMES
mind games
kidnappings
investigations
paranoia
psychology
killers
stalking
captivities
agents
romantic triangles
captivities
conspiracies

4. Codes and Conventions:
• Tension music
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho uses
high pitched music, which helps add
Suspense and tension.
Whereas other sub-genres of thriller
may use faster-paced music, to
create a different feeling of
excitement.
• Low-key lighting (dark atmospheres)
Often, low-key lighting, or shadows are used in thriller
films in order to create a more dramatic effect because
the characters are barely visible and the atmosphere
seems somewhat mysterious. Examples of this would be
I Am Legend and Psycho.
• Flashbacks
Flashbacks confuse the audience and present a
feeling of disorientation, which often matches
the character’s feelings (e.g. Shutter Island).
• Different camera angles
Thriller films use different types of camera
angle in order to capture different emotions in
different parts of the film. For example, in
Shutter Island uses a wide range of angles,
based on the parts of the film and how the
characters are feeling.

5. Sub-genres:
• Action thriller
• Comedy thriller
• Crime thriller
• Horror thriller
• Psychological thriller
• Supernatural thriller

6. Iconography:
These are some typical symbolic representations
you’d expect to see in a thriller film.
Confined/claustrophobic spaces – Buried Shadows – Nosferatu
Knives – Ex Machina Masks – The Purge

7. Thriller Narrative:
Based on Todorov’s theory.
EQUILIBRIUM
DISRUPTION
REALISATION
RESTORED ORDER
NEW EQUILIBRIUM
The first part of the film, whereby
everything is balanced and in order.
A problem will arise in the story to disrupt
the balance and happiness.
The characters realise that
something is wrong in the story
The characters will attempt to
fix the problem.
The final part of the story, where balance
is restored and the problem is resolved.

8. Characters:
Based on Propp’s theory.
THE HERO
THE VILLAIN
THE DONOR
THE DISPATCHER
THE PRINCESS
Usually seeks something.
THE FALSE HERO
THE HELPER
Struggles against the hero.
Helps the hero or gives them
something (magical object).
Perceived as good but emerges as evil.
Sends the hero on their way.
Helps the hero in their quest.
The person that the hero
marries.

9. Evaluation:
Overall, this research that I have
conducted about the codes and
conventions of the thriller genre has
helped me to understand the key
elements that must be included in
order for the film to be considered a
thriller. I have also learnt that these
codes and conventions help to make
the thriller effective in creating
tension for the audience and keeping
them on edge.