Alfred Hitchcock was one of the first directors to make thriller films in the 1920s and 1930s, establishing conventions like suspense and mystery that defined the genre. In the late 20th century, thrillers became more graphic with films like Seven and The Silence of the Lambs that established the popular crime thriller subgenre. Common character types in thrillers include detectives solving mysteries, terrorists causing chaos, spies as protagonists or antagonists, and psychopaths as villains.

1. Genre Research -
Thriller
Joshua Parkinson

2. History Of The Genre
• Alfred Hitchcock was one of the first to make thriller films. These films were some
of the first to contain aspects of suspense and terror hence the name; Thriller.
• One of Hitchcock’s first thriller films was: The Lodger which released in 1927. It
was a silent film so the feeling of suspense was portrayed through the use of
music.
• From 1935, the wide majority of Hitchcock’s films were those of the thriller genre.
• George Cukor released a psychological thriller in 1942 called Gaslight. Similar to
Hitchcock's style, Cukor’s films contained extreme levels of suspense which drew
the general public to the movie theatres.
• In 1960 one of the most iconic thriller films was released: Psycho. Hitchcock's
release of this film caused a whole sub genre to be born; Horror Thriller.
• Taking a big leap into the late 90’s in which the world began to see these more
graphic thriller films such as: Seven and The Silence Of The Lambs. These films
were also part of a sub genre: crime thriller. The wide majority of thriller films are
of the sub genre: Crime Thriller.

3. Examples

4. Character Types
• One of the most common character types found in thriller films would be the
detective/curious person. This character is usually the main focus and protagonist
of the film and usually finds themselves solving some sort of mystery whilst either
being persuaded or watched by a darker presence.
• Another widely seen character type in thrillers would be the “terrorist” such as
those seen in the popular TV drama: Homeland. These characters are out to
cause damage and prevent the protagonist from solving the mystery by recking
havoc.
• A very popular character type would be the “spy”. Spy's play a big part in the film
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”. In most thriller films spy can either been good or bad in
terms of whose side they are on. They are usually the main focus of the film.
• The psychopath is also a common character type, most famously seen in “The
Silence of the Lambs”. This character has no morals what so ever and has a soul
purpose of bringing pain and disaster to the world of the film. These particular
characters are never protagonists and are usually the main nemesis of the film.

5. Iconography
• Dull, blue colours
represent the moody
atmosphere the film
portrays.
• Bold, large font shows
that the film is of a heavy
and loud nature.
• Music usually consists of
an orchestra of strings
and low basses to build
up suspense in particular
scenes.
• Close ups are also
common in thriller films
once again to increase
the level of tension since
it restricts the audiences
view of the scene so they
don’t quite know what is
going to be around the
next corner.
• Compared to the Bourne film
cover, Psycho is very different in
terms of the colour palette used.
There are a lot more vibrant
colours seen such as warm
oranges and vibrant yellows.
These types of colours were
most likely used due to the age
of the film since large
blockbuster films were only just
being released at the time, and
directors wanted to draw as
many people into theatres as
possible so they used bright
colours to attract them.
• Once again, large bold font is
used to intrigue people.
• Strings are very famously used
in this particular film in the iconic
‘shower scene’. Some would
say this was a very stressful
scene to watch due to the loud
strings being played, it built up
quite a bit of tension.

6. Subgenres
• Action Thriller - Usually very violent, contains lots of explosions and car chases. This sub genre
usually consists of the protagonist embarking on a quest in which they must defeat an evil force that
is planning to take over the world or at least part of the world.
• Conspiracy Thriller - In this sub genre the protagonist must confront a large, powerful organisation
whose threat only the protagonist can see. Usually the protagonist must do this task alone.
• Crime Thriller - This sub genre focuses on crime, and is usually from the detectives point of view.
• Spy Thriller - It’s hard to call this a genre mash-up when spy films almost have to be thrillers. This
sub genre focuses on the high adventures of field agents. It is usually set against the backdrop of
some war.
• Psychological Thriller - In this sub genre a lot of the conflict is mental, rather than physical. The
protagonist has become involved in a dangerous situation which literally threatens their sanity, a
brilliant example would be Shutter Island. They must use mental prowess to overcome their
opponent, whether the battle is inside their own head or it a battle of wits.
• Mystery Thriller - This is a sub genre of both mysteries and thrillers. It differs from a regular mystery
by being much more fast-paced, with the protagonist on the run and the threat of another crime
serving as a countdown.
• Political Thriller - In this sub genre political relations or the whole government is at stake, and the
protagonist is employed by the government to stop the decline. The protagonist may have been low-
level before having attracted attention.