The document traces the history of the mystery/thriller genre in film from the 1940s to 2000s. It provides examples from each decade such as Dressed to Kill (1941) and The Big Clock (1948) in the 1940s, Vertigo (1958) and Psycho (1960) in the 1950s-1960s, The Attic (1980) and Seven (1995) in the 1980s-1990s, and The Bourne Identity (2002) and Sherlock Holmes (2009) in the 2000s. It notes that mystery/thriller films have changed over time with more realistic effects now possible and more intriguing plots due to developments in technology, ideas, and actors.

1. History of the Genre
Chosen genre: Mystery/thriller

2. 1940’s
Dressed To Kill (1941) and The Big Clock (1948) are two examples of mystery/thriller
movies made in the 1940’s.
Dressed To Kill is directed by Eugene Forde and is based upon Private eye Michael
Shayne (played by Lloyd Nolan) who is investigating a double murder in a theatre
using 25 year-old clues.
The Big Clock is directed by John Farrow and is based upon George Stroud (played
by Ray Milland) who reaches breaking point when his boss insists that he skips his
honeymoon to do an assignment out of town and ends up plotting his boss’s murder
with the help of his boss’s mistress.

3. 1950’s/1960’s
Vertigo (1958) and Psycho (1960) are two examples of mystery/thriller films made in
the 1950’s to 1960’s.
Vertigo was directed by Alfred Hitchcock and is based on a detective who’s forced to
retire after his fear of heights caused the deaths of his fellow officer and the girl he
was hired to follow.
Psycho was also directed by Alfred Hitchcock and is based on Phoenix secretary
Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh) who steals money from her employer so she
can run away with her boyfriend. Sam Loomis (played by John Gavin) who travels on
the back roads to avoid police to stop at Bates Motel to rest, and meets Norman Bates
(played by Anthony Perkins) who’s a young man interested in taxidermy and has a
difficult relationship with his mother.

4. 1980’s/1990’s
The Attic (1980) and and Seven (1995) are both examples of mystery/thriller films that
were made between 1980 and 2000.
The Attic was directed by George Edwards and is based on Louise (played by Carrie
Snodgress), a librarian whose father is disabled and needs a wheelchair. Her friend
Emily (played by Ruth Cox) gets her a pet monkey named Dickie. Later on, Louise
discovers that her father was never disabled and that he was faking it in order to
make her his slave. Louise gets mad and pushes him down a hill, killing him. She then
goes through his things and finds a key to the attic where she finds Emily and Dickie,
who have been murdered and put in there by her father.
Seven was directed by David Fincher and is based on a retiring police detective,
William Somerset (played by Morgan Freeman). He works on a new case with his
partner, David Mills (played by Brad Pitt) and discovers multiple grizzly murders. They
soon find out that they are dealing with a serial killer (played by Kevin Spacey).

5. 2000’s
The Bourne Identity (2002) and Sherlock Holmes (2009) are two examples of more
modern mystery/thriller movies.
The Bourne Identity was directed by Doug Liman and is based on a man (played by
Matt Damon) who ends up with total amnesia after a mission on an Italian fishing
boat. He then starts a desperate search to find out who he really is and why he’s
being pursued by assassins, assisted by Marie (played by Franka Potente).
Sherlock Holmes was directed by Guy Ritchie and is based on the famous detective
Sherlock Holmes (played by Robert Downey Jr.) and his partner John Watson (played
by Jude Law) who track down a killer named Lord Blackwood (played by Mark
Strong).

6. How they have changed
Mystery/thriller films have changed a lot over time. Back in the 1900’s there
wouldn’t have been many realistic effects than what there are now because
of the technology and makeup effects available at the time.
Movies today would have a more intriguing plot than those in the 1900’s.
This is because thrillers have become more thrilling to the audience and
enigmas have become more confusing.
Mystery/thrillers would have caught more eyes as the years went on
because of the development of technology, ideas and maybe also the choice
of actors.