The thriller genre encompasses numerous subgenres that are characterized by creating feelings of suspense, excitement, and anxiety in viewers. Common conventions of thrillers include withholding important information from viewers, using plot twists and cliffhangers, and settings that create a suspenseful atmosphere. Cinematography techniques like close-ups and tracking shots are employed to emphasize suspense and emotion. Modern thrillers continue to follow these conventions to build suspense through the use of film techniques and literary devices.

1. Thriller Genre
ARTHUR BLACKWOOD

2. The Thriller Genre + Subgenres
Thriller is a broad genre of film and has numerous subgenres. Thrillers are characterized and
defined by the moods they create, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement,
surprise, anticipation and anxiety.
Thrillers generally keep the audience on the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards
a climax.
There is a huge numbers of subgenres, many of which that incorporate other genres such as:
Comedy Thriller, Action Thriller and Conspiracy Thriller to name a few.

3. Conventions of the Thriller
The cover-up of important information from the viewer is a common element. Devices such
as red herrings, plot twists, and cliff-hangers are used extensively.
Typical settings include: Isolated buildings, City centres, Abandoned places and Corporate
buildings. These are all used as they can create a suspenseful atmosphere for the viewer.
Typical characters include: Anti heroes, murderers, hero who saves others.

4. Conventions of the Thriller
Cinematography is used to emphases suspense and emotion. Techniques like high angle, close
ups, hand held and tracking shots all create this.
Parallel editing is used to set two things against each other. One thing will often be a problem
and the other will be what it’s effecting. Because the audience can see both parts while the
character is only aware and present in one, this creates huge suspense.

5. Conventions of the Thriller
Fast and slow paced editing is also important in the thriller as the slower paced takes create
suspense and the quick pace is more likely to be used in the action sequences.

6. History of the Thriller
Homer's Odyssey is one of the oldest stories in the Western world and is regarded as an early
prototype of the thriller. One of the earliest thriller films was Harold Lloyd's comic Safety Last!
(1923), with a character performing a daredevil stunt on the side of a skyscraper.
The haunting and chilling German film M (1931) directed by the great Fritz Lang, starred Peter
Lorre (in his first film role) as a criminal deviant - a child killer. The film's story was based on the
life of serial killer Peter Kurten (known as the 'Vampire of Dusseldorf').

7. Key Directors and Actors
Alfred Hitchock – Psycho, Vertigo, Rebecca
Christopher Nolan – Memento, The Prestige, Inception
David Lynch – Mulholland Drive, Twin Peaks
Quentin Tarantino – Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs

8. Modern Thrillers
Modern thrillers still follow these conventions of creating suspense whenever possible through
the use of cinematography and literary devices previously mentioned.
Modern thrillers include the likes of Shutter Island and Donnie Darko which both focus on a key
theme of anything psychological.

9. Thrillers In the Box Office
The thriller genre has the 5th largest market share of genres from 1995-2016 with a total box
office gross of $16,836,858,699.
2,552,274,560 tickets have been bought and 873 movies have been made.
Adventure, closely linked to thriller, has the highest box office shares and has the highest total
gross.