Conventions of the Thriller Genre

Narrative

The narrative is usually shot from the protagonist’s perspective thus allowing them to get a personal insight into their life/background, to watch the journey they take and the obstacles they face. This effectively makes the audience feel emotionally involved which then makes them want to root for the character’s happy ending. Any negative twists or turns the protagonist encounters keeps the audience engaged and on the edge of their seats. These unexpected twists in the plot are what provide the audience the ‘thrill’ any thriller of good quality should do. A good example of this is film Taken (2008). We follow former CIA agent, played by Liam Neeson, an over-protective father whose daughter is kidnapped while on a trip abroad. The audience builds a relationship with his character from the start, as they were first presented with a normal, everyday father looking out for his child. The film takes a dramatic turn when the daughter is abducted. He puts his old skills to use as he fights to get his daughter back from the antagonists. Throughout the rest of the film, the audience is constantly on-edge, questioning what is going to happen next as he gets closer and closer to finding her.

Settings

Thrillers usually take place in rural areas or large, busy cities depending on subgenre. For the most part, colour themes and pathetic fallacy are used to represent and portray particular moods and emotions. Orphan (2009) does this quite well as they use both colour, tone and pathetic fallacy to generate emotion from the audience. The film in its entirety was quite dark and bleak in tone, aside from the scenes in which Isabelle Fuhrman’s character, Esther, was first introduced. Before her true identity was revealed as the antagonist, she appeared an innocent girl. The scene where she meets her foster parents, the tones were soft and bright, creating a happy, warm and tranquil atmosphere one would associate with being in a child’s presence. In this scene, the room was brightly lit as the sun was shining through the windows; the theme of white was predominant connoting purity and innocence. 

Nearing the end of the film, Esther attempts to hunt down and kill the rest of the family. The shots during this are dark, almost pitch black in some scenes. Outside there is also an icy blizzard which is suggestive of the antagonist’s thoughts and intentions. This dramatic contrast shows the difference in how the audience first perceived the character in comparison to how the character is then portrayed towards the end.

Characters

The antagonist’s real identity is usually kept a secret and is revealed in the second half to towards the end of the film. This keeps the audience engaged to keep watching until they find out who it is. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) is a good example of a film that does this. In the film, people are disappearing upon visiting the Bates Motel and everyone is in fear of who they are against as the antagonist’s identity remains a mystery. The antagonist, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), is introduced to us as a shy, seemingly ordinary person and is exposed in the end to be the perpetrator. The protagonist is usually a man as they appear physically stronger thus portraying a heroic image, which also links to the common occurrence in thrillers of the ‘damsel in distress’. They are also usually level-headed and their actions, working against the antagonist, are generally based off of their principles. 

Themes

One of the recurring themes in thrillers often involve innocent people falling victim to the antagonist, usually holding them hostage to get what they want and/or need from the protagonist. Usually the antagonist tries to throw the protagonist (vice versa) off of their equilibrium in order to achieve their own goals. A good example of this is the film Ransom (1996). We follow the story of hardworking, wealthy airline owner, Tom Mullen (Mel Gibson). A group of criminals become interested in his money and kidnap his son for a $2 mil ransom. When the first drop off of the ransom goes badly, Tom is convinced that the criminals would just take the money and kill his son. He retaliates by publicly announcing that the $2 mil ransom money is now a bounty on the kidnapper’s heads. 


Another common theme in thrillers is the main character, often the protagonist, attempting to escape a life of isolation. Along the way, they face a number of hurdles whilst working towards their ultimate goal: self-discovery and peace. The audience may find this relatable, effectually making them root for the character to achieve their goals. Loneliness and isolation are a primary theme in the film I Am Legend (2007). Robert Neville (Will Smith) lives alone with his dog, Sam, his only companion. When he eventually loses Sam, he is overcome with loneliness and carelessly ventures out and attacks a group of the infected (Darkseekers) but is saved by two strangers, a woman and a young boy. When back in the laboratory in his basement, Robert discovers that his antidote is successful when looking at one of his experiments, a Darkseeker’s body restoring to its human form. He gives the cure to the woman and boy and kills the Darkseekers that broke into his lab along with himself. The following morning, the two make their way to the survivors colony and hands over the cure. 

Mise-en-scene

As the characters are usually presented as average, everyday people, their make-up and costumes portray this image. This is predominantly focussed on the antagonists as they go about their everyday life, unsuspected. This provides the ‘shock’ factor when they are revealed to be the antagonists. A good example of this is depicted in film, Black Swan (2010) where the main character, Nina (Natalie Portman), is a ballerina striving for perfection. She is first portrayed to be the ordinary dancer, dressed all in white and/or pink, connoting innocence and purity. A turning point in Nina’s character’s development is shown in a scene where she is rehearsing in front of a mirror; she is shown to be wearing black leggings instead of the usual pink ones. She is thrown off of her equilibrium when she catches that her reflection (a depiction of a darker side to herself) is out of time to her movements. This is the first indication of her transition to her alter-ego, ‘black swan’.

A recurring prop in thrillers is a bladed weapon such as an axe, scythe etc. or as shown in film Psycho (1960) where the perpetrator’s choice of weapon is a knife. Usually, they’re used to perform a brutal attack on their victims. The use of this type of weapon rather than a gun is that it has a more sinister overall effect in the film as the way the murder is executed with such weapons is sinister and unnerving. 

Editing

The editing is usually quite choppy and rough to create an uneasy and uncomfortable feel. Different shots and quick cuts are often used to disorientate the consumers. Alternating between slow and quick cuts are used to create the feeling of anxiety and confusion. It also links to the idea of losing control of a situation. The fading to white/black effect creates the image of descending into an unconscious-like state which is often used in thrillers; this effect is commonly accompanied with the POV shot, bringing the audience into the character’s position. 

Cinematography

Typically, handheld camera is used as its shakiness is usually reflective of the character’s, often the antagonist’s, destructive and unhinged mind-set. This gives the audience the experience and feel of what it’s like inside the character’s mind. This camera technique is well demonstrated in the film Black Swan (2010) where we follow Nina, watching her fall victim to her own thoughts. The trembling effect of the handheld camera during close-ups of Nina’s face is representative of her unstable mind-set. Cinematography also depicts different camera shots and angles, creating a sense of disorientation. In the film, Psycho (1960) high, low and mid angles are particularly used to form a judgement by the audience on each individual character. This is used in the scene where Norman Bates and Marion Crane are having a conversation. A low angle is used on Norman to give the impression that he is the individual with authority or power in the situation. A level/mid-shot is kept on Marion, implying that she is the character that the audience should be able to relate to.
   

Music and Sound

Sound is crucial in creating the right mood and atmosphere in a thriller whether it is diegetic or non-diegetic. Although, sounds in which both the characters and the consumers (diegetic) can hear has more of an effect on the audience as they would feel more involved in the story. Conventionally, the music in thrillers uses both extremes in pitch. The low-humming in contrast to the high-pitched sounds are often used to disorientate its audience. For example, the music used for Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) was used to create a suspenseful atmosphere and to foreshadow a chain of horrific events. It was a simple arrangement of low hums and abrupt low notes that varied in pitch. Although it was quite minimalistic, it had quite an impact in the respect that it created a chilling effect.