My Favourite Thriller Movies

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Thriller is not my favourite genre despite how engaging they can be, but I have found a few that have interested and inspired me. Any good movies will leave you feeling differently and thinking differently and my top thriller movies have definitely impacted my thoughts and ideas. Here are my top thriller movies:

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Silence of the Lambs is a classic crime/drama thriller that has inspired many other popular works such as NBC’s hit series ‘Hannibal’. Directed by Johnathan Demme, the film was released in 1991. I first watched in 2012 and was hooked on the storyline. Some part had you glued to the screen desperate to find out what has happened whilst other had you turning away in horror.  Hannibal Lecter by far is one of the most interesting characters in film. You know his nature and what his characteristics are, and you know that he would be a person you wouldn't trust yet he defies this and helps Starling. It makes you wonder about his motives and make you want to stay around for longer to find out. In a review written about ‘The Silence of the Lambs’ found from http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-silence-of-the-lambs-1991 , the writer says  “He may be a cannibal, but as a dinner party guest he would give value for money (if he didn't eat you). He does not bore, he likes to amuse, he has his standards, and he is the smartest person in the movie.” He is certainly not a boring character, and he is what makes the film good.

Taken from cineworld.co.uk

Another film favourite of mine is a more recent one. Released in 2013, Now You See Me is also a Crime Thriller. The plot was unique and the audience did not see the twists coming, making it a enjoyable but shocking story. Though the film does lack a little with characters development, the cast are all brilliant actors that took to the part and played convincing characters. The cinematography is also rather memorable. It had the glitz and glamour of Vegas lights, whilst being smooth with clever angles making the movie aesthetically pleasing to look at. 

The film is directed by Louis Leterrier and is written by Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt. On wikipedia it says, "Despite the mixed reviews, the film had a successful box office run, placing #2 behind Fast & Furious 6 and getting $29,350,389 on its opening weekend from 2,925 theaters."

Taken from movienewz.com

Lucy is a recent film that only came out in July 2014 and it is a very memorable film. I'm not just saying this because the film has the same name as me and because it has one of my favourite actresses in it! It quite honestly a good thriller film. IMDb classes this film as a action/sci-fi thriller and follows the story of a woman who learns to use all 100% of her brain (the theory being that the average human only uses 10%). As a child I was fascinated with the concept of being able to use the other 90% of our brain to do amazing things like telekinesis, so this was obviously going to be a story-line that I would love. A reviewer on IMDb says: "Lucy is an action thriller movie. Most of its screen time is taken by the fast moving action scenes and the display of super human abilities. However, despite its unscientific claim (10% of brain power) and somewhat shallow dialogue, there are moments in Lucy, where the script taps into really moving understanding of human condition. I guess these bits and pieces push the movie to a whole different level. If you leave the mindless shooting and "good guy & bad guy" stereotypes aside, Lucy is an impressive take on theory of everything. It really makes you think and more than that feel about the "oneness" of everything. That alone, is a really good reason to watch this movie. A real gem. Don't miss it." The film really makes you think about the universe and the human beings that live in it. The action, music and fast-pace give the audience the 'thrill' in thriller.

What Are the Conventions of a Thiller

Now we know what a Thriller film is, we can look at the conventions that define it from other movie genres.

Themes

When brainstorming, the first word that came to mind was suspense. To add 'thrill' to a thriller, suspense is a great device to capture the audiences attention and feel what the protagonist is feeling. To feel what the characters feel,help us sympathize with them and immerse yourself in the film. Suspense can be created through the mise en scene, camera angles, lighting and music.

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Most thrillers follow one key theme - character over plot. This is unlike most films where the plot is more important. Thrillers focus on the thoughts and feelings of the main character and use this a the main narration of the story. There are two forms of this:

Stream of Consciousness - Where the narration follows the protagonist's thought process.

First Person Narrative - Where it follows the protagonist's opinions and feeling.

Watching thrillers you can notice that there is one reoccurring theme, and that is a threat of death or capture. Every plot has to have some sort of problem the characters have to overcome. In films such as Shutter Island and Pan's Labyrinth, there is a the fear of death for the characters and that creates a 'thrill' for the audience as we sympathize with them.


Camera work, lighting and sound all play a part in creating a realistic and suspenseful thriller. Each need to be tailor-made for this genre.

As thrillers crosses over with many different genres the conventions will be dependent on the sub-genre.

For example crime thrillers tend to have props associated with police stations. This can be anything from handcuff to police cars. Crimes scenes are often found in crime thrillers and these entail objects such as chalk lines and markers. These plots usually are based around one crime and the protagonist who will go to all lengths to figure out 'whodunnit'.Whereas action thrillers tend to be more about violence so props such as guns and other weapons tend to be used.

Conventions

Camera - Different types of angles and shots are used for different scenes as they convey different feelings. Here are some examples of the most commonly used angles and shots in thrillers:

• Low angles are used to making the antagonist seem powerful and feared.
• High angles are used to make the victims seems small and insignificant. This makes them seem weak compared to the antagonist.
• Establishing shots are often used to show us the environment the characters are in. Derelict buildings and dark woods create a sense of fear.  By showing us the environment it sets the scene for the audience and creates suspense.
• Over the shoulder shots creates an illusion of someone approaching the character from behind. Paired with a music crescendo this can create suspense and fear.

Framing - Closes up are used in thrillers to focus on the character. It portrays emotion better as you can see the emotion in their face. Long shots are used occasionally to show where the action will be and to introduce us to the environment. 

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This picture is from "Psycho". With a close up you can see the fear in her face, but you can't see what is in front of her that is causing this fear. This builds up suspense as you simultaneously want to find out what is there, but are too scared to see. 

Sound - Suspense music is used in thrillers as it tells the story through music climaxes and decrescendos. When the music heightens, it warns the audience that something is going to happen and leaves them wondering what is to come.

This example is from the movie "28 Weeks Later" and is produced by John Murphy, Master of Suspense and action music. The beginning of the piece is quiet but almost sinister. It makes the audience cautious and could also be interpreted as the 'quiet before the storm'. When the rhythm kicks in, it is equal to a normal human heartbeat. The piece reaches a crescendo, it is almost like your heart is pumping harder as if you were scared. It is a clever way of stimulating fear and 'thrill'. The ending also has an eerie feel to it that resembles a sinister nursery rhyme that have now become synonymous with horror. The whole song takes you through and journey and accompanies thriller films well.

Sound effects are just as important as the music. There are three types of non-music sounds. Theses are diegetic, non - diegetic and dialogue. Diegetic means what is in the frame. Non-diegetic sound is often used to alert the audience of the presence of someone else.

Location - For a thriller you want something exciting. For espoinage films, exotic locations are used as they are different from the same old streets you always see. For horror thrillers, derelict, broken down locations give an atmosphere of broken, troubled and suspenseful.

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This still is taken from the movie "Cabin in the Woods". The location suits the plot of the film as it is secluded, basic and not at all safe. It is almost obvious that something bad is going to happen here, and there will be no help anywhere near - the makings of most horror movies. Most of the movies is set during the night making the set very dark and sinister adding to the suspense and thrill.

Lighting: Lighting is what can make or breeak a film. A good film will use it to its advantage and use it to convey the characters emotions and the general feel of the scene. Coloured lights are often used to add a certain tone to the scene, for example in Orson Welle's 'Touch of Evil' a black and white scheme is used. This scheme is notorious with suspense. The clear blacks and darkness create a sense of fear and blackness. There are two different types of light. You can have soft light or hard light. Hard light gives a clear outline, bringing out detail in the clip. There is a clear defination between the lights and the darks just like in black and white films. If you use a yellow colour the scene will feel happier where as if you use grey you can portray dystopian scenes where everything is monotonous. This type of light is more likely to be used in scenes of horror and action where you want the object to stand out. Soft light is more diffused and subtle. It reduced the outline and details but gives a nice texture. This type of lighting is used in warmer scenes where the atmospehere is generally more happier.

Sourced from cinemashock.org

 In this still from 'The Silence of the Lambs' it shows the general horror and psychological thriller lighting convention. This scene is rather dark giving it an unnerving feel to it. This is what the director wants to convey. Thrillers tend to play with your emotions and this shot shows that there is hidden fear in the shadows ultimately making us fear and feel the suspense.  

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 On the other hand, in this shot uses hard light to create contrast between the light and the shadows. The uses of shadows in the creases under his eyes creates a sinister feel to this character immediately tell us that he is a dark character and one to be aware of. The light on the top of his ears and head shows us that the light is directly above him like a spot light. This brings to our attention that he is the center of this film.

Genres and Sub-genres of a Thriller

As Thriller is a large and vast genre, it is split into several smaller sub-genres within it.

Psychological Thrillers -  A psychological thriller is a fiction story which focuses on the psychology of its characters and their emotional states which push them into the situation they are in.

An example of a Psychological Thriller is Se7en

Picture source from IMBd

Crime Thriller - A crime thriller is where the story revolves around the lives of criminals. It can be anything from the realistic to a good old-fashioned villain movie. Typically, criminal actions are glorified in these films.

An example of a Crime Thriller is Now You See Me.

Picture sourced from IMBd

Action Thriller - Action thrillers are a more broad sub-genre. It can be anything that involves scenes of action, fights and violence. 

An example of an Action Thriller is The Dark Knight.

Picture sourced from IMBd

Mystery Thrillers - Writer’s Digest separates “mystery” and “thriller” as “A ‘mystery’ follows an intellectual protagonist who puts together clues to solve a crime after it’s been committed, and a ‘thriller’ details the prevention of a crime before it has been committed.”

An example of a Mystery Thriller is Transcendence.

Picture sourced from IMBd

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What Is A Thriller?

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What makes a thriller what it is? It's hard to say. The thriller genre contains many different sub genres such as Psychological Thrillers and Crime Thrillers and can overlap with many other genres such as horror and action.

According to the Oxford dictionary, a thriller is "A novel, play or film with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or epsionage." This leaves thrillers open to be about whatever the writers want as long as it stimulates a 'thrill' for the audience.

However, Thrillers typically do tend to have certain characteristics that define them from other genres like horror.

Click here to read about Thriller Characteristics.