What is the Thriller genre?
The thriller genre depicts crime, mystery, or espionage in an atmosphere of excitement and suspense. Thriller films use suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. The primary subgenres of thrillers are: mystery, crime and psychological thrillers. Thrillers heavily promote on literary devices such as plot twists, red herrings and cliffhangers. They also promote on moods, such as a high level of anticipation, adrenaline rush, arousal, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety and sometimes even terror. The tones in thrillers are usually gritty, slick and lurid.
Sub-Genres: The thriller genre can include the following sub-genres:
Conspiracy Thriller: In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes.
Crime Thriller: This particular genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes.
Disaster Thriller: In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster.
Erotic Thriller: In which it consists of erotica and thriller.
Legal Thriller: In which the lawyer-heroes/heroines confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives.
Medical Thriller: In which the hero/heroine are medical doctors/personnel working to solve an expanding medical problem.
Mystery Thriller: Suspense films where characters attempt solving, or involved in, a mystery.
Political Thriller: In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him.
Psychological Thriller: In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and
emotional, rather than physical.
Rape and Revenge films: Out of the sub-genres of exploitation film, this focuses more on the thriller elements such as suspense, tension, some action and fast-pacing rather than scares and the supernatural.
Religious Thriller: In which the plot is closely connected to religious objects, institutions and questions.
Supernatural Thriller: In which the film brings in an otherworldly element mixed with tension, suspense and plot twists. Sometimes the hero and/or villain has some psychic ability.
Techno Thriller: A suspense film in which the manipulation of sophisticated technology plays a prominent part.
