Thriller Sub-Genres

The genre of Thriller can be specified even more by sub-genre. For example Conspiracy Thriller and Crime Thriller, these sub-genres give us an idea of what the Thriller is about and what to expect. Different sub-genres will attract a different demagraphic, this is due to the varying themes and plot lines.

Conspiracy Thrillers:
Conspiracy Thrillers usually centre around an inquisitive protagonist, they become emmersed in a world of lies and fraudulence. The main character then tires to expose or escape the fabhricated world and it's secrets. Conspiracy Thrillers usually revolve around large wealthy companies or governments. Examples of a Conspiracy Thriller are: Unknown (dir. Jasume Collet-Serra 2011), Changeling (dir. Clint Eastwood 2008) and Shutter Island (dir. Martin Scorsese 2010).

Crime Thrillers:
Crime Thrillers usually revolve around the criminals rather than the police force, the audience is led to feel attatched to the main character despite their criminal activities. The pace can change dramatically as in films such as Ocean's Eleven (Remake: dir. Steven Soderbergh 2001), when planning to infiltrate the casino the pace is slow whereas when it is acutally happening it is much quicker. Examples of Crime Thriller are: Pulp Fiction (dir. Quentin Tarantino 1994), Lawless (dir. John Hillcoat 2012) and Jack Reacher (dir. Christopher McQuarrie 2012)

Erotic Thrillers:
Erotic Thrillers are usually based on a relationship and contains some form of conflict, such as adultry, divorce or sometimes murder. There problems in Erotic Thrillers may be relatable for audiences and this helps add a sense of realism and attatchement to the characters. Examples of Erotic Thrillers are: Eyes Wide Shut (dir. Stanely Kubrick 1999), Basic Instinct (dir. Paul Verhoeven 1992) and Body Double (dir. Brian De Palma 1984

                                 

 

Horror Thrillers:

Horror Thrillers tend to be more gory than other subgenres of Thriller, they excite and scare the audience by toying with their emotions. Horror Thrillers tend to contain some form of hidden identity such as in Sorority Row (remake dir. Stewart Hendler 2009) you only learn the identity of the killer later on in the film and only see low angle shots or the killer has a hood covering his face. Other examples of Horror Thriller are: Scream (dir. Wes Craven 1996), The Ward (dir. John Carpenter 2010) and House of Wax (dir. Jaume Collett-Serra)

 

Mystery Thrillers:
Mystery Thrillers mainly follow crime from the perspective of detectives and police, the audience knows the same amount as the main protagonist and so they feel more immersed in the plot, the audience will often try and figure out who the culprit is throughout the film. Hidden identity is popular with this subgenre as well, such as in the film Se7en (dir. David Fincher 1995) you only see the culperit's face towards the end of the film. Other examples of Mystery Thriller are: Blue Velvet (dir. David Fincher 1986) and Eastern Promises (dir. David Cronenberg 2007)

 

Psychological Thrillers:

Psychological Thrillers give the audience an insight to the mind of the main protagonist, so the plots can be rather complex compared with other sub-genres of Thriller. Psychological Thrillers tend to contain more dialouge than other sub-genres of Thriller too, although there are exceptions to the rule for example in the film Sucker Punch (dir. Zack Snyder 2011) there is no dialouge apart from voiceover in the first 6 minutes of the film. Other examples of Psychological Thriller are: Inception (dir. Christopher Nolan 2010) and Shutter Island (dir. Martin Scoresese 2010)

 

 

 

Supernatural Thriller:

 Supernatural Thrillers tend to have an unkown or not clearly understood aspect of the narrative, they can sometimes edge slightly into the Horror Thriller sub-genre. Added to the supernatural element is a blend of suspense and the emotional roller-coaster, this is due to us watching the main protagonist struggle against the other-worldly element. Sometimes, the main character has some psychic or supernatural ability, such as in The Eye (remake dir. David Moreau and Xavier Palud 2008) the protagonist recieves an eye transplant that enables her to see the supernatural world. Other examples of Supernatural Thrillers are: Dark Water (dir. Walter Salles 2005) and The Others (dir. Alejandro Amenabar 2001)