conventions of a thriller film

in thriller films it is meant to have certain effects on the audience. It is meant to shock, heighten expectations, cause anxiety and terror but also has high tension building. Thriller films are normally fast paced and are supposed to have the audience at the end of their seats. things like cliffhangers and other techniques are used to keep the audience engaged.

subgenres are phsycological, crime and mystery thrillers and sometimes derived from a past historic moment so that the audience can relate to directly.

In thriller films they use editing and location to build effect or tension so it engages the audience whilst a key point in the film is taking place.

Psychological thriller is a sub-genre of the widely ranged thriller genre with a large focus on the characters. It often includes factors from the mystery and drama genre, along with the qualities of the thriller genre. Along with drama and mystery, many psychological thrillers have factors and integrate with the horror genre, especially the psychological horror.

Crime thrillers are the type of film that include illegal doings, fast paced chases, drugs, money, gangs all incorporated in this genre. It shows the stories of real life criminals and their conflict between either higher authorities or rival beings. Criminals are normally glamourized in this genre.

Lastly with a mystery thriller it is a broader category than phsycological and crime. It normally consists of detective work and for the whole film trying to establish something, either trying to prove someone innocent or guilty or even finding a culprit. It is about someone trying to put together the different pieces of information they have been given. These films normally shock you but also make you have to use your brain because it makes you want to predict what happens.