Codes and Conventions of the Thriller Genre

Codes and Conventions of Thrillers

Editing and sound is very significant with a thriller film because these are the aspects of the film that create certain atmospheres and so, therefore, can increase tension. Achieving tension and suspense is the main goal with a thriller film. Editing in thrillers tends to vary; obtrusive editing and quick cuts can add a sense of urgency to a situation and disorientate the audience, which makes them feel on edge. Whereas slow, long cuts, elongates the sense of time and so the feeling of nervousness is drawn out of the audience for a longer period of time. This also helps to increase audience expectation and anticipation. Shadows are closely related and linked to low key lighting, they help create a sharp contrast between dark and light areas and make a scene seem very expressive and eerie. The shadows and lighting are often exaggerated by the use of black and white colour also because the darkness is accentuated. 

Another feature with conventions which help elaborate and create the thriller genre is cinematography. Cinematography outlines different camera angles and shots. In thrillers usually these camera shots and angles are used frequently and excessively. Fast transitions and a variety of angles make the audience aware of the situation the character is in but also increases tension. 

Sound also hold many conventions relating to the thriller genre. Sound is used to create suspense by having diegetic or non-diegetic eerie music playing throughout the scenes. High pitched sound is often used because it makes the audience uneasy and it almost foreshadows the oncoming events. 

Iconography and mise en scene is highly essential in thriller films because it indicates to the audience what type of film they are watching. Mirrors are often used in psychological thrillers; they can represent the darkness within some characters and the reflections indicate that a character might not be who they really and that they have two personalities. Other pieces of iconography in thrillers include confined spaces, bars on windows, streetlamps, weapons, tense music and perhaps urban settings. 

These key genre conventions are demonstrated very well in the shower scene of Hitchcock’s film “psycho”:

A quick cut montage of the Protagonist in the shower makes the time pass faster and so it seems as though she has been in there for a long time. Tension is building as the audience waits for something to happen. The angle of the camera keeps on changing as well, it makes clear that she is completely exposed and there is vulnerability all around her. This editing means it is a while before the antagonist actually enters the scene and so the audience’s anticipation is hyped up. With the use of framing, a wide shot is then used to allow the shower curtain to be visible, our protagonist is positioned in the bottom right hand corner and the silhouette of the killer enters on the left. The protagonist is facing away from the shower curtain and so dramatic irony occurs at this point. The woman cannot see the antagonist approaching but the audience can. The audience feel helpless and a bit guilty as they can do nothing to help. 

The musical score starts again as soon as the curtain is pulled back by the murderer, this is synchronised to make it more dramatic and surprising. Violins are used to make a high pitched screeching noise, it is an unpleasant sound for the audience and it makes them wince. The sense of terror is heightened also by the shocking scream of our protagonist; it shows an extreme close up of her mouth putting emphasis on her screaming but also elongating the collective sense of panic amongst the audience. The musical score then goes on to become pleonastic as it mimics the stabbing action produced by the murderer. The severity of the situation comes across as the low angle of the camera, incorporated with the score, makes the audience and the protagonist feel very small and threatened. The antagonist is made to look bigger and more intimidating, especially as he is holding the knife up high above his head, ready to strike. The antagonist obviously has more power that the protagonist does. 

Common themes found within the thriller genre include terrorism, supernatural events, assassination, political conspiracy, mind games, stalking, investigations, kidnappings, heists and revenge. The main characters are usually the protagonist, who is in a threatening situation that has been set up by the antagonist, who is initially cleverer/stronger than the protagonist. The protagonists may have felt they have hit rock bottom and they are portrayed to be the “underdog” who will never be heroic, however they always manage to prove themselves throughout the film as a lot stronger and brave-hearted than initially thought. 

Possibly the most controversial character of the thriller genre is the “Femme Fatale”, which is used to portray the main female role. The femme fatale is usually shown to be a lot more independent than most female roles, she is colder than and not as innocent as the audience may expect. This is not a traditional role for a female to play in a film of other genres; females are conventionally shown as being a lot more naive and less charming, the femme fatale is a very ambiguous role and often creates enigmas for the audience. 

The History of the Thriller Genre

The History of the Thriller Genre

Thriller is a genre which is used in literature, film and television to create suspense, excitement and tension. These main elements of the genre mean that they are likely to stimulate the audience and their moods. All thriller titles aim to create a tense atmosphere, filled with suspense, where the viewers are anxious and expectant of what is to come. The thriller genre relentlessly peruses a single-minded goal - to provide thrills and to keeps the audience cliff-hanging on the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards a climax. Tension usually increases when the main character is placed in a threatening situation, a mystery or a trap that they are unknowingly involved in from which escape seems impossible. 

The thriller genre first came about through literature, for example the ancient epic poems such as the Epic of Gilgamesh and Homer's Odyssey. Both these poems use similar narrative techniques as modern day thrillers do. "Homer's Odyssey is one of the oldest stories in the Western world and is regarded as an early prototype of the thriller." Even the fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood (1697) is an early example of a psycho-stalker thriller, the story of a wolf following a little girl through the woods. Novels such as Bram Stocker’s "Dracula" (1897) and Mary Shelley’s "Frankenstein" (1818) include mythical creatures like those shown in modern thriller films, like: vampires, monsters, bats and wolves. 


One of the earliest known thriller films was the German film ‘M’. It was directed by Fritz Lang in 1931; where Peter Lorre played a child killer which was based on real serial killer known as the ‘Vampire of Dusseldorf’. However the auteur Alfred Hitchcock is considered to be the ‘master of the thriller genre’ by the way he creates films which represent reality, making the audience relate to the film and therefore become more terrified. Alfred Hitchcock helped to promote the thriller genre when making his first film; it was an early silent film called "The Lodger" based on the "Jack the Ripper" murders. It had major influence in the UK as the nation was introduced to a new type of film; Hitchcock's influence was from expressionist techniques that he had discovered in Germany.

In the 1940's Hitchcock continued to perfect his recognizable brand of suspense-thriller, directing "Foreign Correspondent" (1940) and the haunting, Oscar winning, "Rebecca" (1940). However, in the 1950's, Hitchcock added Technicolor to his thrillers, which led to the classic thriller title "Strangers on a Train" in which two passengers engaged in a battle of wits and exchanged murders with one another. 

Until today the thriller genre tried to follow examples from the past, it has since expanded and split off into many sub-genres. Some are influenced by current affairs like the assassination of President Kennedy, which brought a sudden popularity to political and paranoid thrillers, such as "The Ghost".
In recent years, thrillers have been slightly influenced by the horror genre; they have more gore/sadistic violence, brutality, terror, and body counts. Recent thrillers which took this route include films like Saw. There is also the spy/espionage thriller. These films show the espionage activities of government agents and their risk of being discovered by their enemies. From the Nazi espionage thrillers, which were made in the 1940's, to the James Bond films, from the 1960's, and to the high-tech blockbusters of today, the spy film has always been popular with audiences worldwide. 

Psychological thrillers have also become a hybrid and a distinguishing characteristic of these types of films is a marked emphasis on the mental states of its characters: their perceptions and thoughts. The main characters no longer rely on physical strength to overcome their enemies (like in other thriller sub-genres) but with mental resources. This includes things like mind games and the disruption of ones mental state. A very popular example of a modern psychological thriller is the "Black Swan". The thriller genre also includes, Sci-Fi thrillers (Minority Report), Historical thrillers (Charlotte Gray), Religious thrillers (The Da Vinci Code), Romantic thrillers (Casablanca), Crime thrillers (Silence of the Lambs), Supernatural thrillers (The Shining), Legal thrillers (The Pelican Brief), Erotic thrillers (Basic instinct) and Comedy thrillers (Mr & Mrs Smith).