Psychological Thrillers:
psychological thrillers are films that are intended to challenge the perception of the characters and viewers mind. Over the course of the film the director may present something in a certain way and then by the end of the film reveal that it was not an accurate perception of the real world. By doing this the director is pulling in the viewer, if they believe something is right throughout the film and that it is predictable the viewer will undoubtedly become bored with the tedious structure of the film, by completely changing what the viewer thought to be real the director is keeping them hooked and also make them challenge the way they perceive things within their lives. Another prominent feature of psychological thrillers is the presence of an unhinged character/characters. It will usually be a first person narrative to make the film feel more inclusive to the audience. Within the film there will usually be some kind of tragic past or hidden secret that explains why the character is now mentally unstable. A good example of a psychological thriller is "se7en" directed by David Fincher.
Political Thrillers:
political thrillers are films that typically focus on some form of government or leadership infrastructure, the plot of the film usually revolves around either an assassination, an attempt to expose a corrupt government or a rogue faction of society that intend to destroy the current way of the world. Political thrillers started to become more popular after the darker side of being in a position of power became apparent, over the years there have been many political scandals and tragedies, corrupt or harsh regimes have been exposed, politicians revealed to have been conducting back-door deals and using dirty politics to get ahead have all helped influence the rise of the political thriller. A good example of a political thriller would be "Enemy of the state" directed by the late Tony Scott.
Spy Thrillers:
spy thrillers are exactly what they say on the tin, a film revolving around the action packed lives of secret agents/spies. They typically include a hero, a spy that is constantly working against the schemes of his nemesis to "save the world", a villain who will stop at nothing to get what he wants and a duplicitous character; somebody who pretends to fight for good but is actually in league with the enemy typically for his/her own benefit. This type of thriller is similar to political thrillers as they both typically revolve around some form of leadership cast and the problems surrounding it. They also typically involve a lot of action sequences which differentiates them to thrillers for example in the psychological sub-genre. A good example of a spy thriller is "The Man who knew too much".
Paranoid Thrillers:
paranoid thrillers usually revolve around a group of "good" characters fighting against the "bad" characters. Paranoid thrillers are a more traditional sub-genre of thriller and usually contain stereotypical character types for example; women and children, they are often the victims of some kind of distress in a paranoid thriller. Paranoid thrillers can sometimes focus on the use of deception as a way to shock the audience, within some there is an integral "whodunnit" theme which in many cases often deliberately leads you down the wrong path. The film enables the viewers to decide who they think is the real villain or culprit by giving out specific information that relates to that person then more often than not the accused character is actually innocent and it was actually an unsuspected character all along.
Crime based Thrillers:
crime based thrillers usually focus on members of law enforcement and/or criminals/fugitives usually who are all linked to a crime that has been committed causing the main characters to typically be at odds. They often revolve around people working within the constraints of the law or using more illegal actions, in this case the character is typically in full knowledge of the illegality of their actions but chooses to disregard the consequences. In crime based thrillers the actions of the characters can sometimes be motivated by revenge, a main character suffers some kind of trauma or someone they love is targeted, then the character strives to seek retribution on those who committed the crime. The usual conventions of crime based thrillers are obviously crime, deceit, wealth, power etc... A good example of a crime based thriller could be "Taken" although it does also contain the conventions of the action genre.
Mystery Thrillers:
mystery thrillers are a more general type of sub-genre and are typically the most identified type of sub-genre. They typically revolve around the theme of revelation, usually a long buried secret or vital information that will solve a central dilemma. The film will usually revolve a central figure, that could be of a law enforcement background or not, attempting to resolve a key conflict within the narrative. There are typically 2 ways in which mystery thrillers play out, the first way involves key information being revealed to both audience and characters at the same time, the second way involves giving the audience a sense of omniscient power as information is revealed to them before the characters within. One of the main elements of mystery thrillers is the use of suspense, they keep the viewer on the edge of their seats constantly anticipating the next twist or turn.
Horror/Thrillers:
the horror and thriller genres often combine with each other in an attempt to create a richer film experience. Despite their often close relationship the thriller genre differentiates itself from the horror genre by using stronger elements of certain conventions. The thriller genre focuses more on psychological themes, pulling away from the intention to scare and focusing more on altering the audience perception. Also a thriller film usually contains an enigma, a certain character or aspect within the narrative structure that is completely individual and original. Despite being more than capable of standing as independent genres of films, when they do come together the resulting product is usually a very successful and effective experience for the viewer. A good example of this convergence is the highly successful "Scream" series which were directed by Wes Craven.
Political Thrillers:
political thrillers are films that typically focus on some form of government or leadership infrastructure, the plot of the film usually revolves around either an assassination, an attempt to expose a corrupt government or a rogue faction of society that intend to destroy the current way of the world. Political thrillers started to become more popular after the darker side of being in a position of power became apparent, over the years there have been many political scandals and tragedies, corrupt or harsh regimes have been exposed, politicians revealed to have been conducting back-door deals and using dirty politics to get ahead have all helped influence the rise of the political thriller. A good example of a political thriller would be "Enemy of the state" directed by the late Tony Scott.
Spy Thrillers:
spy thrillers are exactly what they say on the tin, a film revolving around the action packed lives of secret agents/spies. They typically include a hero, a spy that is constantly working against the schemes of his nemesis to "save the world", a villain who will stop at nothing to get what he wants and a duplicitous character; somebody who pretends to fight for good but is actually in league with the enemy typically for his/her own benefit. This type of thriller is similar to political thrillers as they both typically revolve around some form of leadership cast and the problems surrounding it. They also typically involve a lot of action sequences which differentiates them to thrillers for example in the psychological sub-genre. A good example of a spy thriller is "The Man who knew too much".
paranoid thrillers usually revolve around a group of "good" characters fighting against the "bad" characters. Paranoid thrillers are a more traditional sub-genre of thriller and usually contain stereotypical character types for example; women and children, they are often the victims of some kind of distress in a paranoid thriller. Paranoid thrillers can sometimes focus on the use of deception as a way to shock the audience, within some there is an integral "whodunnit" theme which in many cases often deliberately leads you down the wrong path. The film enables the viewers to decide who they think is the real villain or culprit by giving out specific information that relates to that person then more often than not the accused character is actually innocent and it was actually an unsuspected character all along.
Crime based Thrillers:
crime based thrillers usually focus on members of law enforcement and/or criminals/fugitives usually who are all linked to a crime that has been committed causing the main characters to typically be at odds. They often revolve around people working within the constraints of the law or using more illegal actions, in this case the character is typically in full knowledge of the illegality of their actions but chooses to disregard the consequences. In crime based thrillers the actions of the characters can sometimes be motivated by revenge, a main character suffers some kind of trauma or someone they love is targeted, then the character strives to seek retribution on those who committed the crime. The usual conventions of crime based thrillers are obviously crime, deceit, wealth, power etc... A good example of a crime based thriller could be "Taken" although it does also contain the conventions of the action genre.
Mystery Thrillers:
mystery thrillers are a more general type of sub-genre and are typically the most identified type of sub-genre. They typically revolve around the theme of revelation, usually a long buried secret or vital information that will solve a central dilemma. The film will usually revolve a central figure, that could be of a law enforcement background or not, attempting to resolve a key conflict within the narrative. There are typically 2 ways in which mystery thrillers play out, the first way involves key information being revealed to both audience and characters at the same time, the second way involves giving the audience a sense of omniscient power as information is revealed to them before the characters within. One of the main elements of mystery thrillers is the use of suspense, they keep the viewer on the edge of their seats constantly anticipating the next twist or turn.
Horror/Thrillers:
the horror and thriller genres often combine with each other in an attempt to create a richer film experience. Despite their often close relationship the thriller genre differentiates itself from the horror genre by using stronger elements of certain conventions. The thriller genre focuses more on psychological themes, pulling away from the intention to scare and focusing more on altering the audience perception. Also a thriller film usually contains an enigma, a certain character or aspect within the narrative structure that is completely individual and original. Despite being more than capable of standing as independent genres of films, when they do come together the resulting product is usually a very successful and effective experience for the viewer. A good example of this convergence is the highly successful "Scream" series which were directed by Wes Craven.
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