thriller genre analysis
TRANSCRIPT
Genre ConventionsThe creation of tension and suspense within the main part of the film, leading up to a climax is critical in Thrillers. This helps to build excitement within the audience whilst they are watching. This is done by:
Diegetic breathing sounds
Suspense filled music – starting off slow but speeding up.
Eerie sound effects
The design of the storyline often causes the audience to think that it is something that could happen to them – building fear and anxiety.
Low key lighting
Jump Cuts
The Beginning of the GenreOne of the earliest Thrillers to date is ‘The Lodger’ (1926) by Alfred Hitchcock, a Jack the Ripper style
story. The film is about a mysterious man who become the lodger of a family in London, who is suspected of
being ‘the avenger’, a serial killer that is loose in London.
Modern Thriller‘The Woman In Black’ directed by James Watkins is a
well known modern Thriller. This film is about a widowed lawyer who is sent to settle the affairs of a recently
deceased woman, only to discover the vengeful ghost that haunts her house.
Genre FactsThe highest domestic total grossing Thriller film was
Fatal Attraction at $156,645,693. This film also earned a worldwide total gross of $320,145,693. Fatal
Attraction is about a married mans one time affair that results in his mistress becoming increasingly obsessed
with him to the point of putting his, and his families lives in danger.