Thriller Recipe and Conventions

What is a thriller? 

A thriller is a broad genre of film, literature and television which can be split up into different sub genres.


Characteristics/Aspects of a Thriller

There are certain things that happen in a film for it to be called a thriller. For example, thrillers are meant to create suspense and make the audience really think. Thrillers also usually have fast paced action scenes where a hero must overcome the villain and his evil plans. There are also certain devices that are used in thriller films which help create suspense that is needed. Some devices that are used are:

• Red herrings
• Cliffhangers
• MacGuffins
• Enigma

A red herring is when the audience suspect that something is wrong or something is going to happen but it doesn't end up happening.

A cliffhanger is when you leave a situation without a clear and definitive ending making the audience wanting more to see what actually ends up happening.

A macguffin is a device in the plot line which first seems very important but in the end, nothing really happens and the situation doesn't really advance.

An enigma is when the hero has a difficult problem and has to solve a mysterious problem before overcoming the villain.


Thrillers also usually take place in foreign cities. The heroes in thrillers are usually ordinary men who find themselves stuck in a situation which they must sort out or they are hard men who's job it is to sort out villains. The heroes in thrillers are usually male but recently, more females have adopted the role of being a hero in a thriller. The problems that happen in thrillers are usually aspects like murder, assassination, terrorism or political themes. A climax to a thriller is usually when the hero finally overcomes the villain and his plans and saves everyones lives. A thriller can be defined as that they give off "fearful excitement". If it thrills the audience, it is known as a thriller.


As thrillers can have many different sub genres, Hitchcock famously said thrillers allow the audience to "to put their toe in the cold water of fear to see what it is like". This is true because thrillers are supposed to make the audience feel that they are actually in the film. A sub genre is when you have one main genre which another kind of genre in the same name. Examples of sub genres for thrillers are:

• Action Thriller - Contains lots of action scenes. Fights, explosions, guns. There is always a clear enemy and lots of violence occurs. Race against the clock scenarios are also common. Examples of action thrillers are James Bond, Bourne and Terminator.

• Conspiracy Thriller - A conspiracy thriller of which a hero stands up against a large group of people/organisation. 

• Crime Thriller - A crime thriller usually contains a lot of suspense and involves police who also try to be heroes and stop the villain. These thrillers are fast paced and often contain murders, robberies, chases and shootouts. The plot is usually simple as the thoughts are usually put on the action scenes.

• Disaster Thriller - A disaster thriller is where the main problem is a natural disaster such as a volcano, earthquake, flood etc etc. The film usually follows the plot of how people deal with the aftermath of the natural disaster. 

• Drama Thriller - A drama thriller is usually a slower paced thriller film which concentrates more on character development. They usually contain dramatic plot twists.

• Erotic Thriller - An erotic thriller is a film based on erotic themes. 

• Legal Thriller - A legal thriller is when a hero is usually involved in a court case against a villain and the trial usually involves harsh consequences.

• Medical Thriller - A medical thriller is when a hero works in the medical industry and is usually a doctor/nurse and the plot is usually this hero trying to solve this medical problem.

• Political Thriller - A political thriller is when a hero must save its own government from any potential problems

• Psychological Thriller - A psychological thriller is when the conflict between the hero and the villain is emotional and mental rather than physical. This involves the hero leading to doubt himself and having to overcome his own mental problems as well as the villain.

• Spy Thriller - A spy thriller is when a hero is a spy for an organisation and must deal with problems it may have with another organisation using secret techniques without being caught. A popular example is James Bond

• Techno Thriller - A techno thriller is when technology is explained in great detail to the audience and is made important to the audiences understanding of the plot.

• Religious Thriller - A religious thriller is when religious themes are often the main point of the film and they are to be dealt with.