Thriller Genre

Definition

Thrillers are a genre of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension, and excitement as the main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewer's moods such as a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, suspense, excitement, tension, and terror. Literary devices such as red herrings and cliff-hangers are used extensively. The cover-up of important information from the viewer, and fight and chase scenes are common methods in all of the thriller subgenres, although each subgenre has its own characteristics and methods.

Typical narrative

A genuine, standalone thriller is a film that provide thrills and keeps the audience cliff-hanging at the "edge of their seats" as the plot builds towards a climax. The tension usually arises when the character(s) is placed in a menacing situation, a mystery, or a trap from which escaping seems impossible. Life is threatened, usually because the principal character is unsuspectingly or unknowingly involved in a dangerous or potentially deadly situation. Plots of thrillers involve characters which come into conflict with each other or with outside forces – the threat is sometimes abstract or unseen. Thrillers with a crime-related plot try to keep the attention away from the criminal or the detective, and focus more on the suspense and danger that is generated by the plot.

An atmosphere of creepy menace and sudden violence, such as crime and murder, characterise thrillers. They mostly are adrenaline-rushing, gritty, rousing and fast-paced. Thrillers often present the world and society as dark, corrupt and dangerous

Characters

Characters include criminals, stalkers, assassins, innocent victims (often on the run), menaced women, characters with deep dark pasts, psychotic individuals, terrorists, cops and escaped cons, private eyes, people involved in twisted relationships, world-weary men and women, psycho-fiends, and more. The themes frequently include terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder.

Setting

Thrillers mostly take place in ordinary suburbs and cities, although sometimes they may take place wholly or partly in exotic settings such as foreign cities, deserts, Polar Regions, or the high seas. The heroes are frequently ordinary citizens unaccustomed to danger, although commonly in crime thrillers, heroes may also be "hard men" accustomed to danger such as police officers and detectives. While heroes of thrillers have traditionally been men, women lead characters are increasingly common