History of a Thriller

History of the thriller Genre

Christian Metz development of genre theory is an idea that each genre goes through four different stages, these being the Experimental, Classical, Parody, and deconstruction stages. The experimental stage is when the first few films in the genre are created. This sets out a set of conventions or 'rules' for later films to then go on and follow. The Classical stage is where most of the famous films in the genre are created, for example in the thriller genre some of the most famous thriller films are The Silence of The Lambs, and Se7en. for the horror genre Saw and the Strangers are amongst the many (even though the shining is considered the scariest move ever) The Parody stage is when films are created to fun of older films in the genre (usually classic films). Finally the deconstruction stage is when two genres (A genre and another genre commonly known as a sub genre)  are mixed together to make a hybrid genre. The hybrid genre can contain any two genres as the task we have been set has allowed us to do in this media project. One that displays the two genres we are using would be the Omen or more recently, woman in black. 

A film is portrayed as a thriller when the storyline gives the audience thrills, and keeps them on the ’edge of their seats’ as the plot builds up towards the climax. An enigma is set to the narrative. The tension is usually built up by a character being placed in a menacing situation, a mystery, or a trap which seems impossible to escape. There is also use of life threatening complications during a thriller film, as the main character is usually unsuspectingly or unknowingly involved in an extremely dangerous situation. This genre is also one of the only times the protagonist or villain, could actually come out on top. Examples of this are in the Human Centipede, Saw, Hostel and all the Final Destinations (in-between the first and second films of this saga, Alex is killed by 'death' so it still counts). 

The genre was introduced by one of the worlds best but most controversial film directors, Alfred Hitchcock. His first 'thriller' picture was The Lodger, released on the 26 Sep 1926. It was a silent film but was still considered the first of its kind and helped to shape the modern day thriller genre. Hitchcock continued his brilliance with Strangers on a train and his best known Psycho. Released 26 Sep 1960 Psycho initially received mixed reviews, but outstanding box office returns prompted a re-review which was overwhelmingly positive and led to four Academy Award nominations. Psycho is now considered one of Hitchcock's best films and is highly praised as a work of cinematic art by international critics. The film is often categorized by multiple sources as a drama, horror, mystery and thriller film.  

Whats the difference between a horror film and a thriller ? 

Horror stories are normally driven by a supernatural or paranormal agency of some kind as the motor of the plot - for instance, 'Dracula' features the undead creatures known as vampires, 'The Exorcist' features demonic possession, HP Lovecraft's 'Cthulhu Mythos' stories featured various outrageous monstrosities from different planes of existence. If there is violence in a horror story, it tends to be quite extreme and bloody.

Thrillers, on the other hand, don't normally feature such agencies. The antagonists are human, with recognisable motivations and desires, and the stories are normally set in a background which tries to be as realistic as possible. The events in the story tend however to be somewhat larger than life to provide the thrills. As examples, Forsyth's 'The Dogs of War' is about mercenaries in Africa, McLean's 'Where Eagles Dare' is a (pretty fanciful) story about a secret mission during World War II. The violence in thrillers is usually not that exaggerated or graphic although some scenes, such as the torture scene in 'Scream', can be made deliberately unpleasant.  

Thriller definition - 

Noun A novel, play, or movie with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage. A person, thing, or experience that thrills. Horror definition -  Noun An intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust. A thing causing such a feeling.