Typical Synopsis Of A Thriller Film

There are many characteristics what help create a thriller genre, I researched them and found that thriller films include a lot of components. I also looked at the sub-genres. Thrillers will always have the mood of mystery and suspense so i looked into this further so i could see what aspects create these moods.

Setting, characters and story are a few of the important characteristics. They stories will usually have an atmosphere of creepy menace and sudden violence, they normally have crime, murder, investigation and detectives this ties in with the theme mystery. Thrillers are dark and fast paced, they are adrenaline rushing. There's always suspense, intense excitement, anxiety and tension. The characters are commonly assassins, stalkers, criminals, detectives, cops, innocent victims, terrorists and many more, this relates to the idea of it being violent and there will always be an example of murder and investigation. The setting of a thriller is mostly located in suburbs or cities but there have been occasions where they have been presented in deserts, exotic places or high seas.

In a thriller, the hero must stop an enemy such as a villain or murderer rather than uncover a crime that has already happened. We usually find out the identity of the murderer and know all along. They involve violent confrontations what are standard plot elements in the genre. The mystery climaxes when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain and saves his life and others however sometimes the hero can be killed in the process but the hero being triumphant is the common ending to a thriller.










Sub Genres


Action-Adventure Thriller- Treasure hunt, a mystery of lost time reminds us of the child fantasy of being an adventurer. In this type of sub genre there is a lot of action required. A good example of an Action-Adventure thriller is 'Sahara'.








Serial Killer Thriller- This is a very popular sub genre of a thriller because it falls into the category of murder, crime and investigation. There can be horrific violence and the detective must stop the serial killer. An example is 'Seduction In Death'.

Religious Thriller- This is also an example of a sub genre and is an interesting way to present a thriller. Its uses the rich and long history of religion to build stories with high stakes and deadly politics. An example of this is 'The Da Vinci Code'.