Conventions of our genre

About our genre and sub-genre

The thriller genre is a wide range genre that has many different sub-genres, these range from psychological thrillers to si-fi thrillers and crime thrillers plus many more. the thriller genre is mainly characterised by the moods that the films portray, this involves the heightened rush of feelings including suspense, excitement, anxiety and anticipation. Audiences watch thriller films for the heightened emotions and feelings that the films allow them to have because the heightened emotions make them more vulnerable, the producers of the film play on this when creating the thrillers. The genre keeps the audience guessing and on the edge of their seats as the film gets to its climax but before it reaches the climax there are a number of red herrings, plot twists and cliff-hangers along the way.


Psychological thriller is a sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller and horror genres and is the sub-genre we will be basing our opening sequence on. Psychological thrillers also have some elements of similarities that allow it to tie in with the gothic and detective sub-genres. this is because it sometimes has the effect of dissolving sense of reality and a strange twisted relationship between pathological and obsessive characters as psychological thrillers emphasises the mental state of the characters within the film. Psychological thrillers also have elements of the mystery, drama and horror genres, particularly psychological horrors. Psychological thrillers also portray a sense of reality. This is the quality of being real. Characters often try to determine what is true and what is not within the narrative. Perception is a person's own interpretation of the world around them through their senses. Often characters misperceive the world around them, or their perceptions are altered by outside factors within the narrative. Death focuses on the cessation of life. Characters either fear or have a fascination with death. Identity is the definition of one's self. Characters are often confused about or doubt who they are and try to discover their true identity.