Thrillers Conventions

Thriller Conventions

The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film and television that includes numerous and often overlapping sub-genres.

Thrillers have fast pacing, frequent action, and a resourceful heroes ( Normally a man with a woman alongside him) who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains. 

 A Thriller is a villain is driver plot, where the villain presents obstacles the hero must overcome. 

Thrillers use devices such as;

• Suspense 
• Red herrings 
• Cliff hangers

Flexibility

Thrillers often take place in exotic settings such as foreign cities e.g James Bond In India 
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0863125/ 

The heroes in most thrillers are frequently "hard/strong men" accustomed to danger. e.g. policemen. However, they may  also be ordinary citizens drawn into danger by accident e.g North by North West - Roger Thronhill.

While such heroes have traditionally been men, women lead characters have become increasingly common; for an early example Sigourney Weaver's character Ripley, in the movie Alien in 1979.

Differences between Thrillers and Mystery Stories. 

• Thrillers often overlap with mystery stories, but are distinguished by the structure of their plots

• In a thriller, the hero must thwart the future plans of an enemy, rather than uncover a crime that's already happened in a mystery. 

• A murder mystery would be spoiled by knowing the murderer's identity whereas in a thriller the identity of a murderer is already identified in the beginning and are trying to be stopped.

• Danger and violent confrontations are standard plot elements of a Thriller.

• The climax of a mystery is when the mystery is solved, a thriller climaxes when the hero finally defeats the villain, saving his own life as well as others.

• Thrillers can be defined by the primary mood that they create; fearful excitement. 

• If it "thrills" then its a thriller.

E.G. A Walk Among The Tombstone and The Equalizer. And many more. 

  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365907/ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455944/?ref_=tt_rec_tti

Types of Thrillers

There are a range of different thrillers, these include;

legal thrillers, spy thrillers, action-adventure thrillers, medical thrillers, police thrillers, romantic thrillers, historical thrillers, political thrillers, religious thrillers, high-tech thrillers, military thrillers and horror-thrillers.