A thriller provides the sudden rush of emotions, excitement, and exhilaration that drive the narrative, sometimes subtly with peaks and lulls, sometimes at a constant, breakneck pace. It keeps the audience on the "edge of their seats", akin to a sensation of hanging from a cliff, as the plot builds towards a climax. Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is usually a villain-driven plot, whereby he or she presents obstacles that the protagonist must overcome.
Thriller timeline:
1920s/30s:
The famous Alfred Hitchcock created his third silent thriller film called 'The Lodger', this was based on Jack The Ripper and was filled with suspense. In 1929 he then released the first thriller film which contained sound, this was called 'Blackmail', and also created history as it was the first sound film that was produced in Britain. Many other directors created thriller films in this time period such as Walter Forde who made nine thriller films.
In the 40s Alfred Hitchcock continued to create more thriller films in this era, such as 'Foreign Correspondent' and 'Rebecca'. In 1946 films about people being terrorized began to be released.
1950s:
These were the years when Alfred Hitchcock flourished most and were the high points of his career, he released his most notable films such as 'Strangers on a train' and 'Rear Window'. Other directors such as Charles Loughton and Henry Hathaway began to release thriller films.
1960s:
Possibly the most famous thriller of all time was released in 1961, Psycho, it was certainly Alfred Hitchcocks most well known creation and it was also labelled as the film which saved his career. This film was shocking and engrossing and featured things the thriller genre had never before seen.
1970s/80s:
The decade saw a violent start in the thriller genre, with Frenzy (1972), Hitchcock's first British film in almost two decades, being given an R rating for its vicious and explicit strangulation scene. Steven Speilberg's low-budget early TV movie Duel (1971), which got a cult following, was about road rage between a hapless traveling salesman and the unseen, relentless driver of a truck. Spy and conspiracy films were scattered throughout the two decades.
1990s - Present:
The decade started with a film called Misery by Rob Reiner, this was based on a book by Stephen King. Notable films of the 90s included Silence of the Lambs and Se7en, which both did very well. Obsession in thrillers was a common theme in the 90s, as well as detectives hunting down serial killers, which features in the two films i just mentioned. Until today, thrillers do borrow themes and elements from those in the past decades. However, to cut the repetitiveness, there are a number of recent thrillers that maintain the aspects of the horror genre; having more gore/sadistic violence, brutality, terror and body counts. Films such as Eden Lake and The Last House on the Left took this approach.
Notable Thriller Actors:
Janet Leigh - She was the main character in one of the most famous thriller films, Psycho and she was involved in the most memorable scene in film history. Her career spans right through from the 40s all the way to the 00s. She also featured in A Touch of Evil.
Leonardo DiCaprio - DiCaprio has been in many of the best thriller films over the last two decades, including The Departed, Inception and Shutter Island.
Famous Thriller Directors:
Alfred Hitchcock - He was the king of the thriller genre and for sure the most prominent individual in the history the thriller genre. His career spanned through from the 20s to the 70s. However it wasn't always so good for Hitchcock and at one point it looked as though his career would go down the drain. But he created many classic films including Psycho, Rear Window and Vertigo.
Christopher Nolan - One of the more recent famous thriller directors, Nolan has created many of the most famous thriller films of the past decade, including Batman The Dark Knight, Inception, Memento and Insomnia. He is best known for his cerebral, often non-linear storytelling.
This research on the history of the thriller genre will help me improve my thriller opening scene as it helps me evaluate what techniques and conventions.
| Rank | Title (click to view) | Studio | Lifetime Gross /Theaters | Opening /Theaters | Date | ||
| 1 | Hannibal | MGM | $165,092,268 | 3,292 | $58,003,121 | 3,230 | 2/9/01 |
| 2 | The Silence of the Lambs | Orion | $130,742,922 | 1,642 | $13,766,814 | 1,497 | 2/14/91 |
| 3 | Basic Instinct | TriS | $117,727,224 | 1,884 | $15,129,385 | 1,567 | 3/20/92 |
| 4 | Seven | NL | $100,125,643 | 2,528 | $13,949,807 | 2,441 | 9/22/95 |
| 5 | Red Dragon | Uni. | $93,149,898 | 3,363 | $36,540,945 | 3,357 | 10/4/02 |
| 6 | Saw II | Lions | $87,039,965 | 2,949 | $31,725,652 | 2,949 | 10/28/05 |
| 7 | Saw III | LGF | $80,238,724 | 3,167 | $33,610,391 | 3,167 | 10/27/06 |
| 8 | The Bone Collector | Uni. | $66,518,655 | 2,623 | $16,712,020 | 2,587 | 11/5/99 |
| 9 | Saw IV | LGF | $63,300,095 | 3,183 | $31,756,764 | 3,183 | 10/26/07 |
| 10 | The Cell | NL | $61,334,059 | 2,476 | $17,515,050 | 2,411 | 8/18/00 |
Hannibal made the most amount of money in the opening weekend after its release in 2001. I believe this is because at the time there was a large demand for psychological thrillers as these had been popular throughout the 1990's in films like silence of the lambs. It also may have done so well in the opening weekend as it was the sequel to silence of the lambs which was extremely popular, so people would have been keen to see the sequel.
Another film on the list is SAW 2 along with 3 and 5. The fact that these films are on the list shows that peoples tastes in films have changed. The conventions of gore and blood have become more popular in recent years which shows people are more inclined to watch films with these conventions rather than psychological thrillers which may have been more popular in the 1990's.
I believe se7en is on the lost because it caters for both the psychological audience and the audience who are more interested in the blood and gore side of thrillers. Se7en includes conventions from both as Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman follow a set of clues to track down a murderer. However, there is also the bloody murder scenes and gore which caters for a wider audience which is why it may have been so popular in the opening weeks.
This post demonstrates a very basic understanding of how thriller films have changed and developed over the years. You have included a variety of films, but you have not included enough detailed points, to demonstrate your understanding of the thriller genre.
ReplyDeleteTo develop this post, you need to-
1) Include specific examples from the films, that you have included above and comment on the narrative, themes, plots and characters, before explaining the conventions of a thriller film
2) Read over your work and ensure that your work is readable, as some things are difficult to read
3) Include a summary, to explain how your research will assist you with planning your own thriller sequence.