What is a thriller?
A thriller is a piece of media (usually literature or films) that uses suspense, tension and excitement to 'thrill' the audience. Thrillers are often placed under sub-genres these include:
- Crime-Reservoir Dogs
- Horror- The Shining
- Psychological- Silence of the Lambs
- Disaster-2012
- Superhero-X-men
- Science-fiction- Inception
- Spy- Mission Impossible
- Legal-A time to kill
As well as many more. Also included in these sub-genres, Film Noir and Neo-Noirs (similar to Film Noirs but are more modern and can even include small amounts of colours like red and green)can also fit under this genre as they include very close elements such as building tension and suspense to thrill its audience. An example of a Neo-noir is Sin City.
All thrillers aim to keep the audience interested and lead to an exciting climax. Tension is built by the characters being placed in serious conditions which could be life threatening not just to them but to other people. The main characters are often unaware of how much they are involved in this situation. This can create a feeling of dread for the audience as they are often more aware of the situation then the characters or they are also unaware of the situation, this can also create a feeling of excitement.
Notable directors involved in Thriller Movies
Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) was an English film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres including Psycho (1960) and The Birds (1963).
Fritz Lang (1890-1976) was a German- Austrian Film director, screenwriter and occasional film producer and actor. Although in his early years, Land focused on screenwriting, he went on to direct some of the most important crime and film noir in American Studio era. An example of his work is the Metropolis (1927)
Orson Welles (1915-1985) was an American actor, director, writer and producer. Well known for his work in theatre, radio and film. An example of his work is Citizen Kane (1941)
1920's - 1950's
The very first credible thriller movie was The Lodger: A story of the London fog directed by Hitchcock in 1927. A silent film based on the hunt for a 'Jack the ripper' type of serial killer in London. 
The movie 'M' (1931) directed by Lang is a drama-thriller and was his first ever sound film. It is supposedly based on the real-life case of serial killer Peter Kürten but Lang denied this by saying that at the time of 'M' there were many serial killers terrorizing Germany and therefore his inspiration could have been taken from one of them.
Between the years of 1930-1950's Film Noirs had become increasingly popular. The movie Laura (1944) directed by Otto Preminger is an example of a Film Noir which follows the investigation of the death of a woman called Laura. By the end of the 1950's, Film Noir style movies began to slowly decrease in popularity due to movies being shown in colour becoming more popular. One of the last examples of a Film Noir is the movie Touch of Evil (1958) directed by Orson Welles. The ending of these once popular Film Noirs showed the end to the Thriller genres classic era.
1960's-1980's
The 1960's introduced key elements still shown in modern thrillers now, more psychological and horror thrillers were introduced, rather than just crime thrillers, and were often placed in other genres including horror, mystery and drama. An example of a horror thriller was directed by Hitchcock in 1960, a very well known movie about a murderous motel owner called Psycho. It left the audience on the edge of their seats with the horror elements as well as the added tension and excitement of it all.
During the 1970's, spy thrillers began to make more of an appearance in cinemas, possibly due to the increased interest of the genre by the James Bond movies. An example of a spy thriller is The Thirty-Nine Steps (1978) directed by Don Sharp.
The 1980's ended with a psychological thriller starring Nicole Kidman, who must fight for her life on a yacht against a crazed castaway. The movie is called Dead Calm (1989) directed by Phillip Noyce. This movie also shows the increase of female protagonists over the years and it influenced a lot of other films in years to come due to its use of obsession within the film and the element of having a trapped character. Although the idea of obsession was also shown in Clint Eastwood's debut film, Play Misty for me in 1971.
1990's -Present Day
By the 1990's, thrillers had had many successful in the box office. They had become much more popular as the audiences loved the excitement it creates as well as the tension and suspense it makes them feel. A very well known and popular thriller made in 1991 is The Silence of the Lambs, directed by Jonathan Demme. It includes the elements of crime and horror and thrills the audience as they learn more about the story.
As movies became more advanced due to technology developments, more directors were able to make thriller movies more individual as before they all shared the same elements and themes. Thriller movies began to become more hybrids with horror elements, done by adding more gore, violence, blood and aggressive behaviour. Psychological thrillers became even more gripping and supernatural and superhero thrillers became introduced more. Neo Noirs such as Sin City became easier to create and had elements of modern times. Examples of modern thrillers include Memento (2000) and the Bourne Ultimatum (2007).
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