"A thriller is a genre which revolves around anticipation and suspense. The aim for thrillers is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats. The protagonist in these films is set against a problem - an escape, mission or mystery. No matter what sub-genre a thriller film falls into, it will emphasize the danger that protagonist faces. The tension with the main problem is built on throughout the film and leads to a highly stressful climax." - The script lab
1920's-1930's
An example to an 1920's thriller film was Alfred Hitchcock's first thriller "The Lodger" which was based on Jack the Ripper.
1929 - A film called black mail was known as the Hitchcock's first and Britain's first sound film.
1928 - Earliest spy film which shaped the James Bond Series
1933 - Starred a jealous and murderous zoologist.
1940's
1940's
Hitchcock produced Oscar winning films called: "Foreign correspondent and 'Rebecca' which were both very suspenseful thrillers.
1943 - 'Shadow of Doubt' was Hitchcock's personal favorite which was based on a true case of the 1920's serial killer as the Merry Widow murderer.
1944 -'gaslight' was a film about a husband who plotted to make his wife go insane in order to inherit her inheritance. A second film was a called 'Noir' which about a thrilling murder investigation made by police.
1950's
Hitchcock still produced more classic films:
'Strangers on a train' - two train passengers got staged a battle of wits and traded murders with each other.
1953 - starred Marilyn Munroe who plotted to kill her husband
1954 - 'Dial M for Murder' - A husband attempted to murder his wife.
1960's
Psycho was about a loner and a mother fixated motel owner.
1965 - Roman Polanski - 'Repulsion' - First film in English, it was frightening and surrealistic which featured a young women who goes insanely mad.
1967 - Terrence Young - 'Wait Until Dark' - Which was about a victimized blind women in a apartment in Manhattan and an evil con man in search for drugs.
1970's-80's
1971 - Clint Eastwood - 'Play Misty for Me' - First film about somebody being obsessed with their idol.
1974 - The conversation
1981 - Blow Out - Assassination thriller
1990's
1991 - 'The silence of Lambs' - A young FBI agent is in a psychological war with a cannibalistic psychiatrist named Hannibal Lector.
1992 - 'The hand that rocks the cradle' - Curtis Hanson - A nanny who was seeking revenge against her dead husband patient.
1995 - Se7en - David Fincher - In search for a serial killer who conducted the seven deadly sins.
2000's
2001 - Joy Ride - 2 people find themselves in danger when a psychotic truck driver follows them, wanting them to be dead.
2009 - The Last House on the Left.
1974 - The conversation
1981 - Blow Out - Assassination thriller
1990's
1991 - 'The silence of Lambs' - A young FBI agent is in a psychological war with a cannibalistic psychiatrist named Hannibal Lector.1992 - 'The hand that rocks the cradle' - Curtis Hanson - A nanny who was seeking revenge against her dead husband patient.
1995 - Se7en - David Fincher - In search for a serial killer who conducted the seven deadly sins.
2000's
2001 - Joy Ride - 2 people find themselves in danger when a psychotic truck driver follows them, wanting them to be dead.
2009 - The Last House on the Left.
Alfred Hitchcock was a very successful director of many films in the thriller genre. He was known as Britain's greatest film maker. He framed shots to maximize anxiety, fear or empathy. Many of his films have twisted endings and plots featuring including violence, murder and crime. He directed fifty feature films in the space of six decades. The Daily Telegraph said: "Hitchcock did more than any director to shape modern cinema, which be utterly different without him. His flair for narrative cruelly withholding crucial information and engaging the emotions of the audience like no one else."
The narrative of Hannibal is that Dr. Hannibal Lector is a serial killer. People also know him as a cannibal. The film has essential elements of the thriller genre. Like in many thriller narratives, Hannibal consists of elements of the crime genre. There's the police force, the killer the protagonist with special abilities who assists the police in their investigations. Like any psychological thriller, it focuses on the psychology of the characters, rather than the investigations. The suspense in Hannibal is different from the typical psychological thriller, as the villain of this story will engage into a mind game of the hero. The target audience of this film is a 18 as it contains bloody horror and infrequence strong language. This would appeal to the audience as the narrative is quite mysterious and would keep the audience engaged.
The conventions of these films would be similar, therefore meaning they are important. The conventions played a big part on the audience making them want to see it and decide it was good film. These films consisted of the typical conventions of a thriller which would keep the audience engaged in the films.
2. THE SILENCE OF LAMBS 1991
The narrative of the silence of lambs is that a young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. Clarice attempts to gain a better insight to the twisted mind of the killer by talking to another psychopath Hannibal Lector, who used to be a psychiatrist. The characters consist of a protagonist and an antagonist which is conventional to the thriller genre. It has themes of crime included.
3. BASIC INSTINCT
The narrative of basic instinct is that a former rock star is brutally killed. During the investigation, Nick meets a crime novelist who was the rock stars girlfriend when he died. The girlfriend proves to be a strong, manipulative women, Nick is convinced that she murdered him but is not able to find evidence. Later when Nick's rival in the police force is killed, he suspects the girlfriends involvement in it. To find out, he plays a mind game with her, in order to nail her, but as the relationship between them both the body count rises and contradicting evidences force to start his suspicions about the girlfriends guilt. It's target audience is 18 and over as strong violence and drug use is involved. This appeal to the audience as the narrative would be considered to be mysterious and leave them on edge as they don't know what he will do to his girlfriend.
4. SE7EN
This film is about two homicide detectives who hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes towards the seven deadly sins. The characters consist of two detectives and the killer. This films target audience is 18 and over as it includes views of horrific killings which would be considered to be uncomfortable and frequent strong language. This appealed to the audience because its a quite original narrative, and it is good for the type of audience who like mystery and gore as the victims are killed in different ways which people would not normally expect.
5. RED DRAGON
The narrative of red dragon is that a retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down 'the tooth fairy'. He is assisted by Hannibal Lecter. The target audience is 18 and over as it contains graphic images and strong language.
6. SAW II
The jigsaw (the killer) locks up victims in a trapped shelter and they have to find a way out before they inhale too much of the lethal nerve gas and die. The victims should look out for the traps that the Jigsaw has set in the shelter to lead to death also.
7. SAW III
Thw jigsaw kidnaps a doctor to keep him alive while he watches his new apprentice put a victim to the test. This would appeal the audience as it's matter of life or death and would see who would come out alive or dead.
8. THE BONE COLLECTOR
A homicide detective and his female partner try to track down a serial killer. An Ex-cop Lincoln Rhyme was looking forward to his assisted suicide when he got news that, a person was abducting people in a taxi and leaving them to die in particularly sadistic ways. This would appeal to the audience as it is different and the narrative suggesting the killer leaves the victims to die in particularly sadistic ways.
9. SAW IV
Jigsaw and his apprentice Amanda is now dead. Detective Kerry's murder, two seasoned FBI profilers, Agent Strahm and Agent Perez, arrive in the terrified community to assist the veteran Detective Hoffman in sifting through Jigsaw's latest grisly remains and piecing together the puzzle. However, when SWAT Commander Rigg is abducted and thrust into a game, the last officer untouched by Jigsaw has but ninety minutes to overcome a series of demented traps and save an old friend or face the deadly consequences. This would appeal to the audience as it would keep them in suspense as they don't know what the jigsaw would choose and see what he would have to go through in order to survive.
10. THE CELL
An FBI agent persuades a social worker, who is adept with a new experimental technology, to enter the mind of a serial killer in order to learn where he has hidden his latest kidnap victim. The themes of this is crime and physiological. It is aimed at 18 and over as it contains strong language and strong violence. This would appeal to the audience, as many audience like the fact of crime and psychological thrillers as they try to look into the mind of a serial killer.
Overall, thriller films have changed since the 1920's. This research will help me with my own thriller as it is able to give other ideas for narratives and what types of things to do.
Narratives are very important as it has to be able to keep the audience engaged. A different, original narrative would leave the audience in suspense as a similar narrative of a film would leave have an idea of what might possibly happen. The narrative has be centered around one problem which the audience will have to be focused on and keep them concentrated on the film. The audience would be expected to be curious/anxious to find out the solutions/problems which the character may face. These following films, have achieved good narratives in order for them to do so well in the box office.
The narrative of Hannibal is that Dr. Hannibal Lector is a serial killer. People also know him as a cannibal. The film has essential elements of the thriller genre. Like in many thriller narratives, Hannibal consists of elements of the crime genre. There's the police force, the killer the protagonist with special abilities who assists the police in their investigations. Like any psychological thriller, it focuses on the psychology of the characters, rather than the investigations. The suspense in Hannibal is different from the typical psychological thriller, as the villain of this story will engage into a mind game of the hero. The target audience of this film is a 18 as it contains bloody horror and infrequence strong language. This would appeal to the audience as the narrative is quite mysterious and would keep the audience engaged.
The conventions of these films would be similar, therefore meaning they are important. The conventions played a big part on the audience making them want to see it and decide it was good film. These films consisted of the typical conventions of a thriller which would keep the audience engaged in the films.
2. THE SILENCE OF LAMBS 1991
The narrative of the silence of lambs is that a young FBI cadet must confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer who skins his victims. Clarice attempts to gain a better insight to the twisted mind of the killer by talking to another psychopath Hannibal Lector, who used to be a psychiatrist. The characters consist of a protagonist and an antagonist which is conventional to the thriller genre. It has themes of crime included.
3. BASIC INSTINCT
The narrative of basic instinct is that a former rock star is brutally killed. During the investigation, Nick meets a crime novelist who was the rock stars girlfriend when he died. The girlfriend proves to be a strong, manipulative women, Nick is convinced that she murdered him but is not able to find evidence. Later when Nick's rival in the police force is killed, he suspects the girlfriends involvement in it. To find out, he plays a mind game with her, in order to nail her, but as the relationship between them both the body count rises and contradicting evidences force to start his suspicions about the girlfriends guilt. It's target audience is 18 and over as strong violence and drug use is involved. This appeal to the audience as the narrative would be considered to be mysterious and leave them on edge as they don't know what he will do to his girlfriend.
4. SE7EN
This film is about two homicide detectives who hunt for a serial killer who justifies his crimes towards the seven deadly sins. The characters consist of two detectives and the killer. This films target audience is 18 and over as it includes views of horrific killings which would be considered to be uncomfortable and frequent strong language. This appealed to the audience because its a quite original narrative, and it is good for the type of audience who like mystery and gore as the victims are killed in different ways which people would not normally expect.
5. RED DRAGON
The narrative of red dragon is that a retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down 'the tooth fairy'. He is assisted by Hannibal Lecter. The target audience is 18 and over as it contains graphic images and strong language.
6. SAW II
The jigsaw (the killer) locks up victims in a trapped shelter and they have to find a way out before they inhale too much of the lethal nerve gas and die. The victims should look out for the traps that the Jigsaw has set in the shelter to lead to death also.
7. SAW III
Thw jigsaw kidnaps a doctor to keep him alive while he watches his new apprentice put a victim to the test. This would appeal the audience as it's matter of life or death and would see who would come out alive or dead.
8. THE BONE COLLECTOR
A homicide detective and his female partner try to track down a serial killer. An Ex-cop Lincoln Rhyme was looking forward to his assisted suicide when he got news that, a person was abducting people in a taxi and leaving them to die in particularly sadistic ways. This would appeal to the audience as it is different and the narrative suggesting the killer leaves the victims to die in particularly sadistic ways.
9. SAW IV
Jigsaw and his apprentice Amanda is now dead. Detective Kerry's murder, two seasoned FBI profilers, Agent Strahm and Agent Perez, arrive in the terrified community to assist the veteran Detective Hoffman in sifting through Jigsaw's latest grisly remains and piecing together the puzzle. However, when SWAT Commander Rigg is abducted and thrust into a game, the last officer untouched by Jigsaw has but ninety minutes to overcome a series of demented traps and save an old friend or face the deadly consequences. This would appeal to the audience as it would keep them in suspense as they don't know what the jigsaw would choose and see what he would have to go through in order to survive.
10. THE CELL
An FBI agent persuades a social worker, who is adept with a new experimental technology, to enter the mind of a serial killer in order to learn where he has hidden his latest kidnap victim. The themes of this is crime and physiological. It is aimed at 18 and over as it contains strong language and strong violence. This would appeal to the audience, as many audience like the fact of crime and psychological thrillers as they try to look into the mind of a serial killer.
This post demonstrates some understanding of how thriller films have changed over the years. You have considered a range of films, to support the points that you are making. But further description of the films, are needed. This can be achieved, by considering the plots, themes, narratives and characters of the films that you have included above.
ReplyDeleteThe box office figures that you have included, starts to demonstrate further understanding. However, you have only included the narratives of the films and you have not discussed the importance of the narratives/the conventions/or how it appeals to an audience.
ReplyDelete