Chracteristics

                                                    Characteristics

• Plot: Police chases, Fires/Explosions, Big crowds of people at the scene of the Incident, Lots of violence, Murders                                                                                                         

                                                                                                             

• There are almost always crime at the centre of a thriller narrative. (e.g. murders in Se7en)

• Locations: In a Dark House, Dark Alley, Fancy Hotels/Restaurants/Parties. Most thrillers are based in a city but some thrillers, (often more sinister) are set in a secluded countryside location.

• Characters: Police, 'Good' guy, 'Bad' guy, Detectives, Criminals, Murders.

• The thriller genre is a category of fiction concerned with tales of excitement, suspense, and high melodrama. It often overlaps with other genres of literature and film, such as crime, adventure, and espionage. Characteristics of the thriller genre often include a lone protagonist or small group of heroes opposed by a vastly superior enemy while pursuing an overriding quest or objective. The threat of death or capture is ever-present, and clever plot twists usually complicate the matter. Thrillers appear in virtually every form of narrative and sometimes include elements of science fiction, mystery, or horror. (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-characteristics-of-the-thriller-genre.htm)

• Action thriller include: More common in movies than novels because of the visual appeal of explosions and violence. An action work will generally have a fast-paced, centered, and definite plot. It generally adheres to the hero cycle faithfully, and its plot revolves around character development. Action is inclined toward third person narration, although first person narration is not unusual. Action works are also generally down-to-earth works, even though their premise may be fanciful.  Thriller is similar. It features a down-to-earth plot, and it frequently plays into people's fears (e.g. the film "Alien" is a thriller.). However, thriller has a greater tendency toward digression than action. Also, thriller "rises" and "falls," whereas action simply rises and keeps you there. Therefore, "action thriller" has elements of action implemented onto the thriller method of storytelling.

• Conspiracy thriller include: The story starts off with either a minor meaningless crime or a high-profile murder. A person related to the criminal blamed or the uncovered victim notices some odd discrepancies in the official story and digs deeper. Before the protagonist realises it, he/she/it are caught in a multi-layered plot that involves possibly EVERYONE, especially those who are tasked with the official investigation... meaning that the hero/heroine can't go to the cops... or the press... or that janitor in the hallway they just passed who looks a little too much like the guy who'd been shadowing them the last day or so...

• Crime thriller include: Includes murders; robberies; chases; shootouts.

• Disaster thriller include: In this subgenre a (usually) natural disaster is taking place, and the antagonist is either trying to stop the disaster, the extent of the disaster, or just save themselves before time runs out and the disaster has run its course; E.g. Zombie Apocalypse.

• Eco-thriller include: In this subgenre the protagonist must stop a threat to the environment (man-made or natural) that will have consequences for society if left unchecked. The damage could be local, but nation or even world-wide stakes are more dramatic.

• Forensic thriller include: In this subgenre the protagonist(s) are forensic scientists whose involvement in an unsolved crime threatens their lives.

• Horror thriller include: There are elements of fear throughout the film; the main character is up against a superior force; they soon become the victim of themselves

• Legal thriller include: This subgenre takes place in and around the courtroom. Usually the protagonist is a lawyer who has found their case threatening death for either them or their client.

• Medical thriller include: This subgenre involves something usually used for medical purposes becoming a deadly weapon. Often it is a virus that is leaking out to the public. The protagonist or antagonist or both are doctors.

• Mystery thriller include: This is a subgenre of both mysteries and thrillers. It differs from a regular mystery by being much more fast-paced, with the protagonist on the run and the threat of another crime serving as the “ticking clock.”

• Political thriller include: In this subgenre political relations or the whole government is at stake, and the protagonist is employed by the government to stop the decline. The protagonist may have been low-level before having attracted attention.

• Psychological thriller include: where the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical; The types of films are: Sleepers; Misery; Sixth sense which focus on giving thrills to the audience. However, they focus on the characters and their psyches rather than the plot and action. It will often heavily overlap with the Mystery genre, and occasionally with horror. Common narrative devices used to facilitate the exploration of the characters' psyches are Back Story, first person narrative, and Stream Of Consciousness. the term Psychological Thriller is sometimes used to identify a work as "horror lite", or "horror except it's too good for that genre".

• Spy thriller include: It’s hard to call this a genre mash-up when spy novels almost have to be thrillers. At any rate, this subgenre focuses on the high adventures of field agents. It is usually set against the backdrop of some war.

• Techno thriller include: A thriller is set in the future; usually military equipment use gone wrong.