| “ | ...Thrillers provide such a rich literary feast. There are all kinds. The legal thriller, spy thriller, action-adventure thriller, medical thriller, police thriller, romantic thriller, historical thriller, political thriller, religious thriller, high-tech thriller, military thriller. The list goes on and on, with new variations constantly being invented. In fact, this openness to expansion is one of the genre's most enduring characteristics. But what gives the variety of thrillers a common ground is the intensity of emotions they create, particularly those of apprehension and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness, all designed to generate that all-important thrill. By definition, if a thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job. | ” |
—James Patterson, June 2006, "Introduction," Thrille | ||
| “ | ...Thrillers provide such a rich literary feast. There are all kinds. The legal thriller, spy thriller, action-adventure thriller, medical thriller, police thriller, romantic thriller, historical thriller, political thriller, religious thriller, high-tech thriller, military thriller. The list goes on and on, with new variations constantly being invented. In fact, this openness to expansion is one of the genre's most enduring characteristics. But what gives the variety of thrillers a common ground is the intensity of emotions they create, particularly those of apprehension and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness, all designed to generate that all-important thrill. By definition, if a thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job. |
From looking at a mixture of different thriller trailers, a regular occurance that is commonly used is this postive every day setting of events that would be expected to take place, which makes the drama and action that takes place shortly after this image is created so powerful and has such a big impact. An example of this theory is a film called 'Obsessed'.
The story is set around an employer who hires a temporary assistant, who ends up having a chrush on her boss, it starts of as an 'office flirtation'. However, when the boss turns down his assistants offer of herself to him, she starts this infactuation with him that she has to have him. She falls that in love with him, that she trys to take her life as she cannot have him, and as this method fails to get his attention she turns phsycopathic, and takes it upon herself to enter his home, and come face to face with the woman who she envys the most, his wife.
This story has so much realism to it, as the ecconomy we find ourselves in as a population, employers fall in love with the employees have affairs and are unfaithful to their partners and the consequences of two peoples actions affect not themselves but everyone around them which is almost Karma for the pain they have caused others. That or a persons lust and infactuation for someone and the pain they get from not having what they want could lead to them taking there lives or someone elses.
Un-justified actions and crimes that take place including breaking the law, and harming innocent people are also a regular occurance within thriller films. This is also linked to gang wars and gang members, thugs or miscreants. A typical mise-en-scene for this type of thriller is a run down block of appartments with a sterotypical bad up-bringing which allows the character to have a violant and disturbed mindset which is the cause or reason of there actions that take place. The main reason the crimes take place is all money related, the money that fulls the ambition for big cars, blingy jewlerey, and security. The reason the characters act the way they do could be down to alot of things, such as to show there authority, how 'big' and 'hard' they are, and its up to the audience to decide how vunerable they really are, if they actually want this lifestyle and how bad they want to get out of the situation they find themseleves in. For some characters its like a vicious circle that they can not get out of, to be in the game, you can never leave the game. This could cause the audience to feel compassion and sorrow for the character as they could try to picture themeselves in the characters situation they find themselves in, which would make them think about how they would deal with the situation, which could maybe get the audience to think the character is only doing what they are doing for there families sake, or because they have no other option.
In some cirumstances the character will commit a crime, be on the run for a period of time but always get caught out in the end. They will more than likely go to prision, and then after being released try to turn there life around get of the wrong path they were on before. However, it is never easier said than done, obstacles they tackle on there road to freedom could include temptation to the life they had before. However, it always comes down to 'everyone has a choice to make'. The audience are left to antisipate if the character will do the right or wrong thing and the consequences of there actions.
Another commonly used story line is of paranormal religious mind set, connected to the outside forces of this world being non-human spirits or forces. The church is commonly used in this story line or religious aspects, symbols or signifiers. Exorcisms and spirit rituals are performed in the presance of god. The possecion of one's soul is shown through break taking editing skills that will leave you on the edge of your seat. There is a real sense of hope and fear expressed to the audience, and it may edge them onto find out the ending of the film, as they are that captivated by the situation, they need to know what the mental health of the character is after everything that has happened.
Another commonly used story line is of un-explainable acts of cannibalism from one human to other, this including an act or practise of human beings eating the flesh of other humans. A person who practices cannibalism is called a cannibal. This could also include the killing of a person, tearing there flesh apart and making use of it somehow. This concept of thriller is a very distrubing but hypnotising way of playing on the minds of the audience. The audience will be asking themseleves over a hundred different questions to do with the characters. Such as what has made them do this, why are they doing what they are doing, what has possesed them to do such a thing. Getting inside the darkest of all minds to conjure a reason to what is going on in the mindset of the character, what could have happened in the past, or are they just mentally ill, there just getting treated as a criminal when really what they are doing is a cry for help. The way the attacker is normally protrayed in this type of film is as a phsycopathic beast, which could allow the viewer to feel compassion for him as maybe he dosent want to be the way he is, but he cannot stop what he is doing.
Another storyline is of pure evil and disturbance beyond any immagination this being through the actions of pure geniuses who use there brilliant minds to tortue and persue the most vicious crimes out there. The audience get a sense that these characters who potray these images have no conscience, no mercy and they get the impression that there is not hope for the victims of these attacks. An example of this storyline is a thriller film called 'The Human Centipede'. This storyline is about a crazy delusional doctor who has a fantasy of turning humans into animals through deforming human beings to create his 'masterpeice'. The audience are left to ponder in disgust as to if the characters will escape and hope and pray that they can somehow get free from this madness.
Another few typical storylines that link together is of abduction, taking someone hostage, or missing person. All three storylines are all connected to a reason for the event happening. The attacker is always a male in these cirumstances, its a sterotypical prediction we have produced as a generation. The audience are always left to imagine there own theory of what is the reason for this capture of a victim, what is the reason they are out to get them and is it family/money/history related. If it is a struggle of guessing who the attacker is, the audience themesleves will try to work out who it is before they get to the point in the film which it is revealed.
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