What is a thriller?

(Done by a member of my group)

For my group I had to research what is a thriller?
This is what I found out:

If a thriller were to be defined strictly it would be said to be a genre with a single goal; to give the audience “thrills” and keep them on the edge of their seats as the plot develops to a climax. These are types of films known to promote intense excitement, suspense, a high level of anticipation, ultra-heightened expectation, uncertainty, anxiety, and nerve-wracking tension. The tension usually arises when the main character(s) is placed in a menacing situation or mystery, or an escape or dangerous mission from which escape seems impossible. Their lives are usually in danger because they are unknowingly in a dangerous situation.

Thrillers are often hybrids - there are lots of varieties of suspense-thrillers:

• action- or adventure- thrillers
• sci-fi thrillers (such as Alien (1979)
• crime-caper thrillers (such as The French Connection (1971)
• western-thrillers (such as High Noon (1952)
• film-noir thrillers (such as Double Indemnity (1944)
• even romantic comedy-thrillers (such as Safety Last (1923)

The horror gene is also very closely related to the genre of thriller. They create tension and suspense and take the viewer through agony and fear.

Characters in thrillers include convicts, criminals, stalkers, assassins, down-on-their-luck losers, innocent victims (often on the run), prison inmates, menaced women, characters with dark pasts, psychotic individuals, terrorists, cops and escaped cons, fugitives, private eyes, drifters, duplicitous individuals, people involved in twisted relationships, world-weary men and women, psycho-fiends, and more. The themes of thrillers frequently include terrorism, political conspiracy, pursuit, or romantic triangles leading to murder.

Alfred Hitchcock had a huge influence on shaping the modern genre of thriller. He manipulates his audience’s fears and desires and allows his viewers to associate with the representation of reality that faces the characters. He often places an innocent victim into a strange or life threatening  situation by mistaken identity, misidentification or wrongful accusation. He often used a “red herring” to catch the viewers attention. Also known as a McGuffin which would drive the plot forward. It initially appears to be very important but it intentionally misdirects the audience, it then quickly fades into the background and ends up being trivial, irrelevant, or incidental to the film's story. For example: The 39 Steps (1935): the nature of the 39 Steps, and the smuggling of secret plans (vital to the country's air defense) out of the country and Psycho (1960): the stolen money, the $40,000 wrapped up in a newspaper in the motel bedroom.

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From this research I can see that it is going to be important choice for our group to choose which type of thriller opening we will do, and what contributes to each thriller, therefore changing the type of opening it will be.