The Convention of a Thriller Film
It is difficult to state a clear definition of a thriller as they
cross over many genres, however the single most characteristic of a
thriller is the obvious one, it "thrills" the audience. The plots are
scary, the characters are at great risk and the films are constructed
in a manner that makes the watcher really want to know what happens
next. There is no formula for a thriller, other that that most
thrillers follow one of a few common narrative structures. For
example, they may use the Todorov theory, where the narrative
structure is comprised of three main parts: order and normality, then
something happens where disorder occurs and finally equilibrium is
restored, usually by a hero.
Thrillers can be divided into countless categories, i.e., action
thrillers, psychological thrillers, millitary thrillers, spy
thrillers, and the list goes on. It's easier to recognise a thriller
than to describe it. There are some general characteristics that most
have. They usually include a plot that concerns life or death issues,
and thrillers unlike horrors have a real-life slant. Sometimes
thrillers involve murder mysteries, and nearly all thrillers put the
protagonist and other sympathetic characters in serious danger.
Thrillers usually have a great deal of action, cinematic landscapes or
cityscapes or interior "mindscapes".
On a more historical approach, thrillers have their roots in German
expressionism and include some elements of gothic/Victorian novels.
Thrillers have a relationship with horror, where a few similar
features are shared, for example they both tend to exploit the fears
of mankind wh...
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...s is the evil one and his victims are the good ones,
in Memento Leonard can be said to be the good guy fighting against the
evil one that killed his wife. Psycho uses the detective aspect to add
depth to the storyline and is used as a kind of narrative for the
audience. The thriller code and convention of using tormented, weak
females as the victim is used in both films. In Psycho Marion is the
victim and in Memento Leonard's wife is the victim. Both films use
weather conditions to emphasise the narrative and fractured lighting
to build enigma. In Memento, Leonard can be seen to be the hero, and
he goes with the convention of knowing what he has to do yet he
procrastinates about how to solve it. The most important code and
convention that both films agree on is that there isn't always action
but tension is omnipresent.
The horror genre of film captives the frightfulness of individual fear, horror is the only genre that is meant captive the terror of the audience. The horror- the genre has been around well over one hundred- years there has been an extension of different types of horror and how the audience perceives horror. Many would even argue that horror films often reflect the fear of society in that certain time period. The evolution of horror reflects the evolution of society’s fear. American in 1929 face the stock market crash-inducing The Great Depression.
Audiences love to be scared. Horror films attempt to find some sort of trigger in the audiences mind, and develop it to create horror. Preceded by the great horror novels such as Dracula, and developed in the early nineteen twenties and nineteen thirties in Germany. From slash movies, to the post-modern psychological thrillers, horror films have evolved into an art form. This genre relies heavily on the basic horror conventions.
Suspense is only one of Hitchcock’s many techniques and themes. His themes range from the obvious violence, to the depths of human interaction and sex. From Rear Window to Psycho, Hitchcock’s unique themes are present and evident. Rear Window starts with something we all do at times, which is nosing in and stalking on others business, and turns it into a mysterious investigation leaving the viewer second guessing their neighbors at home. Psycho on the other hand, drags
Finally, horror became ‘Slasher.’ The 1970’s became obsessed with realistic news stories and characters and films became more stylize and followed similar storyline conventions. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Halloween (1978) and Night Mare On Elm Street (1984) where full of psycho villains, teens in danger and the sole survivor leading to plenty of sequels. The only other horror genre or thriller genre focused on suspense, movie...
Analysis of the Opening Sequences of John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) and Wes Craven’s Scream (1996)
The film Psycho, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is a psychological thriller that was created in 1960. The main theme of this film revolves around psychological illnesses. The film focuses on the main character, Norman Bates, and his psychological problems which include a split personality, voyeurism, sadism, guilt and self-punishment, and anal fixation. Throughout the movie you can see Bates exhibit these traits at different points; however, some traits are not as clearly evident as others. This film takes an in-depth look at how someone who possesses a mental illness might behave or think.
One aspect of American horror movies is the fact that everything is rationalized in the movies. There is a need in American culture to explain why things happen. This is also shown in the endings. Conflicts are always resolved at the end of movies and everything is explained because as the audience, we want to know that the conflict is over and we want all the unexplained details to be explained. The antagonists of horror movies are usually malicious monsters that are there to cause havoc. They may or may not have a grudge against a specific
While both of the films consist of two completely different plots, they still share common aspects. For instance, Hitchcock directly places a blonde woman in both of the films. Since Hitchcock is known for melodramatic films, he puts both, Marion Crane, and Melanie Daniels in extreme danger. In doing so, the film becomes more appealing to the viewer, and it begins to appeal to their emotions. It is clear that Hitchcock has a dramatic preference for blonde women, so he uses that to his advantage by making them symbols in his films. In these two films, the two main characters, Marion, and Melanie, are posed as the triggers for the action that occurs in the story. In Psycho, Marion Crane flees from town, and meets the villain of the story, Norman Bates. If Marion hadn’t stolen the money from the client at the bank, then she would not have met Norman, and she would not have been murdered. On the other hand, Melanie Daniels from the film The Birds meets Mitch Brenner in a San Francisco pet shop. She was intrigued by their encounter, and decided to take a trip to Bodega Bay where Mitch stays during the weekends. If Melanie hadn’t made the decision to go to Bodega Bay, then she would have been able to avoid the deadly bird attacks. If Marion and Melanie did...
While there are many different ways to classify a Neo-noir film, Roman Polanski’s, Chinatown captures many. The 1974 movie consists of many of these elements, including both thematic and stylistic devices. One of the main themes of neo-noir film that is constant throughout the film is the deceptive plot that questions the viewers’ ideas and perceptions of what is actually happening in the film. Every scene of Chinatown leads to a twist or another turn that challenges the practicability of the film’s reality. All of the never-ending surprises and revelations lead up to the significant themes the movie is trying to convey in the conclusion of the film.
The appeal of horror film is effective due to the traits of the human mind. Filmgoers of horror leave theaters with a positive train of thought, yet the negative nature of the content presented points to psychological factors which cause their enjoyment. Answers are found by looking at the psychological factors, how an individual processes emotional arousal, identifies with issues that they consider relevant, and perceives reality, help to explain why films presenting such horrific imagery excites many people. Many horror franchises create a level of violence and gore that is offensive to most, yet viewers continue to swarm theaters, making the horror film industry extremely profitable. Graphic horror cinema relies on shocking imagery as much as storytelling to create an effective type of entertainment. The subject matter, alone, does not provide enough attraction to bring back viewers. When looking at the psychological drivers behind the films, it can be seen that the composition addresses a level much deeper than the entertainment that makes horror
Within the genre of horror films falls the sub-genre of teen slasher/stalker films. These teen slasher/stalker films take the horror genre film characteristics into account, however they add more to the formula. More violence, sadism, brutality, and graphic blood and gore are used to increase the terror factor. Sexuality and gratuitous nudity are also key characteristic of many of these films. Imitations and numerous sequels are also a common characteristic of teen slasher/stalker films as well.
Has anyone ever stopped and thought about why movie remakes exist? There is always a simple explanation to this conception, and it’s either that Hollywood directors are “lazy” or that Hollywood wants to destroy our childhood scares. For the most part, Hollywood isn’t literally attempting to become futile or destroy the integrity of films, but it’s much for the profit of recreating former popular movies. In addition to that, the revamp graphic quality allows for older movie plots to compete against their modern counterparts, but there still remains an issue. In order to reestablish an older horror film, a newer one has to take its place for the sake of pleasing the current technologically adept generation; however, alterations may completely
In both, the feelings of dread and fear are experienced simultaneously. The goal for these films is to scare and thrill the audience. Horror can thrill and Thrillers can horrify. Another similarity is the dramatic context. Characters are confronted by some conflict and usually flee from the turbulent situation. In the end, the characters end up being forced to confront the conflict. Both genres contain some level of suspense and mystery. Overall, horror and thriller are two genres that are easily mistaken for each other because of the overlapping
Almost everyone has a favorite genre of film, but how everyone defines their favorite genre can differ greatly. Horror is one of the genres where its definition can be perceived differently by many people. Like all other genres, horror does have rules and traditions that must be included in order for a film to be considered a horror film. These rules and traditions include a protagonist, an antagonist, an escape or escape attempt of some sort, and very influential audio and visual effects.
This essay will be examining the genre of Horror, its conventions and origins. A dark genre that aims to unsettle. Wholly unique in the aspect that traditionally film often attempts to lull the audience into a comfortable sense of detachment. A voyeuristic element of disconnect from the screen, yet Horror's appeal is it's aim to immerse. Mise en scéne, the use of lighting and sound all common film techniques. Used to play upon the audience's most basic instinct, fear.