Thriller Sub-Genres

Sub-Genres Used In Thriller

There are many sub-genres within the genre Thriller. Sub-genres are when a film falls into a main genre category but have recognizable feature that allows the film to fall into a sub-genre. These sub-genres include the following:

•          Action Thriller- This is where a film often features a race against the clock contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist. These films usually contain large amounts of guns, explosions, and large elaborate set pieces for the action to take place. For example: Unstoppable' (2010) an unmanned train heads towards a city, an engineer has to race against time to prevent the catastrophe.
•          Romance Thriller- For example: ‘The Tourist’ (2010) an American tourist visits Italy to mend his broken heart, and then a woman deliberately crosses his path.
•          Supernatural Thriller- This is where a film brings in an otherworldly element mixed with tension, suspense and plot twits. For example: ‘What Lies Beneath’ (2000) a well-to-do couple who experience a strange haunting that uncovers secrets about their past.
•          Psychological Thriller- This is where we see conflict between the main characters in a mental and emotional way, rather than in a physically way. For example: ‘Orphan’ (2009) the film centres on a couple who, after the death of their unborn child, adopt a mysterious 9-year old girl.
•          Acquired Identity- For example: ‘13’ (2010) a naive young man assumes a dead man’s identity and finds himself embroiled in an underground world of violence and power.
•          Political Thriller- This is where a film is set against the backdrop of political power struggle. They usually involve various plots, rarely legal, designed to give political power to someone, while his opponents try to stop him from getting it. For example: ‘ The Ghost Writer’ (2010)

Codes and conventions: Things we expect to see in film depending on its genre. For example, in a Romance thriller you expect to see a rivalry between a couple which would a third character, who would be the reason for the rivalry between the couple.