Different Types of Thriller Films

1) Action Thriller
- A lot of violence
- Its a race against the clock (fast moving)
- Uses a lot of weapons, i.e guns and explosions




As an example of an opening sequence of an action thriller movie i used the newest James Bond movie 'Casino Royal'. It is very clear that this movie is an action thriller as the first couple of seconds are not at all suspenseful, James Bond is very blunt and to the point when he is talking to the other man in the movie. After that the camera cuts from the other man to James Bond and then cuts straight to a fighting scene without any conversation, this is all in the first 40 seconds of the film, this tells us that action thriller movies are fast moving, and jump straight to violence. After the fighting between the two men, the camera cuts back to James Bond and his rival, his enemy is holding a gun, this is common in action thrillers to open with weapons, without any build up.


2) Crime Thriller
- It is a mix between a crime film and a thriller film
- A crime thriller usually focuses on the criminal not the victim, which is very different to most thriller films
- And of course it focuses more on the action than the psychological aspects of the movie
- Crime Thriller's are more violent than suspenseful

As an example of an opening sequence of a crime thriller, I used The 'Godfather'. Even in the first few seconds of this movie it is evident that it is a crime thriller, as there is a shot of someone who looks like the criminal staring at an 'NYC policeman', this is repeated twice. The use of black and white represents sophistication, the music is very suited to the time period, and it gives evidence of where the film is set, the music also gives the audience the implication that it is clearly not a drama thriller, horror thriller, psychological thriller, supernatural thriller, erotic thriller or a disaster thriller, this narrows it down to being a political thriller, action thriller or of course a crime thriller, and by the shots its quite clearly a crime thriller. Within the first 30 seconds of the opening sequence there is already a shot of a photograph, this shot is of two men in suits, its a close up that focuses on their knees up to their chests, this hints investigational evidence of criminals. The title sequence also shows a lot of photographs which can be associated with crime scene investigation.

3) Disaster Thriller
- This is a thriller that includes natural disasters
- For example tsunamis or volcanoes
- These are not as thrilling as any other thriller because they are not as easy to relate to

4) Drama Thriller
- This is a thriller with drama elements
- This really differs with action thrillers as drama thrillers are very slow pacing
- Drama thrillers include a lot of plot twists this makes them exciting to watch
- They force the audience to keep interested as there is a great deal of character development









5) Erotic Thriller
- Similarly to 'drama thrillers' the erotic thriller is also a combination of two genres
- This is a combination of erotica and thriller






6) Horror Thriller
- These are usually one of the scariest types of thriller films
- The conflict between the main characters is emotional, mental and physical
- These are usually the most realistic types of thrillers








7) Political Thriller










8) Psychological Thriller
- These movies play with your head
- Similarly to 'horror thrillers' they are also one of the scariest types of thrillers as they feel very realistic
- These types of thrillers are suspenseful and slow moving
- There is a build up to the typical violent endings
- In that build up psychological thrillers consist of the characters conflicts being mental and emotional









9) Supernatural Thriller
- These thrillers are not very realistic and therefore not so thrilling
- One of the main characters who is in conflict with another one of the main characters has supernatural powers, i.e
- This thriller combines the typical thriller with the basic horror elements, i.e the use of ghosts