Research into the history of thriller films- Miss Georgiou

Thriller is a broad genre which includes film. The use of suspense and tension are typically known as the main elements of  the thriller genre. Thriller films cause the audience to feel a certain mood in this case, anticipation and fright. Thriller films are known as being fast pace to gain adrenaline from the audience but, can also include slow sequences to add tension and build suspense. The Wikipedia definition included that the thriller genre causes the audience to have a sudden rush of emotions and includes constant cliff hanging scenes to create suspense. The full definition can be read here.

In this essay, I will be analysing the history of thriller films. I will research different thriller films over the years, create a timeline and show how thrillers have changed over the years.

Part One
The 1960s
Psycho
A blonde, pretty victim leaves her home town to live with her boyfriend in a different state (set in America). While on the way, she stops off at a hotel, where she meets a strange man, who tells her stories about his mother. She decides to go back to her home town, as she realizes that it's a better decision and this includes her job. However, she stays at the hotel for the night and then is missing for a sufficient amount of time. Her disappearance is investigated, and it is discovered that she has been murdered. (Full summaries can be read here)
Psycho is an extremely popular thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is known to be one of his most popular films of all time. The film is in completely black and white which limits effects. This shows that the film is very old and how the famous shower scene could not be violent. If in colour, the nudity of the woman would have been highlighted even more and the blood would have been even more visable. The shower scene contains fast editing, causing the scene to appear more hard hitting, and dangerous. Over 100 shots are used within that specific scene.














The 1970s
Halloween
This film begins with a child killer who sets out to murder his sister, and succeeds. 'Michael', the killer, escapes from prison years later, targeting a teenage babysitter and her friends.
Halloween is a very well-known thriller film that has been re-created many times. The first film was made in 1978 and is the first in the popular Halloween franchise. This film has been linked to the hugely popular 'Psycho.' Showing that at this time, thriller films hadn't changed much over the years. This film includes the actress Jamie Lee Curtis, the main victim who is now a well known actress. This causes the films popularity to rise as fans of the actress, would want to watch the film. The film uses music and sound effects, especially in the opening scene. Loud, quick sound effects are used to create surprise, linking to the shower scene in 'Psycho'. Low key lighting is also used which is conventional within the thriller genre to create a tense and creepy atmosphere. An example of this is when the killer murders a man and stabs him against the wall. The scene still stays reserved and not so gory, which links to how hugely violent scenes could not be shown at that time. This also links back to target audience as a certificate of 15+ should not include high levels of gore. The full analysis of Halloween can be read here.



The 1990s
Scream
Scream is about an unknown killer that kills off teenagers in the local area. Sidney, the main victim, is reminiscing over her mother's death when these negative events start to occur. She needs to fight for her life, and realises that the killer is too close for comfort, as when the film comes to a shocking conclusion, the audience find out that her boyfriend and friend are the killers.
Scream is an extremely popular franchise, the first film being made in 1996. The films have some of the popular actors known including, Courteney Cox, Drew Barrymore and David Arquette. The film includes the killer having a hidden identity which is conventional and contains violence that films likes Halloween made popular. The film could be considered inspiring to other thriller film makers as the film was credited for being true to life. The writer, Kevin Williamson was inspired by the film Halloween, showing the lack of differences between films or how they can link together.















The 2000s
The Cabin In The Woods
The Cabin in the woods, filmed in 2009 is linked to the slasher film genre much like Scream, Halloween and Psycho. These films show that elements used in slasher films are conventional to the thriller genre and are very successful. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, a now popular actor which further causes the audience to bond with the character he plays, if they enjoy the way he takes on the role. The film is known as having a cliche thriller story line as five best friends wander into a mysterious cabin in the woods. This links to the theme of houses as settings as they're secluded and lonely. However, this setting can be a success, if use with a unique storyline. This shows the use of mise en scene, which is conventional to the thriller genre and dark, secluded settings are successful within the thriller genre.













The 2010s
The Conjuring
The Conjuring is based on two paranormal investigators that help a family left frightened by strange events taking place in their new home. The investigators realise that the spirits are targeting the new family, therefore they set out to stop them, however, this will have negative effects on everybody involved.
The Conjuring is a supernatural thriller film. This shows a direct change from the others as they are known as slasher films. This shows a change in the genre, as the film is rumored to be a true story which frightens the audience, therefore can influence other writers and directors. The Conjuring is overall a new film released in July 2013 and promoted as being the 'scariest film' and the most 'anticipated' thriller of the year. The film has received positive views from both critics and audience.

This research has helped in planning my own thriller film as the storylines are all different and interesting. These films are all very popular, and I think this is because all of the story lines and conventions used are interesting. The use of music is extremely important, and helps create the typical thriller atmosphere. Nearly all of the film chosen include the killer having a hidden identity which isn't essential but makes the storyline much more tense and constantly creates suspense.

Part Two

The top ten most popular thriller films of all time are listed in the chart above. As well as this, the table includes how much the money has earned overall and how much was earned when first opening to theaters.

Hannibal is ranked number one and has earned over $165,000,000 overall, making it the most popular overall. Hannibal is the sequel to The Silence of the Lambs (rated number two), and overall incorporates a narrative that has not be seen before in other thrillers. Seeing that the first film was extremely popular, the audience is drawn to watch the second film. The film's popularity is shown through how much money was earned from the opening weekend, meaning that this sequel was highly anticipated.

Seven is ranked at number four, earning over $100, 000, 000 overall and $13, 000, 000 through the opening week. This could be because of the unique plot in which the killer murders through using the seven deadly sins. The film also contains a strong opening sequence that has had a great influence on many other thriller films. As well as the use of popular conventions, the film contains famous actors such as Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt, which may be a key factor to why the audience was so large and effected the amount of money made.

The Saw films are rated high up also, at number six, seven and nine. This is because they are a popular set of thriller films which also follow on to a number of different sequels, causing the audience to keep interesting in them. Also, the plot is extremely unique and contains the killer having a back story. This is an influence for me as the audience would be engaged with the different characters. Lastly, these set of films appeal to their chosen audience as the certificate is an 18 and they contain many different thriller aspects and a high level of gore.