Thriller Recipe

Thriller is genre of film, literature and television that contains numerous overlapped sub-genres. 

Common sub-genres:

• Psychological thrillers for example Trance by Danny Boyle 
• Crime thrillers for example Pulp Fiction by Quentin Tarantino
• Mystery thrillers for example Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock

Action thrillers:

• Often involves a plot which features a race against time, packed with violence and involves an obvious antagonist
• Guns, explosions and elaborate set designs are provided for scenes of violence
• Examples of action thrillers include the James Bond and Bourne films

Crime thrillers:

• A suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime/s
• The plot often follows the criminal instead of the policeman which applies emphasis on action over the psychological aspects
• Central topics include robberies, chases and murders
• Examples of crime thrillers include The Killing and Inside Man

Psychological thrillers:

• The conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional as opposed to physical
• Examples of psychological thrillers include Suspicion and Blue Velvet

Characteristics of a thriller:

• Fast-paced and frequent action that should leave the audience on the "edge of their seats", they experience a high level of anticipation throughout
• Includes resourceful heroes who must thwart the plans of more powerful and better equipped villains
• The heroes are often "hard men" who are accustomed to danger however sometimes they are ordinary citizens accidentally drawn to danger
• Heroes have traditionally been men however there has been a rise in female heroines (Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
• Influenced by film noir and tragedy- the compromised hero is often killed in the end 
• Primary mood: "fearful excitement"- if it "thrills" then it is very often a thriller

Thriller devices:

• Suspense
• Cliffhangers: increases audience's anticipation
• Red herrings: misleads or distracts the audience from the central issue
• MacGuffins: a plot device in a form of a goal that the protagonist pursues which drives the plot along- there is very little or no explanation as to why it is significant to the narrative

Thriller vs. Mystery

Thrillers often overlap with the mystery genre. They are distinguished by the differences in the plot's structure.

In a thriller, the hero thwarts the enemy's plans as opposed to uncovering the crime that has already happened. In a murder mystery, prematurely disclosing the murderer's identity would spoil the purpose of the film whereas in a thriller, the audience know the identity of the murderer all along.

Thrillers occur on a greater scale. Themes of crime and political issues arise through plots surrounding terrorism, serial or mass murder, assassination or the overthrow of governments. Violent confrontations are standard plot elements; a mystery will only reach a climax when the mystery is solved however a thriller climaxes when the hero defeats the villain, saving his own life and the lives of many others.