What is a Thriller Film?

Main conventions of thriller films:

The main conventions of films of the thriller genre are such things as an enigma, which is another word for mystery, which are always a main convention in a thriller. Examples of an enigma would be the hidden identity of the killer, the reasons why the characters are victimized and hidden locations, when the audience and sometimes characters don't know what location they're in. Another convention is the representation of characters, such as a weak female character who is the victim and the representation of good vs evil. Violence is also conventional, as the audience expects to see someone being killed and/or tortured in this film, in order to create fear and tension. Sound is another very important convention, because it guides the audiences feelings throughout the film; non-diegetic sounds are the sounds that are not part of the film world and these are used to create and build tension and evokes fear from the audience; it's the same with diegetic sound, which also evokes fear and creates tension but in a different way, because diegetic sound is sound that is part of the film world, something the characters within the film can hear as well as the audience. Another important convention is lighting. Thriller films mainly use low key lighting because it creates a mystery about the character or location and the darkness creates fear, however sometimes high key lighting is used to show the audience everything in the shot, which gives clues to the characters location and portrays exactly what kind of situation the characters are in. Iconography is also a main convention of thriller films because certain props create weakness, like being tied up and gagged; or power, like guns and knives. Mirrors are also used to portray the evil inside of a character, like in the thriller film 'Black Swan'. Settings in thrillers are conventionally in dark, unknown places, which creates mystery and fear from the audience and also the characters.


The opening sequence of the thriller 'Saw' helps to divine the genre because it has many of the conventions of thriller films, such as iconography, which was a gun next to a dead body, which is an indication of how he died. The characters were also chained up, which instantly weakens the characters and gives power to the unknown person who captured them. There is also the enigma of the two characters chained up in a dirty, grimy bathroom. This builds suspense because the audience wonders why the characters are chained up. Both these elements are something the audience would expect from thriller films and they evoke fear and tension from the audience, all things that the audience would expect to see. One of the characters states that its no use screaming, because nobody can hear them, this suggests that the bathroom is abandoned. This leaves the characters and audience wondering about their location, it also shocks the audience as they realise there's no way of the characters getting out and consequently the suspense builds. 

Another convention used in this opening is low key lighting, which prevents the audience from seeing where the victim is, and the audience can't see the him clearly; these both link to enigma because not being able to see the character or location gives the film an element of mystery; again this builds fear and suspense which is something that the audience would expect to feel when they watch a thriller film. Non-diegetic sound is also used in this clip in relation to the background music, which rises and gets more intense and high pitched as the character gets more worked up and frustrated. The music rising like this creates fear and tension, which guides the audiences into feeling how the director wants them to. 

Another convention used is character representation. In this clip, one of the chained up men is covered in sweat and a little bit of blood, this suggests he has been in that room a long time, and that he has been tortured. This creates tension, as the audience wonders just how long he's been there and what has happened to him, which builds suspense. Slow editing is also used when the camera reveals the dead body of a man on the floor and the characters hesitance  to go near him. They slowly go slightly closer but then retreat. This builds tension, as it leaves the audience wondering whether or not the characters will go to the body, and what would happen when they got there. But when they don't go to him, it leaves the body in mystery, which links again to enigma. These are all things the audience would expect from thriller films.



This film can be used to help plan my own thriller films by getting ideas from the micro-elements, such as the effect of the blurry screen, which partially conceals what's in the scene, giving the impression of mystery and confusion, which would be an important element to incorporate into our own thriller film. Slow editing is another micro-element used, and this is used to build tension, which would be a crucial element in my own film because the suspense would draw the audience in and engage them in my film, therefore making the film more enjoyable for the audience. Another element that's used in this film that I could use in my own is the use of low key lighting, which conceals the whereabouts of the character and also his identity, which again creates an enigma. These elements are all very important conventions of thriller films because they are all things that the audience would expect to see and so would need to be incorporated into my own film, to make sure its successful and enjoyable for the target audience. 

Analysis of conventions in my chosen thriller The Amityville Horror (1979)

The first convention in the opening of this film is the low key lighting. Low key lighting creates mystery, which is exactly the effect it has instantly in the opening of The Amityville Horror. The only thing in the scene is a lone house surrounded by tress in the darkness. The house is thrown into light when lightening strikes, lighting up the house, then plunging it into darkness again. This creates a creepy atmosphere straight away, but also creates an enigma because the audience wonders about the significance of the house and what's happening inside it or around it.  The suspense causes the audience to be engages in the film instantly and keeps them interested. The suspense and mystery is conventional to a thriller film and therefore is something the audience would expect to see because the elements of shock and surprise make the film more enjoyable for the audience. 

Another convention is the iconography;  the audience see's the hand of a character holding, then firing a gun. The gun heightens the killer's power and the unknown victims weakness. It also causes the audience to fear him, as you can only see the gun and hand in the darkness. This builds suspense and mystery as the audience wonders who the victim will be. The gun lets the audience know that the person is dangerous, someone who should be feared. This is conventional to a thriller because in thrillers there is always someone mysterious, powerful and deadly. The audience would expect to see iconography such as this because a gun is a very powerful weapon, which coincides with a very powerful villain. Guns evoke fear and tension, elements that are common conventions of thriller films and things the audience would expect to see in order for them too feel more engaged in the film. 

The third convention I noticed when analysing this clip, is diegetic sound. The only sounds the audience hears are sounds that belong in the film world, such as thunder, the sound of the gun shot, the creak of the opening door, sounds that make the audience apprehensive, tense and scared. The sound of the gun shot shocks the audience as before this, the film was very quiet. Events and sounds such as these keep the audience on edge as they never know what to expect next. The lack of soundtrack allows the audience to clearly hear all the noises that are part of the film world, which helps the to engage with the film and feel like a part of the movie. The real sounds build suspense because the audience doesn't know when something's about to happen, so they feel constantly on edge. This feeling of the unknown is something the audience would expect to see from a thriller because it draws the audience in, making them interested and involved in the film. The sounds within the thriller are all eerie, create suspense and connote danger, something very conventional in a thriller  film. 

There is also the convention of slow editing. A man walks into the house, and the slow editing is used to make his journey through the room very slow and deliberate, which builds up the tension and suspense. As the audience has already seen a child being shot, they wonder what will happen to the man walking around the house and they wonder if he is a villain, or another victim. The slowness of his path through the rooms builds suspense as the audience is on edge and apprehensive, waiting for something to happen. This builds the audiences fear that some harm will come to the man which results in the audience feeling more involved and engaged in the movie The sense of mystery, anxiety and hesitation are all important conventions of thriller films and something the audience would expect to see as these elements draw the audience in and involve them further in the film.