History of a Thriller- Miss Georgiou

Why is the thriller genre popular today?

I believe that in the modern age today thrillers are extremely popular because it gives the audience a huge adrenaline rush due to the fact that most of the films are fast-paced. A majority of these films are catchy so the viewer gets caught up in the thrills and want to see what happens next. The genre of thrillers provide the audience with a sudden rush of excitement and usually keeps them on the edge of their seats during the whole period of the film. 

1930 Thriller Film

King Kong was a thriller made in the 1930's. The narrative of this film consists of a film crew travelling to an exotic location for a film shoot and finding a giant, violent and scary  gorilla who finds a big interest in their main blonde actress. The theme of this film is fear because everybody is scared of King Kong as he his not a human and is a big dangerous and scary beast. Ann Darrow is characterised as the beautiful helpless blonde that everybody has fallen in love for even a giant ape. Meanwhile, King Kong is characterised as a giant, violent and dangerous destruction machine. These two characters are portrayed as the opposite however King Kong falls in love with the women which shows opposites attract. This film was directed Merian C.Cooper who was known for making films containing the elements of thrill, shock and romantic violence. 


1940 Thriller Film

The Ape was a thriller made in the 1940's. The narrative of this film consist of a mad scientists who is trying to cure a young females polio however is interrupted by a angry circus ape who is terrorising the towns people. However, the scientist only needs spinal fluid from a human to complete his formula for his experiment. The theme of this film is suspense because nobody knows what the wild ape is going to do next and they also do not know what the mad scientist is planning to do so they have to wait and see what's happening. The mad scientist is characterised as clever as he is close to finding a cure because of his experiments however is made to seem as he is deranged. This film was directed by William Nigh also known as "Will Nigh" or "William Nye". He also directed Mr. Wong, Detective and Black Dragons.

1950 Thriller Film

Mystery Street was a thriller made in the 1950's. The narrative of this film consists of a bargirl finding out her married boyfriend is no longer going to leave his wife for her so she steals a car and goes to confront him. However, months later her skeleton washed ashore and the local officer and a detective have to solve the mystery before an innocent man pays the price. The theme of the is film is curiosity because the audience do not know what is happened and are given clues throughout the film to the reason how she has died however is not given the actual reason which is why they are intrigued and curious throughout the film. Vivian is characterised  as a beautiful, flirty and blonde bar girl who is innocent however is the victim of this tragic and mysterious death. This film was directed, by the American, John Sturges. He directed films such as; Bad Day at Black Rock, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape and Ice Station Zebra.


1960 Thriller Film 

The Blast of Silence was a thriller made in the 1960's. The narrative of this film consists of a bearded man giving a hit man a gun who just came to New York to kill a gangster. The theme of this film is mystery because the audience are in suspense of who the hit man is trying to kill and get excited and anxious about it every time the hit man gets close to killing him. 
Frankie Bono is characterised as a mysterious, sneaky and mischievous hit man who is quiet and very good at what he does. This film was directed by Allen Baron who also stars as the main role in it. Allen Barons most successful film was intact the noire Blast of Silence. 

1970 Thriller Film 


Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? was  a thriller made in the 1970's. The narrative of this film consists of an insane women called Roo who throws a traditional party for orphans and kidnaps a little girl called Katy to replace her as her dead daughter who's corpse's she still keeps in her cot. The theme of this film is phycology as the audience need to worry for the little girl as she can not defend her self from the sane Auntie Roo. Mrs Forest is characterised as a evil, twisted and psychotic women who has lost everyone she loves so she wants to replace them with the orphans. On the other hand, Katy Coombs is characterised as a sweet, innocent young child who does not know what's happening and is very scared as she was expecting a party for orphans and not a mad woman wanting her to be her daughter. This film was directed by Curtis Harrington. His films had elements of shock, mystery and murder. He also made many other thriller films that contained mysteries for the audience to be intrigued by.

1980 Thriller Film

Ten Little Indians was a thriller made in the 1980's.The narrative of this film consists of 10 strangers getting invited to a party at a mansion however is left a note from the host that was not there that they are all one by one going to die and have to find out who the murderer is if they want to live. The theme of this film is curiosity because the audience is intrigued on who the killer is that is trying to kill everyone so they themselves act like detectives and try to figure it out themselves as they are curious. Ann Clyde is characterised is outgoing, ruthless and eager to find out who the murderer is before she herself is murdered. This film was directed by George Pollock best known for his murder mystery films. His films all contained elements of shock, murder and brain tease. 

1990 Thriller Film

The Sixth Sense was a thriller made in the 1990's. The narrative of this film consists of a young child who gets frequent visits from ghosts and is scared to tell anyone other than the child psychologists who tries his very best to find out more about the young boys problem and help him. The theme of this film is spookiness as the audience can see that there are no ghosts from the normal characters perspectives however can see that there are ghosts from the young boys perspective. Cole Sear is characterised as scared, dark and troubled as he doesn't know how the dead is only visiting him and none else can see them. He is also a very young child which makes him look even more petrified. This film was directed by M. Night Shyamalan. He was known for his films to contain elements of supernatural plots.


2000 Thriller Film 

Hannibal was a thriller made in the 2000's. The narrative of this film consist of a flesh eating murderer escaping from custody and 7 years later one of his survived victims wants to get revenge on him but needs to use human bait to lurk him in. The theme of this film is psychotic because the fact that Hannibal murders people by eating them freaks the audience out and keeps them intrigued as one of his victims survived and is looking for him to try and kill him. Hannibal Lecter is characterised as psychotic, scary and a cannibalistic serial killer who can't be stopped. This film was directed by Ridley Scott. He is know for his atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style and he used elements of puzzlement and his films made the audience feel spine-chilled. 


2010 Thriller Film

Shutter Island was a thriller made in 2010. The narrative of this film consists of a detective being sent to an island full of dangerous people to find out what happened to a murderess as she escaped her cell that was locked, but the detective finds out weird things are happening behind closed doors and has to face his fears if he wants to get off the island alive. The theme of this film is mystery as the audience feel like they need to find out what happened got the escaped women and they are intrigued by what they see and find out. Dr Cawley is characterised as a sly, secretive and unhinged person who looks innocent however is the main problem in everything. This film was directed by  Martin Scorsese who won the academy award for best director. Many of his films were known for the violence and liberal use of profanity. He used elements such  as suspense, surprise and  fright.

2015 Thriller Film

Knock Knock is a thriller made this year. The narrative of this film consists of 2 stranded young women who try to find safety in a house however the mans kind gestures turn into a dangerous and deadly seductive game for him as the girls try to kill him. The theme of this film is fear because the audience feel scared for the innocent man who tried to do a good gesture however is trying to escape getting murdered. Evan Webber is characterised as innocent, helpful and a good souled man however his kind heart was taken for granted by the two mad girls. This film was directed by Eli Roth known for his horror sequels and war films. He also directed the Hostel Sequels and used elements of scare, surprise and shock throughout his films. 

To conclude, thriller films from the 1930's to the modern day now have changed as the filming techniques has advanced and bettered throughout the years and now special affects can be added to engage the audience more in the film and make it more thrilling and exciting for the audience to watch. Thriller films from the 1930's have scared many generations and the different type of thrillers such as violent and psychological thriller all make it more intense for the audience. Many different things in the thrillers throughout the years all antics the audience into watching the films and trying to work out what is going on through the antagonists mind and death scenes are very good at doing that. Before in the early 1900's to 1990's thrillers seemed terrifying to watch even though if you compare them to thrillers these days they were not as frightening and jumpy as they are now. As time moved on film industry improved a lot through the music and effects swell as they became more established and the directors had a better idea on how to scare the audience more. Since then many thriller films started using music to create suspense and engaged the audience more into thinking something bad is about to happen so kept them on the edge of their seats. A lot of music was used in the modern thriller film 'scream' to get the audience enticed and in the mood for thrills and jumpy scenes. However, the modern thriller film ' paranormal activity' uses special effects and different types of lighting such as low key to create darkness so the audience can see from all angles what is happening but in a more scary point of view. In many of the thriller films to this day, point of view angle is used which means that the audience can see the scary clips from the characters point of view which engages them more and intrigues them making them nervous for what is going to happen next and keep them on edge. Overall, thriller films are becoming way more advanced each year due to the improvement of effects made by the advanced technology which make the experience of watching a thriller film more mysterious and terrifying for the audience. In the many years to come thriller films will always improve and technology will only go up and improve more so thriller films will be interesting and a even better experience for the audience to watch.

The films above are the top 10 thriller films around the world. Hannibal is the most successful thriller film released on the 9th of March 2001 that has been played in the theatres of a total of 3,292 times and made a whopping amount of $165,092,268 in its lifetime. The 5th successful thriller film is called the Red Dragon. This film was made on the 4th of October 2002 and appeared in more theatres than Hannibal  with the total of 3,363 theatre plays. However, this film did not make as much money as Hannibal but only made $93,149,898. The 10th most successful thriller film is called The Cell which was made on the 18th of August in 2000. This film made less profit than Hannibal and Red Dragon only making a total of $61,334,059 in total in its lifetime and only appearing in the theatres a total of 2,476 times. Red Dragon is a serious that carries on from the film Hannibal however The Cell is a separate film. Each one of these films consist of violence and a dark story of a serial killer on loose. The theme of each of these films shocking mind trips into the dark corridors of a serial killers psyche. The main characters in all these films are dark, dangerous and cold-blooded serial killers who have no fear for murdering innocent victims and scarring others for life. The target audience for all these thriller films are the same and are targeted at mature, adult audiences due to the complex and often shocking themes and content. 

The film Hannibal was more successful than the other films as this film engages the audience the most as it is the most physiologically thrilling film. This film keeps the audience enticed throughout as it makes them think about what is happening in the antagonists mind as they can see he is mentally disturbed and they feel thrilled every time he does something and every time he kills someone. This film is also very successful as the special effects are jaw-dropping to the audience as they are very realistic and in a weird way very joyful to watch. However, the main reason why this film is very successful is due to the narrative. The narrative is very engaging but psychological which makes the audience feel the pain of Hannibal as they understand why he wants revenge so they feel as they have built a bond with him so feel more clear and understanding when things happen. They also try to work out how he tries to think and his plans he makes to kill the people he does. 

This task set for me to analyse thrillers from the 1930's till modern day now helped me plan towards my own thriller and has inspired me in many ways. For example, I would like to have a theme of shock, mystery and suspense in my own production as many of the thrillers above had had. These films gave me a clear understanding of what type of thriller most of the audience like to see and i need try and add as much of the narratives in all of these films together into one for my very own production. such as; a mystery of a killing that no ones knows about which would engage the audience and cause an enigma for them to be hooked to and try to work out. I believe that some of these films were more successful than the others purely because of the time it was made and the equipment and editing skills they had back then to the ones they have now. However, its not only based on the time the film was made. It is also based on the narrative and how the characters are portrayed to the audience as if they are not engaging enough in the first 5 minutes the audience would not enjoy the film and it would not be as successful compared to a film that engages the audience straight away with and interesting and intriguing storyline that the characters made better by the way they act it out. 

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