Thrillers are fast-paced, edge of the seat, action-packed films where the hero usually defeats the villains at the end of the film. They are also called cliff-hangers or suspense films. These movies are often shot in exciting locations such as at sea, in polar regions, in deserts, on mountains or at the top of tall buildings. There are a lot of action-packed sequences and special effects in such films.
In recent times, thrillers have developed to include psychological horror too, which increases the tension even further. Evil characters could be anything from an alien to a serial killer. These films tend to excite the viewers and send thrills down their spine and are often called horror thrillers.
Thrillers can be categorised as follows: action thrillers like the James Bond films, where the hero has to race against time to save the world in speed boats, cars and trains; conspiracy thrillers like in the film Three Days of the Condor (1975) where a powerful group of enemies try to surround the protagonist and there is often a power struggle with government agencies; and crime thrillers, which revolve around murders, shoot-outs and double-crossing, where the criminal is the main focus.
Disaster thrillers are films where the world has to face certain natural catastrophes like floods, earthquakes or volcanoes for example, and the hero has to save the world. Erotic thrillers, tend to create excitement through erotic visuals. Films like Fatal Attraction (1987) and Basic Instinct (1992) fall under this category. Horror thrillers deal with the mental and physical feelings of the central character. He/she doesn’t only have to fight against the superior force to save others, but is also the main target himself. Such movies include Psycho (1960) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991).
Medical thrillers deal with medical practitioners and scientists fighting against a medical problem. Some of the films under this category are The Hot Zone (1995) and Awake (2008). Supernatural thrillers are films which have ghosts in a central role. In these movies, the actor often finds himself in a helpless situation being controlled by forces beyond his human powers.
Action packed, fast paced and full of suspense, some of the best thrillers are available on DVD and will keep you guessing all the way through!
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