Thriller Movies

Thriller films

During the holidays I watched many different thriller films I found them interesting, exciting and didn't want them to end. After watching the films I had a clearer idea of what a thriller actually was.
 

After watching the films i would say 'Shutter Island' would be my favourite, this is because it left me extremely open minded and puzzled. When watching a movie i like having the element of surprise i don't like the straight forward predictable story lines. Shutter Island is a exciting, on edge movie with mind games and a twisted ending. Through out the whole movie i was glued to the TV and on the edge of my seat which is a sign of a good thriller movie. 

What is a thriller?

After watching the film I found it hard to come up with a simple definition however I found that the main elements in all of the films were suspense, tension and excitement. I found that the idea behind all the films were change viewer's mood accordingly, mainly to make them feel uncertain, surprised, anxious and/or terror. In some of the films I watched I also found that they included plot twists and cliff-hangers to add suspense and build tension.

 Before I came to the realization that a thriller was different from a horror i never knew what the main aim was from the thriller films. After watching various thriller films i found that the main aim for them is to keep the audience alert and on the edge of their seats rather than scaring them or showing blood and gore like a typically horror film. In mostly all of the thrillers I watched the story is set around a problem, a mission or an escape, in all of the films I found there was a sense of mystery.

 Characters

Some of the story lines the main character was put during the thriller films included ransoms, captivities, revenge, kidnappings and investigations. I found the main Character also goes through many different mind games, death-traps and obsession from other characters or themselves being obsessed.   After watching all of the films I found that most of them included Characters such as criminals, stalkers, assassins, innocent victims, serial killers, sociopaths, agents, cops and many more. No matter what the characters I found that in the majority of the films there was one or more murder scene.   

What makes it a thriller?

After watching various thriller films I came to a conclusion that it is not only the story line, plot and characters that make it a thriller. I personally believe that without the dramatic music and extremely talented special effects the film would not be a success. 

The music that is played during tense scenes builds the suspense and keeps the audience open minded and on edge. The music also sets the atmosphere during the film, when specific music is played it allows the viewers to know what sort of event to happen next.

 The special effects make the thriller a exciting, real on edge experience. When a film has good effects it allows the viewer to believe what he/she is watching. I believe this is a very important aspect when creating a film; if the events are believable it makes the story line a whole lot more interesting and exciting.