The thriller recipe

What makes a thriller?

Thriller is a very wide genre so it very difficult to define.

There are numerous types of thrillers including

• Psychological Thrillers
• Action Thrillers
• Crime Thrillers
• Legal Thrillers
• Medical Thrillers
• Spy Thrillers

                                                               and more.


Thrillers are characterised by fast pacing, frequent action.

In a thriller it is common to see devices such as

McGuffins
A plot or device that influences the characters or story but has little or no relevance to the story.

Enigmas
Something mysterious or puzzling for the protagonist to solve during the film.

Red Herrings
A device to divert the audience's attention from the truth or something of significance.

Cliff-hangers

Suspense
Makes the audience anxious as they anticipate what will happen next; thus creating tension.

Other feelings created by thrillers include:

Hope
Surprise
Shock
Excitement
Uncertainty

Although, there are numerous amount of thriller genres a common ground they all share is the intensity of emotions that they feature.