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Thrillers in the 1920's -30's
The first notable thrillers were created by Alfred Hitchcock and these films were The Lodger (1926), Blackmail (1929) and The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934). These early thriller films tended to be very suspenseful and didn't show too much violence. They were based around a mystery etc. Other thriller films at the time were usually based around the sub-genre of spy's. The most famous and earliest spy films at this time was Spies by Fritz Lang made in 1928. -
The Lodger
The Lodger was Hitchcock's first thriller film and his third film ever made. It was silent and was based around the hunt for 'Jack-the-Ripper' type serial killer. It introduced themes that would later become much more well-known in his films. One of these main themes was 'the innocent man on the run'. Themes such as this helped to shape the thriller genre that we know today. -
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Thriller films in the 1940's
Hitchcock carried on making thriller films and it was in this time period he truly started to shape the thriller genre into what it was and still is today. He made films such as Foreign Correspondent (1940) and Shadow of a Doubt (1943). These films carried on revolving around a mystery and showed the min theme of suspense throughout. This was representing the fear and tension caused by the war at the time the films were made. -
Cape Fear
Cape Fear is a psychological-thriller film made in 1962 and directed by J. Lee Thompson. It was one of the first psychological-thrillers and was based around an attorney whose family is stalked by a criminal he helped to send to jail. The introduction of psychological thrillers was very important for the thriller genre as it showed it was a step forward from Hitchcock's classic suspense thriller. The content of thriller films also started to become more adult as they progressed through time. -
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The thriller genre in the early 1970's
At the beginning of the 70's, the thriller genre began to take a more violent turn and started to change from the typical thriller films that audiences expected. At this point it time technology and the economy were improving greatly which meant that the violence on screen was able to be a lot more detailed than previously Films that started using the new thriller conventions included 'Play Misty for Me' by Clint Eastwood, and 'Frenzy' by Alfred Hitchcock. -
Frenzy - Alfred Hitchcock
Frenzy by Alfred Hitchcock is a British thriller-psychological horror film that was made in 1972. This was one of the first thriller films which came very close to the edge of becoming a horror film due to the on-screen violence and the whole plot of the film in general. This film was a clear indication that the thriller genre was moving forward in to becoming more a more violent and disturbing genre than it had once been. -
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Brian De Palma
The film director Brian De Palma started to make more and more films throughout the 1970’s and 80’s with films such as ‘Sisters’ (1973) and ‘Blow Out’ (1981). His films tended to have themes of obsession and paranoia and had similar plot elements to each other. These included elements such as killing off the main character early on in the film. His thriller films started to show new conventions and had different themes to some of the earlier thriller films. -
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Thriller films in the 1990's
In the 90's thriller films started to show recurring themes of obsession and the protagonists being captured by the antagonist. Films with themes such as these included Silence of the Lambs (1991) and Misery (1990). Misery was a film about an author who was abducted by an obsessed fan. Films like this started to become more disturbing and would create themes of paranoia etc. amongst audiences. FBI agents and serial killers also became a lot more common as seen in Se7en (1995). -
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Thriller films in the 2000's to the present day
In the 2000's thriller films started to become a lot more varied. For example thriller films that were mixed with horrors became a lot more popular as did psychological action films. Thrillers which mixed with horrors include Vacancy (2007) and Eden Lake (2008). Films like these which have a lot more gore and violence are becoming more and more common as modern audiences have become a lot more accustomed to gore and violence so enjoy it more that older audiences would. -
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan is an English-American filmmaker and one of the most successful directors of the 21st Century. He is well-known for making thriller films such as Inception and the Dark Knight trilogy. His films are well known for having non-linear narratives and practical special effects. His films often have deeper meanings behind them which include philosophical and ethical concepts. His films have shaped the thriller genre into one with multiple themes and sub-genres.
