History of thrillers - Miss Georgiou

Why are thrillers still a popular genre? 

Thrillers are still popular because they create a tense atmosphere for the audience and create suspension as the audience are lead into the fear of the unknown, The audience get a thrill for not knowing what is going to happen next and find it enjoyable sitting in suspense as the horrifying music is played along with heart pounding scene. As much as many thriller films can be a cliche, the audience still enjoy being scared out of their skin by something that they may know will happen, however the feeling of knowing that something scary might happen also creates a thrill for the audience as they still become scared due to the special effects which make the film even more heart racing. A series of blood curling music and terrifying scenes make the audience become glued to the screen to find out what is going to happen next.


How have horror films changed over the years from the 1930's onwards? 

Since the 1930's, horror films have become more developed. This is due to the improvement of technology which have made thriller films a lot scarier because of the wide variety of the special effects. Special effects have become improved, for example in the 1930's a lot of the plots were based upon dolls or witches. The dolls wouldn't be as scary as they are now as make up and special effects have been improved which has made the doll in general look a lot scarier than it would. An example of this would be the famous film "Childs Play" which was based upon a doll which was possessed and would try and kill the family, However this film has a lack of special effects and suspension as the doll itself doesn't look scary. The audience do not get as much of a thrill as they would for the modern day version of "Childs Play" which is "Annabelle." This film has been made to scare anybody that watches it. This is because the special effects have made the film seem so dark and mysterious so that the audience have no clue what is going to happen next. The doll itself is creepy as it seems to have a mind of its own which confuses the audience and makes the audience constantly wonder when it's going to attack.
 A famous film made in the 1930's was a film called "Frankenstein." The film isn't entirely scary and doesn't carry much suspension. The cover of the film doesn't catch the audiences eye as scary because the picture looks almost cartoon like which gives the audience a sense that the monster isn't real but instead its just made up. The cover also shows a cartoon like background as the background is just green which doesn't make the film look dark and mysterious at all. The film is about a crazy scientist who makes a monster called "Frankenstein" however the experiment goes wrong and he creates a monster who kills everyone. The director for this film is James Whale who also created many other thriller films such as, "The Invisible Man", "The Old Dark House" and "Waterloo Bridge". James Whale got a thrill from directing thriller films and created lots of them to give the audience something new. He made a lot of thriller films purely for the audiences' entertainment and found out that more people would watch a thriller film than a romance. This was because people liked to be scared and they liked to be kept in suspense and so he made films which built up suspension for the audiences' enjoyment. 

In the 1940's a films was released called, "Sorry Wrong Number". This film was released in the late 1940's but became very popular. The film is based upon a woman who hears a phone all between two men who are plotting to kill her. The woman is trying to save herself from getting killed but everything bad keeps happening to her. This film became a huge hit as the audience were constantly left in suspense as to what is going to happen during the film. The film was very dark and mysterious and so lots of people were led into tension as what is going to happen next. The film industry became more advanced as thriller films were made a bit scarier and created more suspension for the audience. The films were made darker so that the audience couldn't see what was going to happen next and plots became more extreme. However for the 1940's, thriller films in that day seemed very scary, but now a days people wont find it as scary due to lack of special effects which make a feel more suspense.

Another film that was released in the 1940's  was a film called, "Brighton Rock" This film is about a criminal that is in a gang and murders lots of people. The criminal marries a girl to get an alibi however a woman that was friends with the criminals victim tries to solve the crime herself. This also appeals to the audience as a detective story had been introduced which got the audience excited. The audience was able to feel  involved with the movie as they could guess who they think the criminal was and how they think the victim died. It also engaged the audience more as they could feel like they were in the film by trying to work out what is going to happen during the film. The audience enjoyed these type of films as they were led into suspense but also it didn't have many jumpy scenes and so they can be involved with the film more. "Brighton Rock" also seemed realistic a it was set in a real place and the story line seemed natural, this therefore made the audience enjoy it more as they would think it was based on a true story which would scare them but also build up tension as they would think that this story might of actually happened. John Boulting is the director of this film and as well as "Brighton Rock" he also made "Privates Progress" and "Heavens Above". John didn't make a lot of thriller films but "Brighton Rock" was one of the most popular ones due to the plot which made the film a lot more dramatic.

In the 1950's, thriller films scared the audience more than they did in the 1930's. As technology increased, special effects also became improved and a famous thriller film in the 1950's was called "I was a Teenage Wolf" this film seemed more of a thriller film than "Frankenstein" because it was based around teenagers which would attract the audience more because the film is about real life people. This would make the film seem more realistic and so people would become more scared as they would believe the film is based on a true story. The cover also shows a wolf claw scratching the image which gives the audience more of a thrill as they would see the wolf as dangerous and the claw looks like it is coming for the audience. This scares the audience more as they feel more involved in the film and so they are lead into suspension on what is going to happen during the film. However 1950's films still weren't as scary as they could be due to the unrealistic plots such as becoming a teenage wolf which makes the film seem fake and not real. The film is about a teenager who is troubled and seeks a psychologist who tires to help him out. The psychologist conducts a series of experiments on him which transforms him into a werewolf. The film is seen as scary due to the violence and frequent jumpy scenes in the film. The werewolf is portrayed as deadly and dangerous which makes the audience gain suspense as they feel nervous for the other characters in the film when they encounter the werewolf. The directors name is Gene Fowler Jr who created this film in 1960. He also created other films such as "I Married a Monster from Outer Space" and "Showdown at Boot Hill" which are both thriller films. His aim was to surprise and scare the audience and he did this successively by building up tension and creating jumpy scenes in order to get the audience engaged in the film. 

Thriller films started to become more advanced and in the 1970's a lot of thriller films were seen as very scary. An example of this is "The Exorcist" which even now still scares a lot of people. This is because the plot seems more realistic and scary than what films were like before hand. People seem to be more scared about demons and people being possessed rather than monsters, vampires and werewolf's which seem a little make believe. The film is based upon real life people and so the film seems more natural rather than cartoons. The film is constantly in low lighting which makes the audience feel scared of not knowing what is going to happen next or not knowing when the demon is going to attack. The lighting also makes it very hard for the audience to see what is going on and so when the demon does attack, it creates an element of surprise and makes the audience jump as it was unexpected. The main girl in "The Exorcist" is just as frightening as the plot itself due to the improvement of make up and costume. This film received a golden globe for its horrifying scenes and
ot an award for best thriller film of the year. "The exorcist" is about a young girl who has been possessed by a demon. The girl needs to be brought back to normality and so a priest thinks he can do this job by performing an exorcism. This film even today is still a terrifying film and has become a huge success. William Friedkin, who is the director of this film made this film purely to scare people. He was also famous for another film called "French Connection" which was released in 1971. He also made "Killer Joe" and "The Hunted" which are also both thriller films. William won the academy award for best director when the film "The Exorcist" was released. "The Exorcist" was one of the most popular films ever made and still today is very popular and William's aim is to build up suspense and lead people into the fear of the unknown. He did this perfectly with "The Exorcist" and  showed how people can get scared easily but also build up tension.

In the 1980's "Friday the 13th" was released which still today is one of the top thriller films in the film industry. This film was based on the deadly date, Friday the 13th, which is seen as bad luck. The film is set in the woods which is seen as a typical place to get killed. In the film a group of people go to a summer camp despite knowing that the lake has history of a murder. The group find themselves being chased my a murderer and being brutally killed. The date is seen to be unlucky and many people in the modern era are still afraid of the date, Friday the 13th. the film became a huge success due to a new plot of a film. Thriller films before "Friday the 13th" were always based on dolls or people being possessed, however when this film came out with its new plot of a unlucky date, people were becoming more and more scared of thriller films. The thriller film scared a lot of people as the film was based on a date that everyone had already known about as a unlucky date. It therefore made the film more realistic and more and more people were encouraged to watch the film so see what happens in it. Thriller films had become more advanced as in this film, there are more frequent jumpy scenes and scenes with a lot more murders and gory parts. Unlike films before, "Friday the 13th" contained the most amount of scary clips and contained a lot of death as a whole. The scenes in the film were unexpected and the film wasn't too cliché unlike many other films  such as "Frankenstein" and "The Exorcist" in which the audience can predict a lot of the time what is going to happen next. "Friday the 13th" also led the audience into suspense as the special effect engaged the audience and led them into tension on what was going to happen during the film Unlike other films where there isn't a lot of suspense, "Friday the 13th" created the most suspense which is why the film was such a big hit as it scared anyone that watched it.

 The 1990's was a much popular year for thriller films as the film "Seven" was released. The film "Seven" is about the seven deadly sins; greed, lust, sloth, envy, gluttony, pride and wealth. Two detectives go on the search for a serial killer who is killing people who represent the deadly sins. This film was also named one of the top thriller films of all times along side "The Exorcist". "Seven" engages the audience in many different ways, first off the audience feel as though they are in the film because they are trying to work out who the serial killer is just like the detectives. This engages the audience as they would want to know who the killer is and so are intrigued to watch the film. The film "Seven" became a massive hit due to the plot twists in the film and because so many people were engaged to watch a detective story. This film doesn't have a lot of scary parts but instead creates tension by not revealing the killer until right the very end in which the audience have to guess throughout the film, who they think the killer is. The killer is someone who they didn't think was going to be it and so this leads the audience wanting to watch more to find out more about the killer. "Seven" is filmed in low lighting through out the film which makes the scenes a lot more tense as the audience cant see what is happening it also leads the audience into the fear of the unknown which makes the film more surreal. Basing a film on a detective story also engages the audience more as detective stories tend to be based on something that has happened in real life or something that could happen and so this intrigues the audience more and could possibly make them more scared as they know that something like this could happen and so it seems more natural and real. The director for the film "Seven" is David Fincher. He also created the famous films, "Gone Girl" and "Fight Club". These films were and still are very popular, and "Seven" is one of his most popular films he ever made. He also directed another thriller film called "Panic Room" which was released In 2002 and was very popular due to its twisted plots. David won an award for best director of the film "Seven" in 1995.

Another film produced in the 1990's was "Scream" This film has been named one of the scariest thriller films of all time and this is due to its numerous amount of deaths in the film and the amount of plot twists it has. "Scream" was released in 1996 and is about a town which has a murderer in it. The people in the town are being slaughtered to death in the most gruesome way possible. This thriller film was really big with the audience as the frequent amount of deaths in the film intrigued the audience more. The film also contained a lot of suspense scenes where the audience was lead into the unknown of when the murderer was going to attack next. The film also has a frequent amount of jumpy scenes which kept the audience on edge. "Scream" was also one of the first films to include a lot of gory death scenes which the audience had never experienced before. Just like the film "Seven", the audience were kept guessing to who the murderer was as the murderer wore a mask throughout the whole film right until the very end in which the killer finally revealed them self. This kept the audience in suspense as they would want to find out who the killer is and so they would have to watch the film to see who it is. The killer would also be someone who they didn't think would be a killer and so this gave the audience an element of surprise.
The director of this film is Wes Craven who also created the famous "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "The People Under the Stairs". Wes Craven directed a tonne of thriller films and won a lot of awards for them. His most popular thriller films was the "Scream" collection. "Scream" was the most popular because it included a wide variety of unexpected scenes and the audience were completely engaged in the film. Wes Craven made a lot of thriller films because he felt the audience enjoyed them. The audience get a thrill for scary films and enjoy being scared and his film "Scream" fitted the brief perfectly as it was named one of the top thriller films of all time. With "Screams" suspense scenes and frequent murders, the film popular very quickly. Wes Craven is one of the most  famous directors for creating such terrifying films.




In the early 2000, The first "Saw" was released in 2004. This film attracted a lot of attention from the audience as the films gruesome scenes was something that the audience had never see before. The film is about a group of people that get trapped in a "game". The game is run by a killer called Jigsaw, whose plan is to kill people in the "game" as gruesome as possible. The people will only make it out if they put them selves through pain and torture. The film throughout is bloody and gory and disturbing for the audience to watch, however this is what attracted the audience so much as not many people had seen thriller films that contained this much amount of blood. "Scream" was the other film that had continuous amount of deaths and compared to "saw" its nothing. "Saw's" psychopathic plot and disturbing scenes made the film very popular however not everyone liked it due to its nasty and horrific scenes which made the film hard to watch. "Saw" advanced thriller films massively as it created a huge amount of suspense towards the audience as the audience waited to see whether each person would make it out of the game or whether they would die a horrible death. "Saw" also helped the film industry create more thriller films which would soon become popular, films such as "The Human Centipede" and "The Conjuring" all had help from the film "Saw" to create a gruesome yet entertaining thriller film. The film contained clips that the audience would never forget and this led to the release of the second "Saw" film which was released in 2005. The gory scenes made the audience to watch more. James Wan is the director of "Saw" and along with this film he also created "Annabelle", "The Conjuring" and "Insidious". These films are also massive thriller films and are very popular within the audience. This is because they all have terrifying plots and they build up a lot of suspension. James Wan also used a lot of deaths in his films and "Saw" in particular is most famous for its gory deaths.


Another film released in the 2000's was "Paranormal Activity" This film was released in 2007 and was also very popular in the film franchise just like "Scream" and "Saw". "Paranormal Activity" was one of the first films to actually understand the term thriller as it was filmed in constant darkness and the audience had no idea what was going to happen next. Since "Frankenstein" the film industry have become more advanced and "Paranormal Activity" shows this through its constant use of special affects which not a lot of films had used before. The film is about a couple that move into a suburban home where they become disturbed by strange events that are happening. They set up cameras to see what is happening but soon find that its not natural events but instead there is a demon also living in their home. The film creates suspension by the way that the scenes are filmed. The audience see whatever the characters see and this creates a point of view affect. This has improved the film industry as before with films such as "Sorry, wrong number" and "scream" they were all filmed head on where as now the audience get to experience thriller films in the characters perspective. This engages the audience as the audience can feel what the characters feel and feel just as scared. The audience don't know what is going to happen during the film as it is all through the characters eyes. Oren Peli directed this film and also directed, "Area 51" and helped direct insidious. Oren Peli won an award for "Paranormal Activity" and was  named one of the best directors for thriller films.




In 2010, a film called "Insidious" was made. The film was based upon a family that moved into a haunted house and a young boy fell down the stairs and got put into a coma. However really he was possessed by the devil and the family had to get help to get the boy away from the devil. The film throughout uses low key lighting to keep the audience in suspense and to keep them not knowing what is going to happen next. The film has a continuous amount of jumpy scenes which frightens the audience as the music and lighting create a dramatic scene which makes the events more scary than they actually are. "Insidious" scares the audience so much as it is based on a child which gets possessed. The thought of a demon scares anyone just like "Paranormal Activity" as both the films are based on abnormal and surreal events however the special effects make the story line seem so realistic and natural that the audience find it hard for the film not to be fake. Since 1930's films, the film industry have been able to improve the way in which they scare people and this is due to many effects that make the film jumpy or gory. "Insidious" shows how special effects can create a scary scene that may not have been scary at all without the effects. The constant use of low lighting makes the film unpredictable so that it scares the audience even more. The film also isn't a cliché which is what films were back in the 1930's as they all roughly had the same plots however, "Scream", "Saw" and "insidious" all have different plots which make thriller films more enjoyable as the audience cannot predict what is going to happen during the film. "Insidious" was directed by James Wan who also directed "Saw".

To conclude, Thriller films have changed since the 1930's as they have advanced their filming techniques and special effects to create something so plain the simple into something that is seen as one of the most scariest films made. Since the 1930's, thriller films have scared many generations and the psychopathic mind makes thriller films seem even more intense. The use of killers and death scenes is what attracts the audience to watch these films as it gets the mind going on who the killer is or what is going to happen during the film. In the early stages of thriller films, they didn't seem as scary as they are today. However back then it seemed terrifying to watch a film about werewolves and vampires even though it may seem a little make believe. Now a days, the film plots are a lot more psychopathic and include stuff like possessive dolls or bodies which make the audience feel like its real due to the frequent amount of films that include being possessed. The 1930's was one of the first eras to introduce thriller films and this got the audience as they got to experience something new. The plots seem unrealistic to us but in those days it was the most scary thing and the audience felt excited about being scared. As time moved on the film industry improved as music and effects became more established and directors finally found a way to scare the audience properly. This was done by using music to engage the audience and leave them in suspense as to when something is going to attack. The music helped get the audience into the mood and built up suspension until finally something scary would happen when the audience least expect it. This was shown in the movie "Scream" as it contained lots of music to help get the audience into the mood. The film industry also improved by having special effects to create a scary scene. "Paranormal Activity" was an example of a film that used lots of special effects. The film was in complete darkness and the audience could see from all angles what was happening in the film. A great technique that directors used to create a scary scene was to film the scenes at a point of view angle which meant that the audience saw whatever the characters saw and this created a lot of unexpected scary clips which made the audience jump a lot. Even today the film industry is still constantly making thriller films for the audience to enjoy. Thriller films are becoming more and more advanced due to the improvement of technology and effects which make the film more terrifying and mysterious than it actually is. Thriller films will continue to scare the audience and lead them into suspense and more psychopathic plots will continue being made.


Top 10 Thrillers            How much they made

- Sixth Sense               - $472,806,292
- Seven                        - $327,311,859
- Silence of the lambs - $272,742,922
- Panic room               - $196,397,145
- Paranormal activity  - $193,355,800
- Final destination       - $112,880,294
- The purge                 - $110,602,999
- Saw                          - $103,911,669
- The strangers           - $87,941,306
- Psycho                     - $50,000,000


Sixth sense was named the top 10 thriller film. The film is about a young boy who has a dark secret.
His secret is that he can talk to ghosts and is visited by them regularly. Cole, the young boy, tries to tell people about his problem but find it hard to until a psychologist is able to understand some of the strange things happening. He tries to stop the young boy from talking to them however this doesn't go to well when supernatural events take place. Sixth sense is full of unexpected scenes which make the audience jump. It also engages the audience by making the film very tense which make the audience wonder what is going to happen.
The film uses constant low lighting to make the images hard to see and so when a ghost does come into the scene, it makes the audience jump as it was unexpected. The audience are also lead suspicion in some scenes where the boy comes into contact with a ghost. This is shown in one of the scenes when the boy gets locked in a room full of ghosts and all the audience can hear is screaming from that room. This builds up tension for the audience as they have no idea what is happening to the young boy and they feel sorry for him. This also engages the audience as it makes them wonder whether the boy is okay or whether he is possessed. The audience want the boy to be okay and so continue to watch the film to find out what happens. Sixth sense made the most money because of its frightening scenes and the way it builds up tension. It gets the audience in the mood which makes them enjoy the film even more. Sixth sense builds up the most tension compared to any other film and this is what gets the audience so excited and thrilled about the film as people enjoy being scared and so go to watch a film that makes them jump and sixth sense does this.


Paranormal activity is in the middle of the top ten thriller films and this is due to its scary plot. The film is about a couple that move into a suburban house. However the house makes strange noises and things move in the night, the couple set up a camera in the room to see what i happening and later find out that a demon is also sharing the house. The couple try and stop the demon but supernatural events make it hard to. This film was rated one of the top ten thriller films due to its twisted plot. The events in the film are all supernatural however they seem so realistic that the audience believe in and become more engaged in the film. Just like sixth sense, the clips are filmed in constant low lighting which make the film scarier and make events seem more unexpected which scares the audience more.
Some of the scenes are also filmed using the characters point of view which creates suspension within the audience as they have no idea what is going to happen next and they can relate to the characters as they can feel what they are feeling as well. The film didn't make as much money as sixth sense and this could be because there wasn't as many thrilling scenes as sixth sense and this could make the audience lose interest more. It also means that there isn't as much tension in the film as sixth sense and this could have an affect on the audience as they wouldn't be as scared when the supernatural events take place. A lot of the music placed in sixth sense created more suspension than the music played in paranormal activity and this would mean that the film wouldn't make as much money as the audience aren't being led into the unknown and not as much thrill has been created for them. However paranormal activity still made it on the list as the special effects created horrifying scenes which was used for the audience's enjoyment. In one of the scenes, the lady in the film gets dragged down by the stairs by her feet and out of the door. This is thrilling for the audience as the audience can't actually see the demon but they know it is there. The shadows on the door also creates suspension as it makes the audience wonder when the demon is going to strike next and how it is going to strike and this makes the audience feel nervous for the characters because they can see the demon walking towards the characters.

Psycho is at the bottom of the list. This film is about a woman who runs away with her boyfriend however become exhausted after a rainstorm and they stop at a motel. They meet a person who seems polite and is into taxidermy. However it doesn't go to well when they find out he's a psycho. The film was made in 1960 and so doesn't scare the audience as much as films do now a days. This is due to the lack of special effects which make a film more scary. For instance in both Paranormal activity and the sixth sense use low lighting to create suspense for the audience and make them fear what is going to happen next. They both also use music which is played over tense scenes to build up thrill and suspension and make the audience jump when they least expect it. Psycho however still engages the audience as tension is built up during the film. The audience find the film thrilling due to unexpected scenes which make the audience jump. An example of this is the famous shower scene in which the girl is in the shower and the "psycho" comes behind her and tries to kill her. This is shown as a thrilling scene because the audience can see what is going to happen however the character in the film doesn't know what is happening and so this builds up tension as the audience want the girl to be safe and so feel nervous for her as they don't know what is going to happen next. The audience want the girl to be okay and so it leads the audience into the unknown as what is going to happen to the girl. This scene is shown as thrilling due to its build up of tension and that is why the film became so popular despite being made in the 1960 with a lack of special effects. It made a lot of money however not as much money as other films like sixth sense and the strangers as it doesn't include a lot of special effects which make the film even more thrilling. Films now a days are more advanced and so create a wide range of twisted plots and unexpected jumpy scenes and this is what engages the audience. All these films above create suspension and leave the audience wanting to find out what happens next.

To conclude, top thriller films make the most amount of money due to their build up of suspension in the film. If a thriller film has a lack of suspension then the audience wont become as intrigued and they will lose interest in the film. Directors need to make sure that thriller films engage the audience as much as possible and they do this by creating the film in low lighting so that the scenes are dark and make it hard to see what is going to happen next. This makes the scary scenes unexpected which make the audience jump. The audience enjoy being scared and so watch films that would scare them the most. Sixth sense is at the top of the thriller list which shows that it engages the audience and shows that the scenes in the film are thrilling. The plot is also creative as it is based around a boy who can talk to ghosts and this is shown as a sixth sense, hence the title. The narrative is very popular as the audience find possessive and demon films more scary than films that include a monster. Back in the 1960's, films weren't as scary as they only included narratives which had murderers in them and this could get boring for the audience as it was all the same and was a cliché most of the time. Films now a days include more supernatural events such as demons and people getting possessed which builds up more suspense as they are seen as scarier and more terrifying. These thriller films have inspired me with ideas that I could include in my thriller sequence as I know what most of thriller films should contain in order for it to be conventional and for it to engage the audience. By analysing thriller films it means that I get a rough idea what should be included in a thriller film in order for it to create tension and shock for the audience. I also know how to build a relationship with the audience and characters through certain shots, reactions and emotions. These inspirations from thriller films have helped me decide what ideas I can have to make my thriller film enjoyable for the audience. I also know how thriller films have changed over the ideas and how thriller films now a days are more appealing to a certain type of audience than they were in the 1930's. I have looked at how they have changed and what type of things need to be inputted into my thriller sequence to make it appealing to my audience. Looking at some of the thriller films has given me ideas and thoughts about what I could include and have also shown how the narratives have changed throughout the years. I understand from looking at the thriller films over the years, that the type of audience now is more attracted to thriller films that have more of a psychological and paranormal activity narratives and so this has given me inspiration on what my narrative could include.