Codes and Conventions of Thrillers

Suspense is used to create tension, paranoia and anxiety upon the audience.

Trepidation (shocked) is used in jump scares to scare the audience. This leaves the audience’s heart racing because it makes the audience jump.

The protagonist is often threatened in some way by an antagonist. This creates an “edge of the seat” feeling among the audience throughout the film.

The setting is generally a dark and gloomy atmosphere, such as rain or at night. This tells the audience that something is not right and therefore creates more tension.

The use of shadows is a common convention used in thriller films to hide an identity.

Mirrors are used for the same effect, to hide someone’s identity

The plot revolves around a character in a “Puzzle” plot, where they must work out some kind of mystery.

The protagonist is set a problem that they must overcome such as an escape, a mission or a mystery.

Stairs are used to show the audience that the character is trapped once they have run up there and there only escape is going back down the stairs.

The use of imagery shows how the antagonist is who he is and it also hides his identity with and suspenseful grip.