What is a Thriller film?

Page on the genre, thriller. - BFI Screenonline: Thriller Page

A thriller is a film which is designed to keep the viewer on edge with suspenseful and sensational action. Thrillers have also been produced in the radio, theatre, and television media. This genre is incredibly large, and thrillers often overlap with pieces of work produced in other genres; mysteries, for example, are often thrillers. Many people find thrillers very enjoyable, and they appreciate the fast pacing and complex plots associated with this genre.

Plot -
Several characteristics help to define a thriller. Thrillers typically involve sudden plot twists and lots of red herrings, for example, keeping people unsure about what is going to happen. This suspense can get almost unbearable, especially in a long piece or a television series. Thrillers also have a lot of action, which is often chaotic, and they typically feature resourceful heroes and exotic settings.

Antagonists and Protagonists -
The plots of thrillers can vary widely. Some are supernatural, for example, centering around mystical antagonists. Others are scientific or medical in nature, forcing their protagonists to contend with biological agents or mysterious scientific happenings. Some are simply straight mysteries with clever, horrific, or intriguing antagonists, while others be focused on the inner workings of the legal system, environmental threats, technology, or natural disasters. One long-established thriller genre is the spy thriller, featuring an often heroic and dashing spy who must confront whichever enemy happens to be popular at the moment.

Audience -
Some thrillers are extremely intellectual and of very high quality, encouraging more educated people to enjoy them. Many such thrillers incorporate a psychological aspect, forcing people to examine the motivations and backstories of the characters to figure out the plot therefore aimed at older people. Others are more simplistic and designed to appeal to a much wider audience.

   
          

'71 Film (2014) - "Holds you in a vice-like grip throughout"

Why is it that we both fear and enjoy being frightened? Alfred Hitchcock always thought it started in a mother's arms, when she says 'Boo!' to her child, who is first startled and then delighted. Audiences went to the cinema not simply to see but also to feel something which they would not ordinarily experience in real life. The most significant thrillers often combine suspense with a social conscience.  Some of the most interesting thrillers stiffened their suspense with political undertones,  a dramatic rendering of psychological, social, familial and political tensions; are usually included.