'Thriller' is a very broad term that is often separated into several sub-genres. These sub-genres often overlap with each other. Here are a few of them:
Action Thriller
Take any other thriller subgenre, give it’s defining elements a back seat, and focus on the action, and you have an action-thriller. This is more common in movies than novels because of the visual appeal of explosions and violence.
- Die Hard
- The Hnt for Red October
- Point Break
- Cliffhanger
- Air Force One
In this subgenre the protagonist must confront a large, powerful organization whose threat only he sees. Usually he must do so alone.
- The Manchurian Candidate
- The Conversation
- JFK
This subgenre focuses on crime, and is usually from the criminal’s point of view. Physical action and eluding the police take the place of gathering evidence and trying to discover the criminal.
- Double Indemnity
- The Usual Suspects
- Sin City
- No Country for Old Men
In this subgenre a (usually) natural disaster is taking place, and the antagonist is either trying to stop the disaster, the extent of the disaster, or just save themselves before time runs out and the disaster has run its course.
- Deep Impact
- Final Destination
- The Day After Tomorrow
- Cloverfield
A sensational genre that is a mix of erotic and thriller films.
- Body Heat
- Fatal Attraction
- Basic Instinct
Legal Thriller
This subgenre takes place in and around the courtroom. Usually the protagonist is a lawyer who has found their case threatening death for either them or their client.
- A Few Good Men
- The Pelican Brief
- A Time to Kill
This subgenre involves something usually used for medical purposes becoming a deadly weapon. Often it is a virus that is leaking out to the public. The protagonist or antagonist or both are doctors.
- The Andromeda Strain
- Coma
- Awake
Political Thriller
In this subgenre political relations or the whole government is at stake, and the protagonist is employed by the government to stop the decline. The protagonist may have been low-level before having attracted attention.
- Notorious
- The Crying Game
- In the Line of Fire
- Valkyrie
A personal favorite. In this subgenre a lot of the conflict is mental, rather than physical. The protagonist has become involved in a dangerous situation which literally threatens their sanity. They must use mental prowess to overcome their opponent, whether the battle is inside their own head or it a battle of wits.
- Freaks
- Laura
- Jacob's Ladder
This subgenre uses the history and myths of religion. Usually a religious artifact or historical secret is discovered, and different people and groups vie for control.
- The Omega Code
- The Da Vinci Code
- Angels and Demons
Spy Thriller
It’s hard to call this a genre mash-up when spy novels almost have to be thrillers. At any rate, this subgenre focuses on the high adventures of field agents. It is usually set against the backdrop of some war.
- Mission Impossible
- The Bourne Identity
In this subgenre otherworldy elements are introduced, usually as an antagonistic force, but just as in the romantic thriller, the plot line and feel or distinctly that of thrillers. Some characters may have psychic abilities and other supernatural novel elements may be present.
- Cat People
- Carrie
The thriller genre as a whole is extremely varied (as opposed to Westerns for example, where every film will look very similar), within the thriller genre there are several sub-genres, within which there will be a high degree of similarity (as was showed by the characters and locations you all came up with for crime thrillers, supernatural thrillers and political thrillers. I am going to look through the psychological thriller sub-genre and point out the the similarities in terms of the characters, themes, events, mise-en-scene.
- Shutter Island
- The Butterfly Effect
- Orphan
Many thriller films focus on plot rather than character. However, the dynamics of psychological thrillers reverses this concept and gears its attention to the pressing issues of the character. Psychological thriller films concentrate on a protagonist’s mental state of being. In these psychological thrillers the main characters have some mental problems, in other words psychological problems.Yet in these psychological thriller films, the battle is fought through a condition of the mind. All of these films have the common themes which are reality, perception, mind, existence/purpose, identity and death. There are some scenes in hospital in these films.
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