Thriller is a very popular genre throughout the film industry mainly to young adults aged 18-25. This is because people around this age bracket are drawn to the realness and graphic action around the intense storyline. Watching the twisted and psychologically disturbing plot unravel in front of the viewer’s eyes is something that attracts them so much.

However, the different sub genres of the thriller genre appeal to different ages and audiences. For example, action thrillers appeal to a more male dominated audience aged around 15-30 as they’re drawn in the by the action and fast paced edits/camera angles, whereas a more female dominated audience would be attracted to romantic thrillers such as Wicker Park. This is because they can relate the characters and storylines within the film. For example, psychological/crime thrillers such as Silence of the Lambs, Dream House, American Psycho and Fatal Attraction attract a mainly male dominated audience of the typical young adult age. This is because they’re drawn in by the conventional male leads, and can relate certain characters to people they know or even themselves, connecting and engaging the audience with the film/characters (both protagonists and antagonists). This male age range is also drawn into the action aspect of the crime thrillers.  However, films that are supernatural thrillers (e.g. The Rite and The Others) appeal to more teenage – young adult female audiences, who are attracted by the ‘scare factor’ and possibly they will get scared or slightly affected by the film.

The audience also expects to be engaged with the characters and the storyline. The characters as they’re usually developed and have their own stories which are revealed to the audience, and the storylines because they involve the audience as they have to figure out the storyline along with the characters and unravel it themselves, which makes them want to watch more. In our own film opening sequence, we will do this by having our main character walking down the street with someone following her the whole way in the background without her knowing. Then, at the end she’s about to enter her house, he captures her, then that will be the end of the opening sequence. This will appeal and engage the audience as they will not know what will happen to her, unless they watched the whole film.

Mystery and thrillers all deal with suspense, the difference normally being in the pace and action components, and the reader’s privilege of knowing or not knowing the antagonist before the hero does. Psychological thrillers can be slightly different from other sub-genres such as action, spy or other thrillers.