What is a Thriller?

Description of thriller

A thriller is a novel, play, or film with an exciting plot, typically involving crime or espionage. A thriller provides the sudden rush of emotions, excitement, and exhilaration that drive the narrative, sometimes subtly with peaks and lulls, sometimes at a constant, breakneck pace. It keeps the audience on the "edge of their seats", akin to a sensation of hanging from a cliff, as the plot builds towards a climax. Literary devices such as red herrings, plot twists, and cliff hangers are used extensively.

The link above is really useful because it gives an in depth description of what a thriller movie is. Within the link it gives good examples of why an audience may want to watch a thriller and why they are intriguing. A good example of this is 'Audiences went to the cinema not simply to see but also to feel something which they would not ordinarily experience in real life.'


 
A good example of a modern thriller is The Purge Anarchy. The Purge is when one night a year, all crime including murder is legal for 12 hours. A man heads out into the chaos, intent on killing thugs as revenge for his son's death, but ends up rescuing a stranded couple being followed by a group of people hunting them down.