Thriller Sub-Genres

Psychological Thriller: Emphasis on the mind; often confusing, and explores the deeper, more psychologically confusing and/or complex parts of the characterisation and narrative - and they can often be disturbing or frightening because of this. Popular examples include Se7en, Inception, Silence of the Lambs and One Hour Photo.

Political Thriller: In Political Thrillers, the protagonists are usually charged with the task of protecting the government by whom they are employed. Examples of famous films in this sub-genre include State of Play, Notorious and The Interpreter.

Spy Thriller: The main protagonist (or, in fact, protagonists) are spies in some form of secret service - and usually, they are pitted against either a rival government or terrorist group. They tend to involve action and espionage, and often, they employ science-fiction elements to make the plot work. It's notable that the James Bond series is a series of action films as opposed to thrillers - though some good examples of spy thrillers include Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Traitor and Taken, which have a far smaller emphasis on action than a Bond film does.

Techno Thriller: Science-fiction elements are emphasised, with the story based on scenarios or reliant upon science that either doesn't exist in real life or is futuristic in another way; for example, Jurassic Park, The Matrix and Minority Report.

Crime Thriller: The main focus of a Crime Thriller is, as the name of the sub-genre would suggest, on a crime of some kind (and the struggles of the detective team to solve it). The most common crimes include murder and robbery - and some of the most popular Crime Thrillers include Se7en, Silence of the Lambs and Untraceable. If more emphasis is placed upon the criminals or investigators themselves, then there is often overlap with Psychological Thrillers.

Conspiracy Thriller: In which the main character must face an enemy that only they acknowledge the existence of; this is usually some kind of evil organisation with a nasty plot. The Manchurian Candidate, Awake and The Da Vinci Code are all examples of films in this genre.

Erotic Thriller: Not always entirely sexual, though with a heavier emphasis on the more erotic parts of the characters' relationships. Examples include Basic Instinct, Lust and Eyes Wide Shut.

Supernatural Thriller: These occasionally follow a more horror-like structure, and involve ghosts or supernatural phenomena in some way. Essentially, these are thrillers that contain events that can not be explained with logic or science - and they often contain elements of fantasy. Examples include Death Note, Chronicle and What Lies Beneath.

- Jack