Thriller Devices

Literary devices such as suspense, red herrings and cliffhangers are used extensively. A thriller is a villain driven plot, whereby he presents obstacles the hero must overcome. The genre is a flexible form that can undermine audience complacency through a dramatic rendering of psychological, social, and political tensions. Jump cuts, low and high key lighting are often used with the backing a slow dramatic score that picks up in pace are also common sights to see in thriller movies.

Films such as 28 Days Later are a very effective example of a Thriller. It is a zombie movie and these usually are 'wet' horror's but 28 Days Later is more psychological and cleverly uses the score to create tension. It keeps the viewer on the edge because your always waiting for the next zombie attack and wondering how, if they do, get out of it. This is very effective as what the audience expects isn't necessarily what happens and they are caught out at the most unexpected moments in the film.