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Sub-genres
The
thriller
genre
can
include
the
following,
which
incorporate
elements
of a
thriller
genre
along
with
other
the
other
type
of
genre
listed :
-
Spy thrillers (also a subgenre of spy fiction), in which the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or (in recent years) terrorists. Examples include From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, and television series such as Mission: Impossible and 24 (the second demonstrating a break from the norm by Robert Ludlum, as it is as much a psychological thriller as a spy thriller.)
-
Political thrillers, in which the hero must ensure the stability of the government that employs him. The success of Seven Days in May by Fletcher Knebel and The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth established this subgenre in the early 1960s.
-
Military thrillers, in which the hero is typically a uniformed military officer operating behind enemy lines alone or as part of a small team of specialists. The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean is a well-known example of the type, as are films such as The Dirty Dozen and Rambo.
-
Conspiracy thrillers, in which the hero confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he recognizes. The work of Robert Ludlum, for example The Chancellor Manuscript and The Aquitane Progression, falls into this category, as do films such as Three Days of the Condor and JFK.
-
Technothrillers, in which technology is prominently described and made essential to the reader's understanding of the plot. Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy are both considered to be the "Fathers of the Technothriller."
-
Legal thrillers, in which the lawyer-heroes confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives. The Pelican Brief by John Grisham is a well known example of the type.
-
Forensic thrillers , in which the heroes are forensic experts whose involvement with an unsolved crime puts their lives at risk. Balefire by Ken Goddard and Red Dragon by Thomas Harris are examples, as is Harris's later The Silence of the Lambs.
-
Psychological thrillers, in which (until the often violent resolution) conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional rather than physical. The Alfred Hitchcock films Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Strangers on a Train are notable examples of the type, as is The Sixth Sense by M. Night Shyamalan and The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (who also wrote Strangers).
-
Horror thriller, in which conflict between the main characters is mental, emotional, and physical.
What
sets
the
Horror
Thriller
apart
is
the
main
element
of
fear
throughout
the
story.
The
main
characters
are
not
only
up
against
a
superior
force
in
the
form
of a
monster
or
monsters,
but
they
are
or
will
soon
become
the
victims
themselves
and
directly
feel
the
fear
that
comes
by
attracting
the
monster's
attention.
next
from
Wikipedia
All text is available
under the terms of the
GNU Free Documentation License
Thriller - Index
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