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.

• Serial killer thrillers

• Romantic thrillers

• Supernatural thrillers, in which the conflict is between main characters, usually one of which has supernatural powers. Carrie by Stephen King and Unbreakable by M. Night Shyamalan are notable examples of this genre.

• Most thrillers are formed in some combination of the above, with horror, conspiracy and psychological tricks used most commonly to heighten tension. Combinations are highly diverse, including:

  • Science Fiction/Techno/Horror Thrillers: Jurassic Park, Aliens vs. Predator

  • Techno/Political/Conspiracy/Military/Horror Thriller: Predator, Robocop, S.M. Stirling's Draka novels

  • Legal/Forensic/Psychological/Horror Thriller: Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs, novel, Seven (film).