The History of the Thriller genre

Thriller genre began in the 1920's - 30's when Alfred Hitchcock (British Director) released 'The Lodger' his first ever thriller in 1926. It was a silent film that followed a 'Jack the Ripper' plot. Films released in this period are seen as key and iconic within the genre. They first introduced codes which would go on to become the conventions/iconography of the genre.

In the 1940's the genre continues with Alfred Hitchcock continuing to release Suspense thrillers including:

• Foreign Correspondent (1940)
• Rebecca (1940)
• Saboteur (1942) 
• Shadow of a doubt (1943)

In 1944 George Cukor directed a Psychological Thriller called "Gaslight"

In the 1950's Hitchcock adds colour to his thrillers which is a massive change within the genre. He also started casting "Icy Blondes"to play his leading ladies in his films. He also released several films within that decade, including:

• Stranger on the Train (1951)
• Dial M for Murder (1954)
• Rear Window (1954)
• To Catch a Thief (1955)
• Vertigo (1958)

Other films in the 50's - 60's;

• Charles Laughton's "Night of the Hunter" (1955)
• Orson Wells's "A Touch of Evil" (1958)
• J.Lee Thompson's "Cape Fear" (1962)

Through constant repetition of the Thriller codes 1st introduced in the 1920's, Hitchcock and other directors ensure what would become the conventions of the Thriller Genre.

In the 1970's - 80's Thriller films began to merge violence and become more like the Horror genre but there was still distinction between the two genres. Films released in this era included;

• Frenzy (1972) Alfred Hitchcock
• Duel (1971) Steven Spielberg
• Play Misty for Me (1971) Clint Eastwood
• Deliverance (1972) John Boorman
• Don't Look Now (1973) Nicolas Reog

Thriller films within the 1990's include:

• Misery (1990) Robb Reiner
• Sleeping with the enemy (1991)
• The Hand that rocks the Cradle (1992) Curtis Hanson
• Unlawful Entry (1992)
• Single White Female (1992) Barbet Schroeder
• Malice (1993) Harold Becker
• The Talented Mr Ripley (1999) Antony Minghella 

Thrillers in the 21st genre are even closer related to the Horror genre with more gore, blood and deaths.

There are also more conventions and codes from the action genre. New plots are created with more modern themes i.e government conspiracies, terrorism and world wide problems. Films include:

• Eden Lake (2008)
• The Last house on the Left (2009) 
• P2 (2007)
• Captivity (2007)
• Funny Games (2008)
• Ride (2001)
• Unknown (2011)