Analysis of three Thriller films

'Girl on the Train' - Tate Taylor

Setting: A major criticism of this production was the setting, as it was set in New York which seemed to cause a significant uproar amongst critics, seeing as Paula Hawkin's original book was set in London which was a huge part of the novel. When analysing the various different settings within the production, it is clear to see that they contribute to typical Thriller film conventions. Although there is one major location, which is the suburban town (similar location to that of 'Gone Girl'), the smaller and less recognisable locations are what promote Thriller film conventions. For example:

The bridge setting: In the production, there is a recurring location used as a major aspect of the scenes. This bridge is where one of the most prominent and Thrilling events of the film takes place, however it is ambiguous. This particular location and setting selected by Taylor succumbs to typical conventions of a Thriller film, seeing as it is secluded and has an eerie sort of ambience.

The forest setting: Similarly to the bridge setting, the scenes located in the forest are also prominent, this is specifically where the murder of 'Megan' takes place. It is also a very secluded location , and a very typical one for Thriller and Horror films, many Thrilling events tend to take place in forests. For example, in 'The Hole' - Nick Hamm, all four protagonist characters of the film end up trapped in a forest location, resulting in the death of three of them.


Plot: The plot for 'Girl on the Train' fits the regular plot of a Thriller film well, it consists of ambiguity and subtlety, always leaving the audience questioning what is going on. It follows the course of a restricted narrative, meaning the audience have no idea of events that are going to take place and they are also unaware of what the truth behind past events are. It is all left completely to their own interpretations. When comparing 'Girl on the train' to 'Gone Girl', you can recognise that they both follow opposite narratives, seeing as the characters in 'Gone Girl', specifically 'Nick' (Ben Affleck) are initially unaware of what is going on with the disappearance of his wife, however, the audience are - this creates a sense of dramatic irony.

Characters: The characters created for 'Girl on the Train' fit the typical characters associated with a Thriller film, for example, there is a Male character that results in being the villain, whilst oppressing and disrespecting the female characters, which fits into the stereotypical depiction of male characters in Thriller films, being more dominant and intimidating characters. As well as this, there are three female characters in the production, two of which are custom with blonde hair. Both of these characters end up being victims in the production, and if you were to analyse the film with Hitchcock in mind, he would suggest that the selection of two blonde victims would be ideal, as he believed that blonde's tend to make better victims over brunettes due to the stereotype of them being more fragile and possibly less intelligent, however, there is also a brunette female victim in this production.

Visual style: The visual style of the film also contributes to typical Thriller film conventions. There is often little lighting in most of the scenes, and this is used to promote eeriness and tension. The haziness of the lighting and the screenplay, encourages the audience to feel unnerved and increases the Thrilling aspects of the film. When analysing other Thriller films, such as 'The Shining', it is clear to see that the majority of Thriller films follow this same visual sort of styling, therefore this production successfully matches these conventions.

'The Shining' - Stanley Kubrick

Setting: The setting in this particular production is considerably different but also considerably similar when analysing it in comparison to other Thriller films and when considering the typical conventions associated with a Thriller film. It is located in the high mountains of Oregon, although it doesn't follow the typical location of a forest or a suburban town, this location is particularly successful in achieving the 'thrilling' aspects of this particular genre. The location is very secluded from other people, and so it immediately creates tension as the audience would expect something to go wrong, as there is no way that they could get help quickly in a difficult situation.

Plot: The plot of this production fits amazingly well into the typical conventions associated with a typical Thriller film plot. It involves chase scenes, a villain and two victims both in peril and faced with terrifying experiences; the terror shown through the characters is what enables the audience to feel emotions of a thrilling nature and encourages the 'edge of the seat' sensation, as the plot is relatively unique and positively chilling. The film follows no particular narrative style, seeing as both the audience and the characters in the production seem aware of what is going on, both the audience and the characters seem to be made aware of the dark situations taking place at the same time, therefore making it difficult to decipher a particular narrative style.



 Characters: The characters created for this film hugely expand on the thrilling nature. Seeing as the characters consist of a family made up of a father, mother and a young son just makes the film so much more unnerving and uncomfortable to watch. As fitting to the stereotype, the male character in the production is the villain and is the one that manages to cause the peril throughout the film. However, where the audience would expect the mother and son to come to a sticky end it is in fact the father that dies from his reckless and uncontrollable nature, it is this twist that challenges the typical stereotype that associates with characters in a Thriller film.

Visual Style: The visual styling of this production also contributes to executing typical conventions considered to be associated with a Thriller production, the monotone hotel accompanied by the desolate outdoor landscape, entitles the film to a sense of isolation and danger. Much like 'Girl on the Train', bleak colours are used throughout the production, possibly to reflect the inner state of the main villainous character. The colours incorporated in each scene automatically promotes danger and confinement, seeing as red is a recurring colour used and the harshness of the artificial lighting is often visible when the young male character is on scene, and it is this character that is usually subject to danger.

 

'Silence of the Lambs' - Jonathan Demme

Setting: The setting for this production is also relatively stereotypical, the majority of the scenes are located in country side sort of areas, which like the other two films promotes a sense of dislocation and isolation. The immediate danger is recognisable from the scene, as it reflects the loss of the villain and the challenge to find and uncover him.

Plot: The plot of this particular production is tantalisingly horrific, with mature themes being represented. Again, like the majority of Thriller films, there is a sense of ambiguity, and the thrill comes from the search for the villain and stopping his horrific works. This film is custom to an unrestricted narrative, seeing as we as the audience are unaware of what is going on 100% of the time. This feeling of the unknown is what creates the tension for the audience, and its what allows the production to be labelled as a Thriller film as it possesses aspects associated with that of the Thriller film conventions.
Characters: Like all regular Thriller films, in this production the 'villain' is played by a male character, this factor allows the production to be labelled as a Thriller film as it fits the conventions associated with others. However, typical gender roles within Thriller films are challenged in this particular production. Where the female character usually plays the damsel in distress, this female character acts as a brave F.B.I agent who needs to confide in a mass killer in order to get information on another mass killer. This brave and heroic behaviour pursued by  a female character is not usually witnessed in a Thriller film, it is this that allows the production to challenge gender roles within thriller films.

Visual Style: The visual style adopted by Demme in this film associates to that of a style typically associated with a thriller film. There is often little lighting, which adds to the ambiguity and strengthens the tension felt by the audience. It encourages the audience to think harder about the content of the production, and enables the film to fit into the 'thriller' genre as it isn't all light and happy, much like a Comedy or a Romance film would be.