What is a thriller film? Generic conventions of the thriller film genre.

There are many features that characterise the thriller genre.

Here is a list with an explanation of various thriller conventions within a thriller mise-en-scene:

Lighting: Noir lighting (black on white) / ambient/ chiaroscuro lighting. 

Most dangerous scenes take place at night because the bewildered nighttime and dark areas increase the feeling of danger and suspense (i.e. in Thelma and Louise and Jackie Brown). 

Sometimes though (Heavenly Creatures/Essex Boys) murder or violent scenes happen in broad daylight instead. This adds surprise to the violence and could sometimes even add more thrill and horror, because it is so unsuspected. (People usually feel safer in daylight, so a murder at that time could be more shocking. For example, When one of the gangsters in Jackie Brown unexpectedly shoots the blonde girl in the middle of the car park in broad daylight with such a casual attitude can have quite a shocking effect on the audience.) 

Camera angles: Long shots establish the environment the scene takes place in. Sometimes the director wants the audience to know, sometimes he doesn't. If he doesn't, the director uses more close-ups so the audience concentrates and possibly even identifies and empathises with one certain character.

Locations: Generic thriller locations are usually enclosed areas which add a sense of claustrophobia with no escape, no way out for the character in panic situations. Car parks are also very commonly used in thrillers (Thelma and Louise/Essex Boys). Other locations used in thriller films are plain, bewildered locations (gangster gets shot in boot of car in Jackie Brown) situated in the middle of nowhere.  

In Essex Boys, for example, the beaten up character is helplessly left to rot in the mud in the middle of nowhere - Here, the terror is added because there is not much chance that anyone will come across him there to help him and so he will probably end up dying in a horrible condition. 

Thriller locations are very unglamorous and surrounded by pale or dark colours .

Props 

Weapons 

Usually weapons are often used. Many main characters in a thriller own a gun or a knife. If they do not own a typical weapon, they tend to use items (whose purpose aren't originally to harm someone with) as weapons. For example glass vases, baseball bats, high heel shoes, stones etc.

White vans are often used in thrillers. They are very enigmatic, because anything could be hidden inside. Plain white -> faceless -> Enigma.

Characters 

Thrillers mostly focus on illegal, dangerous or "wrong" behaviour, usually involving characters that are gangsters, part of the mafia, spies, detectives or any kind of murderers. 

Sometimes, important key characters are complete enigmas, about whom the audience doesn't find out much information. Some of these enigmas get cleared up at the end of a film, but sometimes the character stays mysterious and one never finds out their actual identity.  

Femme fatale 

A femme fatale (french: fatal woman) is a strong, independent woman (maybe a gangsters wife, for example) who contradicts the sexist stereotype of a weak wife, good for nothing other than cleaning, cooking and taking care of children.

She looks beautiful like a stereotypical woman but acts strong like a stereotypical man . For example, a femme fatale would be wearing red lipstick, pearl earrings and a beautiful dress, under which she hides a gun or a knife.