Rick Altman on Hitchcock's Thriller aspects

"Under the strong influence of Alfred Hitchcock, Thriller often begins with a crime and the accusation of an innocent bystander were the accused to contact authorities no doubt the case could be promptly solved, but instead the poor bystander runs from the law thus jeopardising life and limbs" - Rick Alhman 

"The 39steps... suspense films abandons both thrills and suspense when the falsely accused character finally reaches safety" - Rick Altman  

Aspects of the Thriller: Hitchcock

Thriller Films

We discussed the different types of thrillers. We distinguished between thrillers and what makes thrillers. For example Paranormal Activity is more horrific than phone booth. The reason for this is because phone booth builds up that suspense of what is going to happen next like leaving a cliff hanger towards the end of the film. It also follow the thriller conventions that i made in my last post (There is an innocent victim [the main character] minding his or her business, then something out of the ordinary happens to them).

Some of the films we placed into the thriller genre:

• Disturbia
• Buried
• Phone-booth
• Panic Room 
• Hostage
• When a stranger calls
• Taken
• Bad boys
• Kill Bill
• Fatal Attraction
• Vantage point
• 12 round
• Public enemy 
• The Strangers
• Law abiding citizen
• The resident
• Enemy of the state

Thriller Conventions

Below is spider diagram of different thriller conventions that we discussed in class.

Who is Alfred Hitchcock?

Born: 13 August 1899
Died: 29April 1980 (aged 80)
Alfred Hitchcock was known as the master of suspense. With over 50 films he was engraved with this name. 'Alfred Hitchcock was the master of suspense whose films came to be the bench mark for 'psychological' thrillers'. Although he was director he knew how to promote himself. Appearing in most of his films (Usually in the beginning before the main character is introduced) this was a way to get noticed and a way for the audience to spot him(Spot Hitchcock). One Film we watched and spotted him in was 'North by North-West'.
1:49

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIlqatMQSgI