Thriller Suspense Conventions in Film Openings- Alejandra A.

Why I Researched Thriller Openings 

For this section of my project, I looked up the conventions, tropes, and the general expectations of opening scenes of thriller suspense films, since my final project is a film itself.  The opening of the suspense thriller film must convey suspense and anticipation. I looked to find this information in order to understand what successful films do to incorporate this suspense and anticipation into their openings, and how I could do so in mine.

Common Thriller Suspense Conventions

One convention is there is an introduction to a mystery that isn’t completely explained. There are questions audiences have to get answers to. Zodiac starts in the middle of everyday life before a presumably horrific event starts without explanation of who is doing this and why.

One convention has to do with pacing and atmosphere, not necessarily fast paced action openings but controlled shots and silence/limited sound design.  Gone Girl’s opening is very slow moving with narration that is methodical and meticulous creating an atmosphere of something being wrong but building to the action.

Another convention in thriller suspense openings is the settings are creepy and mundane, homes, streets, offices etc can be settings for danger.  No Country For Old Men starts in quiet, open settings with slow paced dialogue which implies the danger is potential rather than happening.  

Finally, the last convention points to the fact that the danger is psychological, not physical.  It isn’t violent but the body language and expressions and framing say something isn’t quite right. The audience feels off but aren’t sure why.

How These Conventions Inform My Project

This was my revelation of thriller suspense openings, it doesn’t get resolved. That’s the point, to build suspense. For me, it’s mood, pacing and questions, not necessarily action. Given my film is short, I will achieve this via dialogue, camera moves and sound. I want to create an irresistible mystery.

Next Steps

However, making the storyboards for the film and figuring out ways to start my film in a tense way has been a fun exercise in playing around with how much information to withhold from the audience. This last practical task has helped me gain even more confidence in my ability to apply thriller suspense conventions to a short film.

Sources:

“Codes and Conventions in Thriller Opening Scenes.” Windsor Girls Media Guide, 30 Oct. 2015, https://windsorgirls.weebly.com/gemini-productions/codes-and-conventions-in-thriller-opening-scenes. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.

“Film Opening Sequence Codes and Conventions.” SlideShare, https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/film-opening-sequence-codes-conventions/133679961. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.

“Defining the Thriller Genre in Movies and TV.” No Film School, 6 Dec. 2023, https://nofilmschool.com/thriller-genre-definition. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.

“Codes and Conventions of a Thriller Film.” Jimdo, https://tomhordle16.jimdofree.com/. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.

Final Genre Decision- Alejandra Arratia

 Choosing Thriller Suspense 

Why My Thinking Changed

As I worked through my project and saw more movies in my spare time, my perspective on genre began to change. Where I once was excited about horror, I began to realize that the sub genre I am constant is drawn to is thriller suspense. The more films I watched, the more I began to realize that I was drawn to tension, mystery, and anticipation over pure fear. 

This changed perspective came about as a result of comparing the elements of success/failure between horror and thriller. Horror is dependent on the audience being scared. If the scaring does not resonate or work, the film has a tough road ahead. Thriller suspense is dependent on uneasiness, intrigue, and tension which has leeway in how it can be executed.

Limitations of Horror as a Project Genre

Through my research and viewing, I came to understand that a lot of conventions of horror can be heavily relied upon conventions that are difficult to do well, especially in a short student film. Some conventions of horror that can be clichés include jump scares, sound cues, unrealistic character decisions, or even gore or shock value to an extreme. Getting any of these wrong can also lead to an unprofessional film. Horror films rely heavily on atmosphere, pacing, and fear reaction from the audience according to StudioBinder and Britannica genre analysis. An audience not scared by a horror film is one that does not enjoy it but feels it is awkward to watch, even funny. Horror is therefore an especially dangerous genre of film to attempt to use given limited time, budget and production abilities.

Since my film will be short, my group does not have so much room for error. One ineffective weak scare and the project may be ruined.

Strengths of Thriller Suspense

Suspenseful thrills offer more safety and space to be creative. The thrills do not rely on the fear to pull a scare, instead using tension, suspense, pacing, and psychological thrill. A thriller shocks people by keeping them at the edge of their seat instead of scaring them. Thus, a thriller, as described by StudioBinder, provides “psychological tension and anticipation” as opposed to jumps and kills.

Films such as Gone Girl, No Country for Old Men, and Zodiac all show film accomplishes this in suspense. The action comes from the characters, the silence, and the moral ambiguity instead of classic horror tropes. These films keep audiences fidgety without the action as they await the conclusion. There is more safety with this genre if the moment does not land, there is still space to breathe because the pacing of the mystery must also grab the audience. So thrills of suspense are the better choice for my project.

Final Decisions and Next Steps

After much contemplation of my research and the things I watch on a personal level, I have decided to go with thriller suspense as my final selection being that it is much more accommodating to my abilities and craft with more latitude for creativity with a shorter runtime.

The goal here is to now research thriller suspense opening, pacing, and structure before crafting a concept that is more about tension than fear and a plan for execution within the necessary timeframe. 

This feels much more doable and I feel much more confident in this direction.

Sources:

Binder, Studio. “What Is a Thriller Genre? Definition, Elements, and Examples.” StudioBinder, https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/thriller-genre/. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.

Binder, Studio. “What Is a Horror Genre? Definition and Examples.” StudioBinder, https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/horror-genre/. Accessed 24 Jan. 2026.

“Horror Film.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/art/horror-film. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.

Horror Films Opening Minutes- Alejandra A.

Purpose of This Research

The purpose of the research study was to find out how horror movies set the tone in the first 5 minutes. I chose my topic because I have to make a two minute horror film for my final project and the tone needs to be set in the first few seconds or else people won’t care about the plot.I wanted to learn how professional horror films introduce fear quickly and how those techniques could be adapted to a much shorter format.

How Horror Films Begin

Many successful horror films use atmosphere, not action, to open. For example, Hereditary uses slow pans, silence, and low lighting in a family home to open. Nothing scary happens initially, but the atmosphere is heavy and suffocating. This shows tension is used instead of events in horror.

Get Out uses comparison to create horror. The film opens in a friendly suburban setting, disarming, but troubling as a character is followed in the dark. The comparison of these environments raises the stakes.

Across these films, the first five minutes introduce the type of horror the audience will experience, whether it is psychological, supernatural, or suspense based.

What This Means for My Project

Since my film is only two minutes long, I won’t be able to slowly develop characters or the full narrative. This research helped me understand that I don’t have to. Most horror films do this without explanation through atmosphere, sound, and sights.

This means my opening will need to create discomfort via lighting, sound design, and camera movement rather than weighing it down with exposition. Silence, light dialogue, and unsettling visuals will be more powerful than anything I can spell out for the audience. This research helped me feel confident that a short horror film can still be effective if the mood is established early.

Next Steps

My next aim is to begin to create the opening of my film, to storyboard the opening 30 seconds and conduct a few lighting and sound tests. I will look at ways to imply danger, without revealing it. This research has helped shape how I will approach my film and how I can use a short runtime to my advantage.

Research Horror vs Thriller- Alejandra A

 Comparing Thriller and Horror Genres

Describe

I read about the Thriller and Horror genres for this research step. I chose to research these genres because I thought they were very closely related, if not the same. There are even many horror thrillers or thriller horrors out there which made me wonder, what is the difference? Ultimately, the choice of genre will impact my final project film. I wanted to ensure that I understood both genres before choosing one.

I started by researching the convention of a thriller film. Thrillers involve suspense, tension and anticipation. They rely on mystery and piecing things together. For example, Se7en scares audiences with the terrible ideas and psychological damage it portrays, not its jump scares.

I next explored the horror genre and discovered the genre’s intention is to scare and disturb. Horror genres use sound, lighting and disturbing visuals. Films such as Hereditary depend upon silence, disturbing imagery and family fears while The Conjuring depends upon supernatural elements, jarring sounds and darker settings.

Finally, I examined hybrid genre films. The film Get Out is one example of a horror thriller film. It uses the use of thriller elements to build suspense and mystery. It uses the elements of horror films in its use of disturbing imagery and fear.

The film Shutter Island is also an example, though a more conventional, traditional hybrid genre film, of a film that uses horror elements in its use of disturbing imagery and unstable mental conditions.

These films were useful in understanding hybrid genres in actual films.

Analyze

This research has enabled me to understand that thrillers and horror movies, often juxtaposed with one another, serve different purposes to their viewers. The thriller serves to elicit suspense and anxiety, while the horror film serves to elicit fear and dread; in the case of hybrid films, one genre appears to be more prominent than the other.

After seeing all the examples, I determined that horror was the more intriguing genre to work in of the two projects. Horror lends itself more to sound, lighting and ambience and that’s what I want to dig into with my film. Horror is also the more creative genre when it comes to metaphor and emotions, versus thrillers which are more about intricate narrative devices.

Reflect

After doing the above research I feel as though I have become much more firmly guided onto the right path and eliminating any of the doubts that still were within me regarding the choice of the genre. From this research I have understood how the genre convention cause the audience’s reaction to be different in a story telling. 

But after doing all of the research, there is one last question that remains to be answered before proceeding to the next step: What is the ultimate genre destination of my project film? To start, I will attempt to answer this question now by researching the genre conventions, within horror, the sub-genres, and even genres such as psychological horror, or horror thrillers. After which, when I've completed these steps, I will get to the next step which are narratives, characters, and visuals.

Sources:

Binder, Studio. “What Is a Thriller? Genre, Characteristics, and Film Examples.” StudioBinder, StudioBinder, https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/thriller-genre/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.

Binder, Studio. “What Is a Horror Genre? Definition and Examples.” StudioBinder, StudioBinder, https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/horror-genre/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.

“Horror Film.” Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/art/horror-film. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.

“YouTube.” What Makes a Movie a Horror Film? YouTube, uploaded by Kermode & Mayo’s Film Review, 1 Jan. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jEaZ9e0b3E. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.

Researching Genres- Alejandra Arratia

Genre Research

I've research three possible genres my group could film that I have brainstormed for possible discussion, such as Thriller, Psychological and Coming of age which are personally amongst the very pool of categories many of my treasured favorite films lie. I've taken great joy in using those very films as examples below.

Thriller (Prisoners 2013)

Prisoners is an anxiety inducing film. Prisoners is about what families do for their missing children. It uses dark lighting, slow reveal, and anxious uncertainty. It’s unforgiving in its pacing and it’s unforgiving in its high stakes scenarios. Prisoners keep people wondering what is right or wrong and that is part of the draw.

Psychological (Black Swan 2010)

Black Swan is a psychological film about the lead’s mind unraveling. It explores obsession, pressure and identity through the mind of a perfectionistic ballet dancer. It shows her battle through symbolism, hallucinations and a warped reality. The pace of the film ebbs and flows with her mind rather than the external world. This keeps the audience uncomfortable and confused like the characters, which is common in psychological films.

Coming of Age (Lady Bird 2017)

Lady Bird is a coming of age film about being a teenager. A coming of age film about an adolescent young woman high school girl navigating through friends, family conflict, and desire to grow up. It features realistic relationships and emotions that are connected to being a teenager. The identity, finding oneself, and growing up is highlighted. Due to these connected elements, Lady Bird is a compelling coming of age movie for adolescents and young adults.

Convention and Code Research

I also researched the conventions and codes of each of the genres and what the title sequences and openings were like. Thrillers have a lot of action and loud music and fast pacing. Psychological movies open slower with close ups and strange and unsettling images. Coming of age movies open with the main character in a safe familiar place, school, home.

Opening credits differ across genre. Thrillers will have bold fonts, dark colors, and jarring transitions. Psychological will have simple text, less saturated color, and imagery with significance. Coming of age is typically straightforward with font, lighting, and saturated color is warm/neutral or realistic.

This can also be seen in the cover and contents page. Thriller/psychological films use darker colors such as black, red, dark blue as well as the inclusion of more serious fonts. Coming of age uses brighter/lighter colors and more simplistic fonts, as they are about youth, development and reality

The color and typography design varies greatly by genre. Thrillers employ high contrast color and heavy typography, psychological are more subdued and minimalist, and coming of age films have more realistic lighting and colors, and more legible typography.

Overall Conclusion

After comparing the three genres, Coming of Age appears to be the optimal genre for our group project. It is the most doable with the resources available to us, it resonates with teens, and it is about story and acting, not special effects. Yet, incorporating some slight thriller or psychological elements could set this project apart when completed.

Sources:

1. Chen, Sandie Angulo. “Prisoners.” Common Sense Media, 8 Aug. 2022, www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/prisoners. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026. (Common Sense Media)

2. “Prisoners.” IMDb, www.imdb.com/title/tt0947798/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026. (IMDb)

3. Prisoners. YouTube, uploaded by user, www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpXfcTF6iVk. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.

4. V Renée. “Video: Possibly the Most Comprehensive 30-Minute Analysis of ‘Prisoners’ You’ve Ever Seen.” No Film School, 12 May 2014, nofilmschool.com/2014/05/video-comprehensive-analysis-of-prisoners. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026. (No Film School)

5. Quintanilla, Emily. “What Is a Coming-of-Age Movie?” Medium, 7 Mar. 2021, medium.com/coming-of-age-with-film/what-is-a-coming-of-age-movie-7ebf1121ca1c. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026. (Medium)

6. “Camera as Psychosis: The Cinematography of Black Swan.” Movie Scene, moviescene.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/camera-as-psychosis-the-cinematography-of-black-swan/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.