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.