The Conventions of the Thriller

• Aims to create suspense and tension, putting the audience in jeopardy
• Frequently uses busy urban or suburban areas 
• Violence, often guns, will be a key aspect
• Often includes large well known organisations such as the police, army or Government 
• The main protagonist will solve the problem at hand which no one else will be able to
• The film will involve a rational explanation instead of the supernatural
• The identity of the antagonist is often hidden from the audience 
• The protagonist is normally male, often an outsider from society
• It will have a dramatic climax which the anticipation will build to 
• There is a lot of low key lighting adding to mystery and sense of the unknown 
• There is often a large amount of dark shadows and silhouettes