Key Conventions of a Thriller Film

Part of our initial research, I have tried to find out what makes a good Thriller film. There are various common codes and conventions that we could follow in order to make a 'typical' thriller film. They are:

• Restricted Narration - it is important in a Thriller film not to give the audience the full story straight away. Important bits of the plot should be withheld from them until near the end of the film. This could be an event that happened during the film, or it could be something that happened before the film is set which the audience is unaware of. Restricting the narration makes the film more interesting for the audience because it will make them ask more questions. 
• Enigma Codes - although important information may be withheld from the audience during a Thriller film, subtle 'hints' may be dropped throughout it to make it more interesting. For example, at the start of Inception, you see a spinning top which at the time seems irrelevant. However, later on in the film, it plays a big part in the film's narrative. Enigma codes are a lot more apparent once you have watched films multiple times and know what happens in the end. 
• Plot Twists and Turns - Thriller films tend to twist the plot at the last minute. This comes as a shock to the audience because they thought they knew what was happening when in fact something else was. This makes films more complex and makes the audience work harder to understand the film. 
• Misdirection - a very similar convention to plot twists and turns, except they are designed to make the audience think something else is happening when in fact they are wrong. The film directly misleads the audience and then surprises them as it, once again, makes them work harder to understand the film.
• Deadlines - many Thriller films use deadlines to create tension. A character may have to do something within a certain amount of time. For example, you may find that there is a bomb ticking down to zero before it explodes. The tension this causes makes the film much more exciting for the audience. 
• Mysterious Characters - many characters in Thriller films are very mysterious. They may have a shady past and things like this will make the audience unsure of their intentions. It keeps the audience guessing throughout the film. Hints may be dropped throughout the film, to allow you to build up a bigger picture of the character. An example of this would be in Shutter Island when the man says "I've seen something like it before" - this may sound like an irrelevant statement but it gives the audience a clue that he has been somewhere as terrifying as Shutter Island (or even Shutter Island itself....) in the past. Characters may also be morally complex which, again, makes the audience unsure of their intentions and makes them work for the answers.
• Cliff Hangers - sometimes in Thriller films, something dangerous or interesting happens but the results of the event are withheld from the audience. They can be used at the end of the film so that the audience have to wait until the next film for the answer. This assures that the audience are keen to keep watching, or make sure they see the next film. 
• Narrative Retardation - sometimes, a critical bit of information is held back from the audience. This makes them unaware of something which is actually really important. An example of this would be if the audience think someone died in a film when actually they are still alive. 
• Red Herrings - similar to misdirection, sometimes 'lies' are thrown into the film which the audience thinks is really important when it's actually not. This confuses them and makes them interested to see what the truth is when they discover it's a red herring.