The History of Thriller

Early thrillers, 1920's–1930's – the first thrillers
-Alfred Hitchcock – The Lodger (1926) à based on the story of Jack the Ripper
-Alfred Hitchcock – Blackmail (1929) à his first film with sound
-Fritz Lang  (1931) à based on the life of serial killer, Peter Kurten

1940's and 1950's – Murder and war thrillers
-Alfred Hitchcock – Shadow of a doubt (1943) à based on a 1920’s serial killer known as The Merry Widow Murderer
-Rear window (1954) à a man who is being convinced that his neighbor is a killer
-Robert Aldrich – Kiss me deadly (1955) à about a detective encountering a nuclear apocalypse

1960's – Psychological thrillers
-Michael Powell – Peeping Tom (1960)
-Alfred Hitchcock – Psycho (1960)
-Terence Young  - The triple cross (1967) à based on a true story about a man who joined with the Germans during the war and then became a British double-agent

1970's and 1980's – Hybrid genres of thriller and spy
-Clint Eastwood – Play Misty for me (1971) à about a jockey pursued by a disturbed female listener
-The conversation (1974) à a bugging-device expert uncovered a covert murder while he himself was being spied upon
-Brian De Palma – Blow out (1981) à about the effects on a man who witnessed the accidental killing of the governor

Brian De Palma includes themes of guilt, paranoia and obsession in his films. Similar plot elements include killing off a main character early on, switching points of view and dream sequences.

Chloe Barker