Thriller/Mystery Genre - Intended Effects

Intended Effects

Different types of genres have different intended effects. Comedies are designed to make the audience laugh whilst horror films are designed to scare and unsettle the audience.

       

The main intended effect from films in the thriller genre is to create enigma or mystery for the audience by creating suspense and tension. This is achieved in a number of ways for example through the use of low-key lighting and editing techniques such as crosscutting, but also through slow camerawork and the use of sinister non-diegetic music. 

Perhaps the most common way that thriller films create enigma is by withholding narrative information from the audience and by using a fractured or non-linear narrative structure.