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First Thriller Film
Alfred Hitchcock, an English film director and producer who was nicknamed "The Master of Suspense" released his first thriller film which was a silent film name "The Lodger". The plot is about the hunt for a serial killer in London. The film introduced themes that were to be shown in Alfred Hitchcock's later work and helped to shape the modern-day thriller genre. -
Spies
German director, Fritz Lang, released his first Spy-thriller silent film, which was one of the earliest spy films. His wife was the co-writer and this film was the first film he produced from his own production company. Relating to how it impacted the modern-day thriller films, it anticipated the James Bond films of the future. -
Blackmail
Alfred Hitchcock's second thriller film named "Blackmail" is about a London woman who is blackmailed after killing a man who tries to rape her. It is a hybrid of a thriller, drama film and is Britain's first sound film, therefore marking a significant moment in thriller genre history. In this film, Alfred Hitchcock made his longest cameo appearance out of all 39 that he ever made. -
M
This is one of the earliest hybrids of a drama-thriller film, which was directed by Fritz Lang. It's considered a classic, where the director quoted that this was his finest work. The actor, Peter Lorre, starred in this film where it kick-started his career. He stars as a child murderer and the plot therefore shows the drama and thriller aspects of the investigation. -
The Man Who Knew Too Much
This film, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is a British thriller film; one of the most successful and critically acclaimed films by this director's British period. It was remade in 1956 for Paramount Pictures, however it was very different to the original. The plot follows a murder, kidnapping, assassins and suicide. -
Rebecca
This is Alfred Hitchcock's first American film: a psychological drama-thriller, based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier. The film won two awards for Outstanding Production and Cinematography, as well as the actors all being nominated for an Oscar. -
Foreign Correspondent
After a very succesful kickstart to Alfred Hitchcock's career, he directed his second American film that is a spy-thriller hybrid. It's based on an American reporter who attempted to expose enemy spies in Britain, which leads to a series of events and a fictionalised World War Two. Alfred Hitchcock started to use famous actors and actresses is his films, for example, this film starred Joel McCrea. -
Suspicion
This a romantic-psychological-thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It was the only film directed by him, where the actress received an Oscar award. -
Gaslight
This film directed by George Cukor was the second adaptation from Patrick Hamiltion's play after Thorold Dickinson also directed a film based on it. This film is an example of how other directors began to create more thriller films, after witnesses Alfred Hitchcock's success. -
Niagara
It is an American thriller-film noir directed by Henry Hathaway, and unlike other films of the same hybrid, this film was filmed in technicolour and was one of the biggest box office hits of the year. The actress, Marilyn Monroe, was given first billing which gave her the status which helped raise her career. -
The Night of the Hunter
Directed by Charles Laughton, the plot was influenced by the true story of serial killer Harry Powers. The film's style sets it apart from other Hollywood films of the 1940's and 50's, influencing directos such as Jim Jarmusch and the Coen brothers. -
Vertigo
An American psychological-thriller film directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, based on a novel by Alec Coppel and Samuel Taylor. It is the first film to use the dolly zoom, which was shot on location in California at the Paramont Studios. -
Peeping Tom
A British thriller-horror film directed by Michael Powell. After witnessing Alfred Hitchcock's work (named: The Master of Suspense), it can be very difficult to create a film just as good. The film's plot revolves around a serial killer who films the women he murders. Due to the controversial subject, the film received very negetive critics which destroyed the directors career. Despite that, nowadays it is considered a masterpiece. -
Psycho
In 1960 Alfred Hitchcock directed Psycho, an American horror-thriller film. The film received outstanding box office reviews and four Academy Award nominations (one being Best Director for Hitchcock). Nowadays it is considered one of the best films directed by Alfred Hitchcock and it is widely recognised for it's cinematic art. The shower scene is one of the most famous scenes from a film in thriller history, which took a week to shoot due to the final scene showing 70 shots in 45 seconds. -
Duel
Director Steven Spielberg released his first thriller film, which had a very different plot to most films fo that genre. The plot follows a scared motorist as he is being stalked by a truck on a remote road. It was orginally a television film, but later became a full-length theatrical. The success of Duel boosted Steven's career and has helped to acclaim his now title: a leading pioneer of the New Hollywood era. The film won an Emmy award for Outstanding Achievement in Film Sound Editing. -
Obsession
A psychological-thriller film directed by Brian De Palma. The narrative was inspired by Alfred Hitchock's film "Vertigo", which shows how infulential he was as a director. -
Misery
An American psychological-thriller film based on Stephen King's novel. His novels influenced many films, however Misery was the only adaptation to win an Oscar award. -
Captivity
This film is a horror-thriller hybrid and shows how as time has progressed, thriller films are becoming more in depth and linked to the horror genre. Elements from the first thriller films are still used, but a higher rate of brutality, terroe and gore and shown.
