The Roaring Twenties and 1930s

Some of the first successful thriller films were directed by British film pioneer, Sir Alfred Hitchcock in the late 1920s. These included Blackmail (1929) which was the very first sound film produced in Great Britain, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) and Murder! (1930). Spy films also began to surface and materialise during this era as Spies (Directed by Fritz Lang and released in 1928) was released. 

1940s and 1950s

Hitchcock continued to make his name known throughout the film world in the 1940s by releasing Rebecca (1940), which stars Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. He also went on to release Suspicion (1941), Saboteur (1942) and Shadow of a Doubt (1943). Hitchcock himself said that Shadow of a Doubt was his favourite movie and it was based on a real life serial killer from the 1920s known as The Merry Widow Murderer. Other notable films released during this decade included: The Lady From Shanghai (1948) starring Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth, The Third Man (1949) and Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)

Spy films also continued to be released at this time as Cloak and Dagger starring Gary Cooper was released in 1946 was based on the co-developer of the Atomic Bomb (J. Robert Oppenheimer)

 

The Swinging Sixties and 1970s

The swinging sixties was a time of great change in the world and it was no different for the world of film, more films were being released in colour and stories were becoming darker as society accepted change.

Alfred Hitchcock released the famous ‘Psycho’ (1960) starring Anthony Perkins about a motel owner and taxidermist. Cape Fear was released in 1962 by J. Lee Thompson and starred Gregory Peck. The romantic thriller Charade which included many plot twists was directed by Stanley Donen and released in 1963. It starred Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. Roman Polanski also released his first film – Repulsion in 1965 starring Catherine Deneuve .

More spy films began to pop up as the James Bond films starring Sean Connery began to become favourites of the public. The Spy Who Came From The Cold (1965), The Deadly Affair(1967) and The Triple Cross (1967) were also released.

During the 1970s more violent and graphic thriller films were released such as Frenzy (1972), Alfred Hitchcock’s return to British Film after almost 20 years away in Hollywood and was given an R for the graphic content involving a scene in which a person is strangled. Play Misty For Me (1971) was Clint Eastwood’s directional debut and was a psychological thriller featuring the story of a disc jockey who is pursued by a disturbed female.

 

Francis Ford Coppola also released another spy thriller titled ‘The Conversation’ and it was released in 1974 starring Gene Hackman as a bugging device expert who eventually discovers that he is being spied on himself. Brian De Palma also released several films during the 70s and 80s and these included: Sisters (1973), a psycho-thirller, Obsession in 1976.

Another director Brian De Palma emerged during the 70s and he used a distinct style which contained themes of guilt, voyeurism, paranoia and obsession. He often liked to kill main characters off quickly in films and included dream sequences. Some of his films include: Sisters (1973), Obsession (1976), Dressed to Kill (1980), Blow Out (1981) and Body Double.

Spy films also continued to be released during this period with films such as The Black Windmill (1974), The Parallax view (1974) and Dead Calm (1989) starring Nicole Kidman.

 

1990s to present day

One of the first thriller films of the 90s was Misery (1990) which was based on a book by Stephen King. This was followed by other films including: The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), Sleeping with the Enemy (1991), The Talented Mr Ripley (1999). The highly rated The Silence of the Lambs was released in 1991 starring Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins.

Many of today’s thrillers now use elements of horror and include adult themes such as murder, rape and other unsettling elements. Films that included this approach include Eden Lake (2008), P2 (2007) and Funny Games (2008).

However some thrillers in recent years now include elements of action and adventure. These include films such as Joy Ride (2001) and Unknown (2011)

 

 

Information from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre) )