What is a thriller?

As our final piece will be based on a thriller genre, I wondered, what makes a thriller and how could I use this evidence for my final coursework piece?

To me, a thriller is composed of low lighting, deep and low bass music, a creepy lurking antagonist looking to plot against the protagonist whilst they are trying to resolving the issue at hand. The antagonist is usually always represented as a dark, sinister character with a dark edgy look; whereas usually the protagonist is perceived as innocent, generally the complete opposite. There is multiple types of sub genres involved with the main genre 'thriller' -

• Horror - Silence of the Lambs
• Psychological - Seven
• Spy - James Bond
• Military - Saving Private Ryan
• Forensic - The Bone Collector

I take a deep interest in films in the thriller genres,t his is because as an audience, I believe that after watching a good thriller film that the same situation could happen to myself. Therefore, I know that my final piece will have to be realistic, to the point of knowing that the scenario could happen to the film's audience.