Defining the Genre

I have found a quintessential guide to a classic thriller in the library. this is what the story line is for most thrillers in the same way you could right about what happens i n a romantic comedy.

A relatively innocent character who normally avoids commitment and dissociates from conflict in life is abruptly caught in the snare of a menacing conspiracy. The character is completely bewildered and wants nothing more than to return to the normalcy of everyday life, but a powerful antagonist is committed to killing the main character in order to achieve a goal that threatens not only the protagonist, but the community at large. The protagonist, spurred by uncontrollable panic, runs to escape the antagonist, yet soon discovers that not only is escape impossible, but that there is no help forthcoming from supposed friends or trusted institutions. Instead, the protagonist must act alone by acquiring the strength of self sufficiency and out-maneuvering the antagonist in a battle of wits until, in the final confrontation, the protagonist defeats the menace by attacking the antagonist's vulnerability and exposing evil. Having changed from an avoider of conflict to a self-sufficient person, the protagonist now must face the larger world with a keenly sharpened vigilance.

Neil D. Hicks (2002). Writing The Thriller Film The Terror Within. California: Michael Wise Productions. p135.

This is really interesting as it shows what happens in the classic thriller film. this is really helpful for when we begin to come up with our story-line for a thriller as we will have this to work against to make sure that we are fitting everything in and that it is a thriller film.