Location: In thriller films the location consists of rundown buildings and dark alleyways that people will not go to or walk towards, therefore the audience are aware that something frightful is going to happen. However, locations can be in a full-sized, bright house to trick the audience into thinking that nothing unfortunate is going to happen.
For example, in The Others, Nicole Kidman enters a room in her house that has sheets covering object. The covering of the objects builds tension as you wonder why they are hiding everything.
Mise-en-Scène:
Mise-en-Scène is used to add thriller to films and add suspense. Lighting can create different moods. Also, in thriller films there are a lot of shark objects such as glass and knives.
Lighting: The lighting would have highly shadow scene which give a sense of mystery. The lighting would be dark is some scene but can also be light. The dark lighting can be very eerie and makes the viewer’s become scared and suspicious. Instantly, through lighting you can tell who the antagonist is, or who the protagonist is.
Props: Guns, knives, Chains, Chairs are mainly used in thrillers.
Female Victims: Female victims are usually the ones being captured as they are seen as vulnerable and weak.
Weather: The weather is usually gloomy and raining however the scene can start of all sunny to give a different type of atmosphere and then suddenly the weather changes.
