Research into the history of Thriller Films - Miss Georgiou

Thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television programming that uses suspense, tension and excitement as the main elements. Thrillers heavily stimulate the viewers moods giving them high levels of anticipation, surprise, uncertainty, anxiety or terror. They tend to be adrenaline-rushing, gritty, rousing and fast pace.


The three apples, a tale in the one thousand and one nights, is the earliest known murder mystery film.In 1903 the first thriller was made according to Ken Follett which was The riddle of the sands.
Alfred Hitchcock first thriller was his third silent film the Lodger which was made in 1926.

1940s
In the 1940s Hitchcock continued to produce thrillers such as Rebecca the Oscar winning film which is about an unusual romance.

1950s
In the 1950s Hitchcock also added Technicolor to his thriller list. Non Hitchcock thrillers made throughout the 1950s are Niagara by Henry Hathaway which starred Marilyn Monroe also Robert Aldrich's Kiss me deadly who starred Ralph Meeker.

1960s
In 1960 Hitchcock produced the thriller Psycho. This film is known for one of the most famous films in the thriller genre where the shadowy mother figure holds a knife towards the camera.

1970s
Hitchcock's first British film in over almost two decades was made. Frenzy made in 1972 was given the rating R for its vicious and explicit strangulation scene.

Below is the top 20 grossing thriller films of all time.

Hannibal - The film Hannibal is a sequel to the award winning The silence of the Lambs.
The film is set 10 years after the film The silence of the lambs, The film concentrates on Starling's
'attempts to apprehend lector before his surviving victim, mason verger (an unbilled Gary Oldman)
captures and kills him'. The location of the film switches between the USA and Italy.

2. The silence of the lambs - The silence of the lambs is about a young F.B.I cadet who must
confide in an incarcerated and manipulative killer to receive his help on catching another serial killer
who skins his victim. The top billed cast include Jodie Foster, Lawrence A. Bonney and Kasi
Lemmon's.

3.  Basic instinct is about a Police Detective who is in charge of the investigation of a brutal
murder, in which a beautiful and seductive woman could be involved. The top billing cast include
Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone and George Dzundza.

Rank	Title (click to view)	Studio	Lifetime Gross / Theaters		Opening / Theaters		Date
1	Hannibal	MGM	$165,092,268	3,292	$58,003,121	3,230	2/9/01
2	The Silence of the Lambs	Orion	$130,742,922	1,642	$13,766,814	1,497	2/14/91
3	Basic Instinct	TriS	$117,727,224	1,884	$15,129,385	1,567	3/20/92
4	Seven	NL	$100,125,643	2,528	$13,949,807	2,441	9/22/95
5	Red Dragon	Uni.	$93,149,898	3,363	$36,540,945	3,357	10/4/02
6	Saw II	Lions	$87,039,965	2,949	$31,725,652	2,949	10/28/05
7	Saw III	LGF	$80,238,724	3,167	$33,610,391	3,167	10/27/06
8	The Bone Collector	Uni.	$66,518,655	2,623	$16,712,020	2,587	11/5/99
9	Saw IV	LGF	$63,300,095	3,183	$31,756,764	3,183	10/26/07
10	The Cell	NL	$61,334,059	2,476	$17,515,050	2,411	8/18/00
11	Kiss the Girls	Par.	$60,527,873	2,406	$13,215,167	2,271	10/3/97
12	Sea of Love	Uni.	$58,571,513	1,439	$10,017,840	1,246	9/15/89
13	Saw	Lions	$55,185,045	2,467	$18,276,468	2,315	10/29/04
14	Identity	Sony	$52,159,536	2,733	$16,225,263	2,733	4/25/03
15	Natural Born Killers	WB	$50,282,766	1,904	$11,166,687	1,510	8/26/94
16	Saw 3D	LGF	$45,710,178	2,808	$22,530,123	2,808	10/29/10
17	Psycho II	Uni.	$34,725,000	1,488	$8,310,244	1,448	6/3/83
18	Monster	NM	$34,469,210	1,093	$86,831	4	12/24/03
19	Zodiac	Par.	$33,080,084	2,379	$13,395,610	2,362	3/2/07
20	Taking Lives	WB	$32,682,342	2,705	$11,458,465	2,705	3/19/04