Created in 1928, Nosferatu by F.W. Murnau was one of the first iconic triller. Based on Dracula, this silent movie received wholehearted reviews and was accepted as a successful and timeless feature film. At this point in time, Germany was more advanced in developing thrillers by involving lots of expressionism. Due to the financial struggles resulting from the war, Germany developed expressionism films by using simple sets. For example a set could be made more realistic through the use of shadows, angles and perspective, conserving money.
In 1926, Hitchcock was the first person to make a successful thriller film, a Jack the Ripper type story. The Lodger was a silent film therefore increasing the suspense making it a positive reviewed thriller.
With positive reactions, Hitchcock released Britain's first sound film, however it was originally planned to be a silent film due to Hitchcock's negative attitude towards the idea of an 'all-talkie' film. Some critics agreed that the silent version was superior as that was how it was intended to be viewed. Although audiences were initially put back by films with sound, it was eventually voted the best British movie of 1929.
More and more directors began to release new thriller films, demonstrating its acceptance across the globe and its increasing popularity. The directors include Walter Forde, Victor Saville, George A. Cooper and Michael Powell.
Directed by Tod Browning, Freaks was an unpopular thriller film which was reviewed badly due to it being controversial but was regarded as being "aesthetically significant".
Thriller films began to grow in popularity as Hitchcock released yet another thriller. This was widely appreciated by audiences as demonstrated by its two awards; 'Best Picture' and 'Best Cinematography'
The thriller film noir, The Stranger, was directed by Orson Welles in the United States. It was regarded as a box office success as it grossed $3.216 million by using the treat of the Nazis to create fear and enjoyment in their demise.
Hitchcock continued to create thriller films, adding technicolour to his collection. One of his first productions was 'Stranger On A Train' which was reported to have elements from his previous films combined.
Regarded as being one of the most iconic, classic thrillers, Psycho is another example of Hitchcock's memorable work.
Jaws was written by Stephen Spielberg but was a remake of the original book, written by Peter Benchley. It was criticised for its lack of diversity but became a template for horror films due its iconic use of music.
Written by Stanley Kubrick and was based on Stephen King's novel, 'The Shining'. It uses the disruption of domestic life, paired with isolation and spiritual presences to create fear in all audience members. It was released as a mass market film and the responses from critics were mixed, but became more favourable
Written by Wes Craven, this films uses gore and psychological manipulation which all audience members can relate to, making it a successful slasher thriller film. It is recognised throughout pop culture as the rise in popularity of the antagonist along with its references to 'Edward Scissor-hands', encouraging critics to praise its ability to transgress the boundaries between 'imaginary and real' - Ian Conrich.
Written by Jonathan Demme, based on a novel. It uses cannibalism as one of the main traits of the film, which is an instinctive fear which all humans hold, making it a box office success. It grossed $272.7 million worldwide. Hannibal Lecter soon became an iconic character alongside Norman Bates, Jason and Freddie Krueger.
Directed by James Wong. This film contained an iconic scene of a plane crash, as well as other cliché scenes such as car on railway. Despite the lack of originality, the film was produced and shot well. Due to this it gained good reviews.
Directed by Alejandro Amenabar. This film is an American-Spanish supernatural, Gothic horror. It won eight Goya awards, including best film and best director. It was the first English language film ever to receive these awards and also won three Saturn awards.
Directed by Gore Verbinsk. This film is an American psychological horror starring Naomi Watts. It was a remake of the 1998 Japanese horror film, based on the book by Koji Suzuki. It was released in theatres on October 18th and received critical acclaim, praising the visuals of gore and character development. It became the highest earning horror film of the time.
Directed by Marcus Nipple. It was classified a slasher film which marketed a true story to attract a wider audience and as a subtle commentary on the eras political climate. Although the plot was entirely fictional, minor details were inspired by the crimes of real life murderer Ed Gein. Upon release it was banned in many countries and theatres due to the extensive violence but gained the reputation of the best horror film in history.
Directed by James wan. This was the first in the series and includes a lot of torture. It had a mixture of reviews, but gained a lot of money from the box office. The sequels were often compared to Hostel due to the graphic nature but the directors disagreed and said they were different in their own rights.
Directed by Eli Roth and produced by Quentin Tarantino. It received a mix of reviews as it featured a lot of graphic content and gore. There was a lot of imagery from the holocaust, forming links to the Nazi exploitation era.
Directed by Simon West. This film was a remake of Fred Walton's 1979 horror film of same name, known as a cult classic for its legendary opening twenty minutes, which this remake extended. The theatre version received overwhelming negative views but the film was a box office success.
Directed by David Fincher. This film was an American mystery thriller based on Robert Greysmith's non fiction book. The film was not shot entirely digitally as traditional high speed cameras were used for slow motion murder sequences. It received lots of positive reviews.
Directed by M Night Shaymalan. Although this film was a box office success, it received a lot of criticism regarding the plot and actors' performances. It was nominated for four awards but won none, and one of the actors commented that 'it was a really bad movie'.
Directed by Jaume Collet. It received mixed reviews due to the fact that, although it had dark humour, it failed to build on its interesting premise. This resulted in comments such as it 'degenerates into a formulaic, sleazy horror/thriller'. Although it was viewed as a cliché, it still had surprises and won one award.
Directed by James Wan. It was classified as am American supernatural film and was a huge success. This film was also used as the basis of the 2013 film 'Halloween horror nights'. It was nominated for nine awards and won two. It is known for being scary and haunting, although not as scary as others and some view it as predictable. Overall this film was praised for its ability to build suspense and its limited amount of gore.
We'd love to hear from you. Please send questions or feedback to the below email addresses.
Before contacting us, you may wish to visit our FAQs page which has lots of useful info on Tiki-Toki.
We can be contacted by email at: hello@tiki-toki.com.
You can also follow us on twitter at twitter.com/tiki_toki.
If you are having any problems with Tiki-Toki, please contact us as at: help@tiki-toki.com
Close