Research - Favourite Thriller Films

Favourite Thriller Movies

A Quiet Place (2018)

One of my favourite thriller films is 'A Quiet Place', released in 2018. This film is an American post-apocalyptic sci-fi horror film directed by John Krasinski, who stars along side his wife Emily Blunt. The plot is based around a post-apocalyptic world that is overrun by extraterrestrial creatures that have high levels of hearing and will kill anything living that makes sound. The family have to survive in this world without making any noise, which obviously can't always be the case due to accidents that may be caused by the characters, which evokes a sense of tension and horror.

A Quiet Place (2018) - Full Trailer

Originally, Scott Beck and Bryan Woods began working on the story in 2014, then Paramount Pictures bought their spec script in 2017. Krasinski then joined as a director and wrote a new draft of the script. The film became a major box office hit and grossed $332 million worldwide, and received acclaim from critics, who praised its originality and atmosphere, as well as the acting, direction and sound design. It was said to be a "smart, wickedly frightening good time". The idea that the film is completely based of not making sound, and how that is evoked through the use of diegetic sound in the film, really helps to build excitement in the viewers and is one of the reason I really enjoyed this film and found it really interesting.

Breakdown of a scene by John Krasinski

IT (2017)

IT, is an American supernatural horror film directed by Andy Muschietti, based of the 1986 novel of the same name by Stephen King. The film is set in the summer of 1989 and tells the story of seven children in Derry, Maine, who are terrorized by the eponymous being, only to face their own demons in the process. The eponymous being, a terrifying clown named Pennywise, haunts the children and influences their greatest fear upon them throughout the film whilst trying to essentially eat them.

Pennywise the Clown, who is played by Bill Skarsgard is one of the main reasons I really enjoyed this movie. The ability that Skarsgard has to portray Pennywise as a scary clown really made the movie more enjoyable and really evoked the 'horror' aspect of the film a lot more. Furthermore, the voice acting of Pennywise I feel was done really well by Skarsgard and made him feel a lot more intimidating. On top of this, the actors and staff were said to stay away from Skarsgard during the off-stage sessions due to how scary he actually looked, even without visual effects.


IT (2017) - Opening Scene

Upon release the film grossed $700 million worldwide and set numerous box office awards. It received positive reviews, with critics praising the performances, direction, cinematography and musical score, with many calling it one of the best Stephen King adaptations. Furthermore, Skarsgard received praise from several film critics on his role as Pennywise and that it was very enjoyable to watch and experience. 

IT (2017) - Trailer

Don't Breathe (2016)


Don't Breathe is an American horror film directed by Fede Alvarez, and co written by Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues. The plot is about three teenagers who make a living by breaking into houses and selling stolen items. The teenagers find a home that houses a retired veteran who happens to be blind and pursue to rob him, based on a rumor that he has $300,000 in a safe in his house, which he received as compensation for when his daughter was killed in a car accident years ago. They believed that robbing the old man would be easy because he's blind, but they didn't expect him to end up almost killing all of them.

Don't Breathe (2016) - Full Trailer

The reason I really enjoyed this film is similar to A Quiet Place. The idea that the film is completely based around avoiding diegetic sounds and how a sound no matter how big or small will set of the antagonist, makes the film really thrilling to watch, on top of this there are several scenes within the film where there is complete silence and ambience which creates lots of tension. Overall the film received good praise from film critics and grossed $157 million.

Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Quiet_Place_(film) (Visited 15/01/19)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_(2017_film) (Visited 15/01/19)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Breathe  (Visited 15/01/19)