What are the characteristics of a thriller? - Part 5 - Locations and plot

The location of a thriller is also a subtly quite important part of a thriller; it sets the mood for the viewers and can sometimes give them an idea of what’s to come. For example a location in the vast sandy desert may suggest a disaster or survival thriller. A dark urban city such as that in Batman might suggest a lot of crime and would be seen as a crime or action thriller.

Captain Phillips - 2013 was mostly located on a small lifeboat in the ocean.

A plot on the other hand is different. It tells the viewer the actual story of the thriller and without a good one it would confuse the viewer and would make the movie boring. Plots in a thriller most often include features such as cliff hangers, sudden twists, and general scary yet exiting action scenes. Some don’t need much action at all to tell a good story. A good example of this is the movie Captain Phillips which has a limited amount of actual action but this is accounted for by the great story that brings emotion, tension and suspension to the viewers.