Directors

The choice of director can make or break and thriller film. Some are well known for having particular styles, others famous for one particular movie.

Alfred Hitchcock
Hitchcock has been referred too as the 'Master of suspense', with famous films such as:
Pyscho
The Birds
Vertigo
North by Northwest

And many more. Hitchcock was one of the first thriller directors to define the genre, and has become a household name. His films contain many iconic scenes, such as the stabbing in the shower scene in 'Pyscho', which has since been on the recieving end of many spoofs and remakes. Hitchcock was a very intelligent director who knew exactly what the audience wanted and knew how to give it to them. He knew how to keep an audience on their edge of their seat, 'There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.' He defined thriller films, making them more about the physocological effects of suspense and fear than the physical blood and gore that had been so present in films before. He had a very british, dry sense of humour, and wanted his films to be naturalistic instead of hollywood glamour, 'In films murders are always very clean. I show how difficult it is and what a messy thing it is to kill a man.' He was able to acknowledge the audience's worst fears and make them come to life on the screen.



Ridley Scott
Hannibal
Body of lies
Matchstick Men
Blade runner
Alien

Ridley Scott is best known for Alien, the thriller film with a horror hybrid. His innovative and original direction had led to films which have gone down in history, and have taken visual imagery to a new level. His ability to bring out the best in his actors, e.g. Harrison Ford in Blade Runner and Sigourney Weaber in Alien, has marked him as one of the all-time best directors ever.



Ron Howard
Angels and Demons
The Da Vinci Code
The Missing
Ransom
Back draft

A former actor, Ron Howard switched to directing. In total he's directed 28 films of all different genres, including most recently the Thriller/crime films The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons based on the best selling books by Dan Brown. These are thrillers because the audience goes on a journey of discovery with the lead character, played by Tom Hanks, and slowly unravels the mystery which keeps us on the edge of our seats.