Opening sequence comparison

Horror Thrillers

For a film to be classed as a horror thriller, there must be a lot of tension and suspense. It must create a feel of uncertainty for the viewer as well as terror, there may also be a small amount of blood and gore to satisfy the horror factor of the film.

Psycho

In the 1960’s Alfred Hitchcock produced the film ‘Psycho’, the opening is in black and white and so it doesn’t really interest the viewer as it lacks a sense of excitement, however this may appeal to the older generations, the opening doesn’t set a clear scene, and there is no evident story line; the audience can tell that Psycho is a horror thriller sub genre from the music of the opening. The music is eerie and so catches the attention of the audience.

28 Weeks Later

28 weeks later is based on the outbreak of an infection that becomes an epidemic. The population is soon moved out but after 28 weeks they’re allowed to return but only to find that those who have passed away have become zombies and are after every living human being.  It’s a fairly intriguing thriller film and it also has all the elements that a horror film would have. It keeps the audience on their toes and makes them think, as a thriller should and it’s also fairly scary in places. It’s far different from psycho but both are still classed as

The Silence of the Lambs

This film is based around the escape of a psycho killer who returns to kill again. This is a horror thriller sub genre. It is a film that is has a lot of tension in it, making it a perfect for the thriller genre; there is also a substantial amount of blood making it fit into the horror sub-genre of the thriller category. There is also minimal music however the music that is used helps create an eerie atmosphere.

Comparison

The Silence of the Lambs and Psycho are quite similar. Both story lines are based on a serial killer and both are also old films, which becomes obvious when compared to newer thriller films such as 28 weeks later.  28 weeks later has a completely different take on thriller, which may be because it is more modern and is also directed by a different director.