When new shocker films are ready to be streamed, not everyone can tell directly from the description whether they are crime thrillers or thrillers. Certain characteristics clearly separate the genres from each other. Read more about this at TECHBOOK.
Differences between crime and thriller
A “Thriller” (from English “to thrill” = to shudder, to excite) generally provides the viewer with a good deal of thrills. Here is already a first small difference to the thriller, where criminal cases of different kinds are dealt with, but the plot is not necessarily exciting.
The respective origin of the word helps at least a little when distinguishing between crime and thriller. TECHBOOK explains it in more detail.
The plot is structured differently
A major difference lies in the structure of the plot. Crime novels are characterized by the fact that the case happened before or at the latest at the beginning of the audience presence. The film starts with a corpse being found, for example. It’s different with a thriller. Here, the crime usually occurs later in the story.
Also interesting: The 14 best crime series on Netflix
What further distinguishes the plot from crime and thriller is the build-up of tension. This is very important in thrillers – in crime, on the other hand, where the crime has generally happened in the past, the viewer’s pulse remains more moderate.
Crime has less shock factor than thriller
The danger posed by the plot also defines whether it is a detective story or a thriller. Of course, it can get more exciting with a crime thriller, for example when the investigator wants to convict the perpetrator and thus becomes a target himself. But real depictions of violence, let alone scenes in which the viewer wants to cover their eyes, are rather rare in crime novels.
On the other hand, the danger for the characters in the context of a thriller plot is significantly greater. Violence is an integral part and so is pain, injury, distress or fear (e.g. due to psychological violence).
Also interesting: These are the scariest horror movies of all time
What is a psychological thriller?
In the case of psychological thrillers, also known as “psychological thrillers”, the crimes are often based on the individual, often disturbed perception of the main character. She is sometimes mentally ill or at least has had traumatic experiences. Above all, the genre is characterized by involving the viewer in the mental world of the perpetrator at the latest from a certain point in time. Psychological thrillers are generally considered to be harder (compared to “normal” thrillers and crime novels) because they activate the mental cinema and often take place in everyday situations – they have an after-effect, so to speak.
The detective is almost always the protagonist in a detective story
In a thriller, the main character can be any character within the plot and become one of the victims themselves. Not unusual that the crime is imminent or that its planning is integrated into the plot.
In the crime thriller, on the other hand, the protagonist is almost always the person investigating the case. Classically, the viewer discovers the facts together with her.