These are the sub-genres of the thriller genre which gives more detail to how a thriller should be laid out, in addition to giving specific examples of specific films for each sub-genre category

Thriller sub-genres

This type of genre consists of some sort of hero or heroine who are stereotypically journalists or armature investigators who find themselves trapped in a very powerful organisation. The story later on unravelling powerful evidence in addition to many enemies who try to keep the secret organisations alive through lies and propaganda. These companies are then brought down by the protagonist character. This type of genre plays with the identification of good to overrule the evil in the world. Conspiracy thrillers often play with the secrecy of governments and major organisations in history.

Conspiracy Thrillers

Religious Thrillers!This subgenre connects the plots closely religious objects, institutions and questions. Many religious related films usually unravel the good and bad points about religion in particular the catholic belief. This connoting the good and how it overcomes the bad in films, through a quest to finding out the truth.

The hybrid between crime and thriller has created a more suspenseful account to showing successful and failed crime acts on film. Crime thriller's often focus more on the criminals and their activities in leading up to the crime or in retrospect the ending of the film leading back to how it all started. Crime thrillers usually emphasise action over psychological aspects although there is also a psychological part to this genre as-well. Central topics of the films include serial killers & murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, heists and double-crosses.

Crime thrillers!

This particular genre follows a certain groups or persons survival in conflict with natural or artificial disaster like floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes. Many disaster film have also had causes of human activity that has brought mankind to the brink of extinction through nuclear disasters which are artificial disaster. This type of genre plays with what the future is going to bring for mankind if such disasters were to happen.

Disaster thrillers!

This particular sub-genre relates a lot to crime thrillers. It focuses mostly on the efforts of the detective or private investigator in order to solve the mystery . This sub-genre looks at the circumstances of the mystery or crime itself in order to try figure out what the clues are, audiences usually take part in trying to uncover the crime. This genre gets into the psyche of the audiences as audiences are have a prime offence that they also follow as the protagonist is finding out information as well. This brings more dramatic effect to the films during the investigation in order to know what the crime is.

Mystery thrillers!

This sub-genre looks into the stability of a government and the reliance on a hero or heroine who must ensure the stability of the government that employs him in order to prevent a bad things happening. Commonly used scenarios are the US presidential elections and the preventions of world wars occurring.

Political thrillers!

Physiological thrillers!

This is the quintessential sub-genre of thriller that is implemented into all the sub-thriller genres. It plays with the audiences minds and produces suspense in film because it reflects the main characters conflict being mental and emotional hindered. It shows the mentality of a character and the thought processes that they go through which makes this sub-genre so suspenseful.

Supernatural thrillersSupernatural thriller often bring an otherworldly element that shows something out of the ordinary happening to a protagonist that has to overcome this powerful factor. This genre is also mixed in with tension and suspense in addition to also having unsuspected twist during the film. The protagonist or villains usually have a supernatural gift that help them get to the source of the problem. This subgenre is very closely linked in with religious thrillers as usually daemons entering the human body, alien life form, apparitions or the possession of a pivotal character is a element of a supernatural thriller film.

Techno thriller look into the manipulation of sophisticated technology playing a prominent part in taking over the world giving the new world order where mankind is over run by robots. This particular subgenre is mainly based on fictional speculations on life that tend to follow a science fiction trend. Common themes linked in with this sub-genre is world wars, action and science fictional occurrences like aliens taking over with new technologies.

Techno thrillers