Thrillers

The thriller is perhaps the most popular and widespread movie genre--and the most difficult to define. Thrillers can contain gangsters or ghosts space helmets or fedoras. They charge our familiar world with a spirit of exotic old-fashioned adventure. They give us pleasure by making us uncomfortable--on the edge of our seats. Thrillers provides a comprehensive treatment of this genre from silent serials to stalker films from Alfred Hitchcock to Quentin Tarantino from The Great Train Robbery to L.A. Confidential. This accessible wide-ranging volume is designed to appeal to students and general filmgoers alike and shows how this visceral double-faced film genre has aroused our intense sensations throughout decades of American cinema.