Genre AnalysisRomantic Thriller

What is a Romantic Thriller?• Romantic thriller in terms of genres, is a hybrid genre (a genre in

fiction that blends themes and elements from two or more different genres).

• The genre works on two levels. First a specific theme exists. Then general relationships, patterns and structural elements are merged with the specific theme. This means that there can be a large variety of visual styles and story structures in romantic thriller.

• This allows for a wide range of production techniques to be used to create a desired effect as well as it being able to appeal to a larger and more varied target audience than a simple Thriller or Romance film would.

• A Romantic Thriller is a good film to contrast because the genres are so different and varied from each other, allowing for an interesting and somewhat unique production.

Stereotypical Characters you see in a Romantic Thriller

• Males tend to be possessive and overpowering, the male figure in the ‘love’ story tends to be obsessed with the female characters, for example something similar to the narrative in the film ‘Prom Night’.

• Female characters tend to depend on the male characters for protection. Females tend to be portrayed as feeble and unable to fend for themselves in when it comes to dangerous situations with the villain of the story.

• However when the romance aspects of the genre come into play the female roles sort of take the lead as, stereotypically, women invest more time in romance than men tend to.

Target Audience

• Romantic Thrillers attract a wide audience due to the vast contrast between the two genres.

• For example, the typical audience attracted to a romance film are generally females, tending to age from 16+.

• • Thrillers are mainly appealing to males, due to

the somewhat violent nature and slight action aspects of the genre.

HERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF

ROMANTIC THRILLERS!

The Bodyguard (1992)• The Bodyguard is a 1992 American romantic thriller film

starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston. Released on June 13th 1992.

• Costner stars as a former Secret Service Agent-turned-bodyguard who is hired to protect Houston's character, a music star, from an unknown stalker.

• Lawrence Kasdan wrote the film in the 1970s, it was directed by Mick Jackson, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, and had a budget of $25 million.

• It was the second highest-grossing film of 1992, worldwide. At the time, the film became one of the 100 all-time highest grossing films across the globe making $411 million, despite mixed to negative reviews from critics.

• The soundtrack became the best-selling soundtrack of all time, selling more than 45 million copies worldwide.

• In the United States, The Bodyguard opened on November 25, 1992 in 1,717 theatres. It made $16.6 million in its opening weekend. The film was in theatres for thirteen non-consecutive weeks, ultimately grossing $121.9 million USA, and $410.9 million worldwide.

Prom Night (2008)• Directed by Nelson McCormick and starring Brittany Snow. The

film is a re-imagining of the 1980 Canadian horror film of the same name.

• The budget for the film was $20 million. It was produced by Original Film and Newmarket Films in association with Alliance Films, which holds the rights to the original franchise, along with sequel rights.

• It was released in the United States by Screen Gems, in Canada by Alliance Films, and in Australia by Sony Pictures. The film was shot in the vicinity of South Pasadena, California as the location for Donna Kepple's home. Park Plaza Hotel (Los Angeles) was used as the location for Prom. The Yaquina Bay Bridge is shown in the opening scenes of the movie.

• Although ‘Prom Night’ is technically a slasher film, there are romantic thriller aspects to the movie. For example the main back story is about a teacher who fell in love with one of his students, he then becomes obsessed with her and makes sure nothing stands in the way of their ‘love’. So in some twisted way, there are romance connotations.

• The film massively subverts the stereotypes that come hand in hand with a romance film. For one the female lead doesn’t consent to her psychotic ex teachers, ‘love’.

Prom Night (2008)• In its opening weekend, the film grossed $20,804,941 in 2,700

theatres in the United States and Canada, ranking #1 at the box office and averaging $7,705 per theatre, despite harsh critical reviews. In Australia, Prom Night opened at the #3 position making $854,514, just behind Superhero Movie and The Spiderwick Chronicles.

• In the United Kingdom, Prom Night opened at the #4 position making £507,985, just behind Sex and the City, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Superhero Movie. The film has a domestic gross of $43,869,350 and a foreign gross of $12,728,210 for a worldwide total of $56,597,560. According to Boxofficemojo, the film is currently ranked as the 16th highest grossing slasher film and the 14th best Horror Remake.

• The DVD was released on August 19, 2008 in theatrical (88 min.) and unrated (89 min.) versions. It was released in Australia on Blu-ray and 2 Disc DVD Edition on August 27, 2008. In FYE stores in the US, the unrated edition came with a bonus disc called "Body Count: Investigating the Murders of Prom Night", which is a 22-minute documentary about the murders of various characters about the film, as well as various techniques the director used to make the murders scarier. Includes interviews with Nelson McCormick (director) and other members of the cast of the film.

The Tourist (2010)• The Tourist is a romantic comedy thriller co-written

and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp.

• It is based on Anthony Zimmer. Graham King Films financed and produced the film, with Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions releasing it in most countries through Columbia Pictures. The $100 million-budgeted film went on to gross $278,346,189 million at the worldwide box office.

• The film was nominated for three Golden Globes.• Filming began in Paris with Angelina Jolie on

February 23, 2010 and then the production moved to Venice, where Depp joined the cast, on March 1.

• The whole film was made in only a little over 11 months, counting from the day Henckel von Donnersmarck came on board to re-write and direct to the day of the premiere in New York.

The Adjustment Bureau (2011)• The Adjustment Bureau is a 2011 American romantic

science fiction thriller film loosely based on the Philip K. Dick short story, "Adjustment Team". The film was written and directed by George Nolfi and stars Matt Damon and Emily Blunt.

• It had a budget of $50.2 million andIn its opening weekend in the United States (March 4–6, 2011), The film grossed $21,157,730, which was the second most of any film that weekend, behind Rango. Its total worldwide gross is $127,869,379 as of December 18, 2011.

• The film had its World premiere on February 14, 2011, at the Ziegfeld Theatre on 141 West 54th Street in New York City. Writer/director George Nolfi was in attendance along with various cast members.

• The Adjustment Bureau was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on June 21, 2011. The film was the top selling release for its opening week.

• Media Rights Capital funded the film and then auctioned it to distributors, with Universal Studios putting in the winning bid for $62 million.