In 1974, Metz wrote a book named "Language and Cinema". The book looked at different genre trends and how it develops. He mentions how genre goes through different stages in order to progress.:
- The Experimental
- The Classic
- The Parody
- The Reconstruction
Experimental
This is where the genre is established and different scenarios are experimented with. An example of this is in the late 70’s and early 80’s this stage began to employ psychological origins to the thriller genre. For example 'Scream'.
Classic
An original piece of work which is developing the initial codes and conventions of the genre. For example in 1926 the Thriller movie genre was established with silent thriller film. Alfred Hitcock (an amateur director) defined the thriller genre with his suspense thrillers with the success of films such as ‘Rebecca’ (1940). Hitchock explored instrumental ideas whilst establishing the thriller movie genre which still has a major influence today. A classic example of thriller movies experimenting with sound, acting and visuals is 'Psycho'.
Parody
In the 90's the development stage reached a point at which thriller scenes and movies used comedic effects which watered down expectations of the stereotypical film genre. A good example of this is the "scary movie" series.
Deconstruction
The thriller has now fused with several other genres creating sub categories the most established being sci-fi/thriller or horror/thriller. This has allowed the thriller genre to evolve creating more variety within the genre field.
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