Subgenres

Spy thrillers (also a subgenre of spy fiction), in which the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or (in recent years) terrorists. Exa

mples include From Russia with Love by Ian Fleming, The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, and television series such as Mission: Impossible and 24 (the second demons

trating a break from the norm by Robert Ludlum, as it is as much a psychological thriller as a spy thriller.)

Conspiracy thrillers, in which the hero confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he recognizes. Three Days of the Condor, for example, falls into this category.

Erotic Thrillers, Film sub-genre which consists of erotica and thriller and had become popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration. The genre includes films such as Basic Instinct.

Legal Thrillers, in which the lawyer-heroes confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives. The Pelican Brief by John Grisham is a well known example of the this subgenre.

Psychological thrillers, in which (until the often violent resolution) conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional 

rather than physical. Alfred Hitchcock’s film Shadow of a Doubt.

Horror thriller, in which conflict between the main characters is mental, emotional, and physical. Two recent examples of this include the Saw series of films and the Danny Boyle film 28 Days Later. What sets the Horror Thriller apart is the main element of fear throughout the story. The main characters are not only up against a superior force in the form of a monster or monsters, but they are or will soon become the victims themselves and directly feel the fear that comes by attracting the monster's attention.

Disaster thriller, in which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes.