What is a Thriller?

A Thriller is generally described as a tension creating and suspense filling story, The thriller genre is usually portrayed through film and television, literature and gaming. Usually, some conventions of thrillers are fast paced action and tension building music, short intervals between the action and victorious heroes of the story who triumph over the better organised and powerful villains. If a vast amount of tension is created, the medium is generally considered to be a thriller. Thrillers are often accompanied by a sub-genre. For example, it is not unusual for aspects of mystery, horror, psychological elements and even comedy to be included under the thriller genre. The addition of these genres means that tension is often increased and the narrative is made stronger.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_thriller

Stereotypically, thrillers are usually set abroad, often in luxurious locations, exotic countries, deserts and polar regions. The characters we see are usually very strong-minded or are used to dangerous situations, and there are often situations where the hero has to save a weaker character or a large group of people. The protagonists are often law-abiding men, or everyday citizens who have been forced into to the action and have to deal with the dangerous situations themselves. The narratives of thrillers often include violent fights and large amounts of confrontation that involve the protagonist. Story lines often revolve around assassinations, murders and serial killings, terrorist attacks, kidnappings and captive situations. Often, the hero is killed in the process of trying to save another persons life.

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)