Mis-en-scene in thrillers

In the thriller genre there is common mis-en-scene within films, like a common weapon and settings and lighting.
Even though there are common elements they give off the same message to the audience.

Knife
Knives show pain, death, blood and brutality. It is commonly used to engage the viewers attention as it gives off the sign that someone is going to get killed. Knives can also be used to show what type of attack it was as knives usually give off a sign that the killing was personal or just torturous and prolonged.


Shadows


Shadows are also commonly used to give the thriller that sense of mystery and enigma. The killer is usually the shadowed person whilst the victim is usually watched by these shadows. it creates suspense as the shadow is a mystery to the audience watching and usually the victim doesn't realise that these "shadows" are watching them or following them. Shadows may give clues to the killer yet the audience have to work it out for them selves leaving them asking questions.

Detectives
More than often thrillers have a element of the justice system in the, and more than often this element is a detective, and we follow the same footsteps they do. It's a good feature as the audience finds out more as they find out more, the viewer will be basically thinking like the detective and solving the same clues as the detectives are. it makes the audience more empathetic with the film, and maybe sometimes the detectives themselves as often the detectives are caught up in a mess outside the investigation.









Running water

Even though it isn't a major part of the story line or plot running water does have a significance. It is a symbol of death or of life being drained away, it is also associated with blood and suggesting that the characters are in danger. Like in the thriller Psycho.

Location- There is three most commonly used locations in thrillers.

Cities
Cities are often a location for a thriller because it gives it a sense of reality, and brings it home. Cities are often used in psychological thrillers to make you have that fear and bring the drama alive.

Confined Spaces 
In majority of thrillers there will be a scene where the victim or "hero"(detective) is in a confined space giving a sense of no running from the situation. It makes the audience uneasy too because they know that there might be no escape. In Psycho the confined space is ironically the shower where the victim is killed. The shower scene also gives a sense of naivety as in confined spaces you usually cannot see what is going to happen as the victim cant see the killer. Confined spaces can also confuse people as you cannot see what is happening outside or if you can you cannot escape.

Woods/Isolated Places
Stereotypical thrillers use isolated places and woods to create tension and really give a sense of being alone and in danger. The use of these spaces also gives a sense of confusion and being lost. It makes the victim look vulnerable and if they did need help they wouldn't be able to find it as they're in the middle of no where.