What does the audience expect in a Thriller Film?

• One of the main characteristics of a thriller is the emotional response that it provokes in the audience. The aim is to stimulate a sense of anxious anticipation and uncertainty often heightened by unexpected and sudden events designed to make the audience who are already on the 'edge of their seats' jump or scream.
• The main character faces multiple dangerous situations that might result in death or serious injury, be it their own or another character in the film, usually somebody that they are close to to heighten the tension.
• The main character is often an innocent bystander who gets drawn into the dangerous situation inadvertently but may also be a character type routinely seen as a hero eg a fireman or a police officer.
• The pace of a thriller is often fast with a complex storyline.
• It usually initially appears that there is no way that the forces of good can overcome the forces of evil. However, one of the most important characteristics of the thriller genre is that the main character prevents a catastrophic event from occurring rather than purely discovering who is responsible for past crimes or events
• There is often an underlying moral lesson to be learned and justice usually prevails by the end of the film.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_%28genre%29