Film Openings Mystery/Thriller

 To help us have inspiration and better understanding on what our blog post should look like I have watched 3 film openings in the mystery/thriller genre and i’m going to talk about them.

The first film opening i watched was Knives Out. As soon as it begins it feels like a very important puzzle. By starting with the discovery of a body in a grand, eccentric mansion, the film establishes that the setting is just as much a character as the people. It uses visual cues to tell the audience that this is a psycological mystery. It focuses on the aftermath of a crime, making the viewer to look backward to find the truth. This is a classic mystery movie. It pays homage to the "Golden Age" mysteries of Agatha Christie. This film opening tells us the problem right away and detailed which helps the audience start guessing and figure out who did it right away.

Knives Out (2019)

The second film opening i watched was of Carry-on. It’s starts in a familiar, but stressful environment which is the airport. It taps into common anxieties about security. It’s all about a threat. It shows a tension between people and a problem. No one knows who caused it. This is a a “Hostage Thriller”, meaning the situation is high-stakes and very nerve wracking. Unlike a mystery where we look for a killer, this film is about high-speed tension. It relies on a single moment that changes the hero's life forever to start a timed scenario.

Carry On (2024)

The third and last film opening i watched was of Murder Mystery focuses on character development rather than the crime itself. By spending time on the couple’s everyday lives and their desire or adventure, the film makes the eventual feel like an exciting disruption rather than a tragedy. It uses the "Invitation to Danger" trope, where a chance encounter leads to a new exciting world. The simple, bright, and comedic opening tells the audience that while there will be a mystery, it is meant to be fun and lighthearted. This is a “Comedy-Mystery”. It takes the serious parts of a murder mystery and develops the plot with laughs and contrasts a very serious life or death situation with their casual personalities.

Murder Mystery (2019)

These three film openings helped me get inspiration and a better understanding of the different types of mystery/thriller films. Although they all are mystery/thriller they each have different qualities that makes them all be different from one another. This give me more ideas and a wider range of options for my own film opening