Thriller subgenres-which is the best for us?

As with any genre the thriller genre has many sub genres within it- ranging from popular sub genres such as crime thriller to the less popular example such as medical thrillers. But which of these is the most effective; that applies to our own concept? Our  thriller contains elements from a range of sub genres, but can be placed into two significant categories.

Crime thriller

Crime thrillers are one of the most popular sub genres; and can be identified by certain distinguishing factors:

• Access to weapons- this is arguably as a result of the involvement of law in some form; but there are few exceptions in which the protagonist and villain do not have access to any form of weapon. The protagonist often possess these justly, as a police officer  or detective as in Se7en; while the villain may have obtained them illegally via theft or other criminal means- this provides a very subtle reinforcement of the difference between the villain and the hero- and in turn the difference between good and evil.
• Scenes of violence- a hallmark of the crime thriller is violence; and as often occurs with violence, gore. There is a sort of shock factor associated with these; but (depending on the quality/ budget of the film) often these will be used purely for content and ensuring the film has enough intensity  and interest for the target audience. 
• Human danger- the source of danger in a crime thriller is invariably human. This is partially because a sense of realism is key to the success of the film; scenes of violence alone would create a substantial plot, thus there is the need for some emotive explanation o
• Involvement of law enforcement services- this is either the cause of or a means of explaining access to weapons

Psychological thriller

Psychological thrillers are identified by a greater sense of subtlety in the presentation of danger and further intricacies of plot that may not necessarily be found within other sub genres such as crime. Key aspects include:

• Mind games- the protagonist perception of events and possible alterations to these perceptions by outside  sources is one of the mot notable features- it is after all "psychological" and thus reliant on audience and character interpretation of events within the storyline which are manipulated to mislead both of the above, thus creating the necessary fear and confusion that is typical of the psychological thriller.
• Lower level of violent scenes- as with anything this varies from film to film, but psychological thrillers as a general rule have fewer scenes of violence than other sub genres. This is due to one of its distinctive features: the reliance on the creation of a subtle threat- rather than seeking quick shocks via the use of gore and drama the dramatic and emotive impact is executed through the use of mounting tension within the storyline due to crucial developments in the protagonist's understanding of events, or significant events themselves.
• Little information given about source of danger- a commonly recurring feature is the lack of knowledge about the source of the trouble; be it human or otherwise. In the case of a human threat such as a killer; little is initially known about the antagonist and their motives beyond his or her criminal activity. This device is used to enhance the mystery an suspense of the piece, and when used in juxtaposition with the use of mind games creates an intense and almost fantastical presentation of the killer- often within psychological thrillers the villain becomes like the monster under the bed; a near fictionalised danger. (That is until the end of the film at which point there will be a sort of "big reveal" of the killer's identity)
• May include some paranormal or fantastical elements; but films such as this are not common as this tends to fit more within the horror genre. An example of a thriller containing these elements is the butterfly effect; which centers around the idea that the protagonist has the power to change the future. Often these paranormal or fantastical elements play some sort of role in the character's moral development; as within the butterfly effect the protagonist comes to realise   that there are some things which cannot be changed, that there is always some losing party no matter what you do. This moral development is something which is (usually) at its conclusion by the end of the film; leaving the characters wiser-but not necessarily happier.

There are a few films which may be useful to investigate that 
apply to these genres: 

• The butterfly effect
• Silence of the lambs 
• Law abiding citizen 

I think these films are something which may be useful in the further development of our film, and we'll follow these through with several opening sequence analysis which will hopefully give use a wider range of ideas and influences to draw on.