The American television series Columbo, starred Peter Falk as Columbo, a homicide detective with the LAPD. Columbo (the character) is a shrewd blue-collar homicide detective whose trademarks include his rumpled beige raincoat and a generally disheveled appearance while smoking a cigar.
The series popularized the inverted detective story format, in which the story begins by showing the commission of the crime and its perpetrator. So there is no "whodunit" element, instead each episode revolves around how a perpetrator known to the audience will finally be caught and exposed (often referred to as a "howcatchem").
R. Austin Freeman described how he invented the inverted detective story in his 1912 collection of short stories The Singing Bone.
Other categories of crime fiction:
- Detective fiction: a subgenera of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—either professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder.
- The cozy mystery: a subgenre of detective fiction in which profanity, sex, and violence are downplayed or treated humorously.
- The whodunit: the most common form of detective fiction. It features a complex, plot-driven story in which the reader is provided with clues from which the identity of the perpetrator of the crime may be deduced before the solution is revealed at the end of the book.
- The historical whodunnit: also a subgenre of historical fiction. The setting of the story and the crime has some historical significance.
- The locked room mystery: a specialized kind of a whodunit in which the crime is committed under apparently impossible circumstances, such as a locked room which no intruder could have entered or left.
- The American hardboiled school: distinguished by the unsentimental portrayal of sex and violence; the sleuth usually also confronts danger and engages in violence.
- The police procedural: the detective is a member of the police, and thus the activities of a police force are usually convincingly depicted.
- Forensic crime fiction: similar to the police procedural. The investigator the reader follows is usually a medical examiner or pathologist—they must use the forensic evidence left on the body and at the crime scene to catch the killer. This subgenre was first introduced by Patricia Cornwell.
- The legal thriller: the major characters are lawyers and their employees, and they become involved in proving their cases.
- The spy novel: the major characters are spies, usually working for an intelligence agency.
- The caper story and the criminal novel: the stories are told from the point of view of the criminals.
- The psychological thriller or psychological suspense: this specific subgenre of the thriller genre also incorporates elements from detective fiction, as the protagonist must solve the mystery of the psychological conflict presented in these types of stories.
- The parody or spoof.
- The crime thriller: A thriller in which the central characters are involved in crime, either in its investigation, as the perpetrator or, less commonly, a victim.
Action thriller
Action thriller is a blend of both action and thriller film in which the protagonist confronts dangerous adversaries, obstacles, or situations which he/she must conquer, normally in an action setting. Action thrillers usually feature a race against the clock, weapons and explosions, frequent violence, and a clear antagonist. Examples include, Phantom Raiders, Nick Carter Master Detective, Dirty Harry, Taken, The Fugitive, Snakes on a Plane, Speed, The Dark Knight, Casino Royale, The Hurt Locker, The Terminator, Battle Royale, the Die Hard series, and the Bourne series.
Comedy thriller
Comedy thriller is a genre that combines elements of humor with suspense. Such films include Silver Streak, Dr. Strangelove, Charade, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, In Bruges, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Man, The Big Fix, Pocket Listing (film) and The Lady Vanishes.
Conspiracy thriller
Conspiracy thriller a genre in which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only she/he recognizes. The Chancellor Manuscript and The Aquitaine Progression by Robert Ludlum fall into this category, as do films such as Awake, Snake Eyes, The Da Vinci Code, Edge of Darkness, Absolute Power, Marathon Man, In the Line of Fire, Capricorn One, and JFK.
Crime thriller
Crime thriller as an genre is a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers, which offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. Such films often focus on the criminal(s) rather than a policeman. Central topics include serial killers/murders, robberies, chases, shootouts, heists, and double-crosses. Some examples of crime thrillers involving murderers are Seven, No Country for Old Men, Heat, The Fugitive, New Jack City, The Silence Of The Lambs, Untraceable, Mindhunters, Kiss the Girls, Along Came a Spider, Collateral, and Copycat. Examples of crime thrillers involving heists or robberies are The Asphalt Jungle, The Score, Rififi, Entrapment, Heat, and The Killing.
Erotic thriller
Erotic thriller is a thriller film that has an emphasis on eroticism and where a sexual relationship plays an important role in the plot. It has become popular since the 1980s and the rise of VCR market penetration. The genre includes such films as Sea of Love, Basic Instinct, Chloe, Color of Night, Dressed to Kill, Eyes Wide Shut, In the Cut, Lust, Caution, and Single White Female.
Giallo
Giallo is an Italian thriller film that contains elements of mystery, crime fiction, slasher, psychological thriller, and psychological horror. It deals with an unknown killer murdering people, with the protagonist having to find out who the killer is. The genre was popular during the late 1960s-late 1970s and is still being produced today, albeit less commonly. Examples include The Girl Who Knew Too Much, Blood and Black Lace, Deep Red, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, Don't Torture a Duckling, Tenebrae, Opera , and Sleepless.
Horror thriller
A subgenre involving horror.
Legal thriller
Legal thriller is a suspense film in which the major characters are lawyers and their employees. The system of justice itself is always a major part of these works, at times almost functioning as one of the characters. Examples include The Pelican Brief, Presumed Innocent, The Jury, The Client, The Lincoln Lawyer, Hostile Witness, and Silent Witness.
Pandemic thriller
Pandemic thriller is a type of disaster and thriller film in which uses popularity of pandemic-themed with suspense. Example included Contagion, Deranged, Flu, and Outbreak.
Political thriller
Political thriller is a type of film in which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government. The success of Seven Days in May (1962) by Fletcher Knebel, The Day of the Jackal (1971) by Frederick Forsyth, and The Manchurian Candidate (1959) by Richard Condon established this subgenre. Other examples include Topaz, Notorious, The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Interpreter, Proof of Life, State of Play, and The Ghost Writer.
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller film is a psychological type of film (until the often violent resolution), the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional rather than physical. Characters, either by accident or their own curiousness, are dragged into a dangerous conflict or situation that they are not prepared to resolve. To overcome their brutish enemies characters are reliant not on physical strength but on their mental resources. This subgenre usually has elements of drama, as there is an in-depth development of realistic characters who must deal with emotional struggles. The Alfred Hitchcock films Suspicion, Shadow of a Doubt, and Strangers on a Train, as well as David Lynch's bizarre and influential Blue Velvet, are notable examples of the type, as are The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Machinist, Flightplan, Shutter Island, Secret Window, Identity, Gone Girl, Red Eye, Phone Booth, Fatal Attraction, The River Wild, Panic Room, Misery, Cape Fear, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and Funny Games.
Social thriller
Social thriller are a thriller that uses suspense to augment attention to abuses of power and instances of oppression in society. This new subgenre gained notoriety in 2017 with the release of Get Out. Other examples include The Tall Man, Dirty Pretty Things, Parasite, and The Constant Gardner.
Spy film
Spy film is a genre in which the protagonist is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government or (in recent years) terrorists. The subgenre often deals with the subject of espionage in a realistic way (as in the adaptations of John Le Carré's novels). It is a significant aspect of British cinema, with leading British directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Carol Reed making notable contributions, and many films set in the British Secret Service. Thrillers within this subgenre include Berlin Express, Spy Game, Hanna, Traitor, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Tourist, The Parallax View, The Tailor of Panama, Mission Impossible, Unknown, The Recruit, the James Bond franchise, The Debt, The Good Shepherd, and Three Days of the Condor.
Supernatural thriller
Supernatural thriller films include an otherworldly element (such as fantasy or the supernatural) mixed with tension, suspense, or plot twists. Sometimes the protagonist or villain has some psychic ability and superpowers. Examples include Fallen, Frequency, In Dreams, Flatliners, Jacob's Ladder, The Skeleton Key, What Lies Beneath, Unbreakable, The Sixth Sense, The Gift, The Dead Zone, and Horns.
Techno-thriller
Techno-thriller is a suspenseful film in which the manipulation of sophisticated technology plays a prominent part. Examples include The Thirteenth Floor, I, Robot, Source Code, Eagle Eye, Supernova, Hackers, The Net, Futureworld, eXistenZ, and Virtuosity.
