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Comedy » Comedy Thriller
A hybrid of the thriller and comedy genres, this type of film blends the suspense, threat and action of the thriller genre with comedic elements. Straight thrillers, with their focus on death, violence and crime, paint dark representations of society, and usually the crucial convention of the genre is the withholding of evidence or knowledge from the audience, thus heightening the suspense and fear. The difference with comedy thrillers is that though the danger still lurks, a tongue-in-cheek approach is used for comic relief, making the effect one of lighthearted entertainment rather than pure fear. Usually, these films utilize more action-oriented conventions such as chases and large action set-pieces rather than atmosphere, mood, and extreme graphic violence. Alfred Hitchcock essentially created the prototype for these kinds of films with his Hollywood output in the ‘40s and ‘50s. This brand of filmmaking has also been used as an approach attached to other, larger genres such as detective films (Fargo), hit men flicks (Grosse Point Blank), and buddy movies (48 Hours).
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