Possible Film Titles

On the left is a screen shot of the top ten thriller films according to the Internet Movie Database.

I will analyse a few of these film titles, as looking at them will be helpful when we come to choose an effective title for our own thriller.

Pulp Fiction ( 1994)

The term 'Pulp Fiction' derives from the paper (pulp) magazines of the 19th century, which showcased stories mostly about people struggling with dark and powerful forces beyond their control. By the early 20th century, Pulp Fiction had launched a new genre of fantasy movies, with compelling alternative of parallel realities.

At the start of the film Pulp Fiction, this definition is shown on the screen: “pulp:” 1 – A soft, moist, shapeless mass of matter; 2 – A magazine or book containing lurid subject matter and being characteristically printed on rough, unfinished paper.
When Quentin Tarantino named his film he was implying that the story was a piece of pulp fiction, and should not be taken too seriously.

Inception (2010)

"inception" - an event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events.
The whole story of the film Inception is about where ideas come from, and the name relates to this. For instance, the main storyline is about entering people's subconcious minds to extract ideas. Two of the main characters are asked to perform an 'Inception'; planting an idea in somebody's mind.

The meaning of the film (in particular right at the end when the audience doesn't know whether the spinning top falls over or not) is that life is a dream. You can control it most of the time but you can never really 'wake up'. I think the title is very appropriate for the film as a lot of the audience will not know the meaning of the word 'inception' (like me) and this will entice them into going to the cinema to find out. The film raises questions in the audience's mind right from the off, which is a good technique to use when marketing a film.

The Dark Knight(2008)

"The Dark Knight" - a common nickname for the DC comics superhero Batman.

The Dark Knight is the second Batman film directed by Christopher Nolan. Rather than follow in suit of other sequels (Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, etc.) and use the word 'Batman' in every film title, Nolan instead chose to go in a different when choosing the name. Using 'The Dark Knight' was a good move by Nolan as fans of the comics were mostly the only ones who knew Batman by this name, so the fans will have felt that the film's producer's were thinking of them when making the film.