Thriller sub genres

Action Thriller- work often features a race against the clock, contains lots of violence, and an obvious antagonist eg 'James Bond'

Conspiracy Thriller- In which the hero/heroine confronts a large, powerful group of enemies whose true extent only he/she recognizes, e.g 'JFK'

Crime Thriller- a hybrid type of both crime films and thrillers that offers a suspenseful account of a successful or failed crime or crimes. e.g 'The Killing'

Disaster Thriller- In which the main conflict is due to some sort of natural or artificial disaster, such as floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanoes, etc., or nuclear disasters as an artificial disaster e.g 'Earthquake'

Legal Thriller- In which the lawyer-heroes/heroines confront enemies outside, as well as inside, the courtroom and are in danger of losing not only their cases but their lives e.g 'Innocent Man'

Erotic Thriller- In which it consists of erotica and thriller e.g 'In The Cut'

Political Thriller- In which the hero/heroine must ensure the stability of the government that employs him e.g '7 days in may'

Psychological Thriller- In which (until the often violent resolution) the conflict between the main characters is mental and emotional, rather than physical e.g 'Blue Velvet'

Spy Thriller- In which the hero is generally a government agent who must take violent action against agents of a rival government e.g 'Mission Impossible'

Techno Thriller- In which (typically military) technology is described in detail and made essential to the reader's/viewer's understanding of the plot e.g 'The Hunt For Red October'

Religious Thriller- plot is closely connected to religious objects, institutions and questions. e.g 'Stigmata'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)