Thriller, Realism and Gender - an Analysis

Around two-thirds of characters seen in Thriller were male and arguably they were the ones who tended to "drive" the action, particular as heroes and villains (female principal villains were limited in the show although there were a few others who were accomplices of their male partners). However more broadly the depiction of men and women was very traditional and stereotypical. Men often owned their own businesses and all the male characters were in jobs generally done by men - none broke gender-norms in employment, Many Thriller women were housewives and those with outside employment were usually doing typically female jobs such as secretarial work. Some of them were wealthy through their families / inheritance but very few of them were in high-paying jobs. Three of those worked in the fashion industry, two of them as models and one as a designer. Another was theatrical designer Stella McKenzie in A Coffin for the Bride. The only female character who held a high-paying, high-status job often done in that age by men was lawyer Jennifer Peel (The Next Scream You Hear) and she was killed-off in the opening minutes.

Model Helen Cook (Donna Mills) in One Deadly Owner

Gender stereotypes and inequalities passed largely without criticism in Thriller. In Possession Penny Burns even warmly noted to her husband Ray that she had "promised to obey", Women predominantly seem accepting of gender differences. The term "Women's Lib" was mentioned in a number of episodes but almost always derisively by a male character who was annoyed by a woman who wanted to assert herself more. There was though one overtly feminist character in the form of Suzy Martin in If It's a Man - Hang Up!. Suzy was a model - a role that might seem at odds with challenging traditional views on gender - but despite this she wrote for a feminist magazine and asserted her views and independence despite the snide remarks and dismissals of the men around her. 

As regards female villains, these did break to some degree from stereotypes of women as passive, law-abiding and non-aggressive. However most of these did still fulfil some stereotypes of femininity such as the obsessive romantic Tracy Conway in Sign It Death who even attacks victims with her sewing scissors! Other female villains made use of their attractiveness and sexuality to entrap men. One such example was witch Clara Panton in Spell of Evil. Clara had a long past throughout history and her modus operandi seemed to be captivating men, marrying them then killing them off. This would thereby make her the only female villain who seemed to be a serial killer of men although her past exploits weren't depicted on-screen so this is a little speculative. Tracy Conway is also a serial killer but is prepared to kill both men and women she sees as obstacles to the man she desires 

Clara (Diane Cilento) working her evil spell on her husband in Spell of Evil

Female villains who did not exploit their attractiveness or sexual magnetism were few and far between in the show. The most obvious was the rather androgynous witch Bessie in Nurse Will Make It Better. However she was still fulfilling a female role as a witch and two of the Harrow sisters who fell under her spell did exploit their female allure to entrance men. There was perhaps only one female villain (seen in Murder Motel) who proved to be mastermind behind the murderous operation and who didn't seem to trade on femininity or sex appeal but her role was a small and low-key one.

The witch Bessie (Diana Dors) in Nurse Will Make It Better

Much attention has been paid to the role of women as victims - or potential victims - in Thriller. The great majority of episodes revolved around male villains who targeted women - either individual women or women in general. Several - including famous outings such as The Colour of Blood - focused on male serial killers of women although most of these villains (serial or otherwise) were prepared to kill men as well if they got in their way. In some instances women (usually the heroine) were not the original targets but end up being pursued when they discovered the villain's plans, e.g. Abby in Won't Write Home Mom - I'm Dead. In others women were the victims seen on-screen although it's unclear if they were being targeted in general or if it were just a coincidence, e.g. Good Salary - Prospects - Free Coffin. 

Most victims of homicide are men so the strong focus on women as victims wasn't realistic in that sense although it was in showing them as victims of men. However this focus isn't unusual across the thriller / suspense genre. Some female viewers did say that the show made them nervous  and sadly in society female worries about the risk of being attacked by males are common. However the focus on women as victims in Thriller and similar productions is probably related to the vulnerability factor. Such shows (and novels) probably provoke more tension when the victim seems particularly vulnerable compared to the villain and a male villain targeting women does this more than a man threatening a man, a woman targeting a man or even a woman targeting another female. Other forms of vulnerability often form the basis of thrillers including potential victims who are disabled or placed into a lonely, vulnerable position or alien situation. Three Thriller episodes indeed focused on disabled potential victims while the Brian Clemens film And Soon the Darkness (a precursor to Thriller) explored the vulnerability of tourists in a foreign land who knew little of the native language. Often these figures were also female to intensify the female factor although The Next Voice You Hear provided an interesting gender reversal in focusing on a blind man who was being being targeted by a villain. His female assistant Julie also played a vital role in supporting and protecting him.

Blind pianist Stan Kay (Bradford Dillman) with his assistant Julie (Catherine Schell) in The Next Voice You See

Related to the focus on women as victims is the focus on heroines and the two are linked as villains would target heroines, sometimes because they had discovered their activities. Heroines in Thriller were almost always young and very attractive; they were also often blonde and American although the latter characteristic was largely related to American funding for the series. More broadly the heroines were notable for their perceptiveness and alertness to danger - indeed they would generally be far quicker to spot danger than the male characters, including the heroes, Often their suspicions would meet with scepticism or even ridicule from others but ultimately be proved right. Their sense that "something is wrong" might be seen as related to the common (arguably stereotypical) idea of "female intuition". However other women in the show were less able to see the warning signs and others were notably complacent and often ended up as victims.  

The heroines showed impressive bravery in facing up to the villains when it would have been understandable if they had backed away, and their enquiries were vital in tracking them down and ultimately defeating them. However it was notable that in almost all cases they still required physical help from men - usually the heroes, sometimes the police - to save them in a final confrontation. They may have had perceptiveness, persistence and courage but an ability to defend themselves and physically overcome villains was limited. This wasn't though unusual in productions of the time and those women with self-defence or combat skills were generally in short supply. One notable example in Thriller was a plain-clothes policewoman in Screamer who was very adept in subduing and arresting a man who tried to sexually assault her. However this was not such a radical portrayal as the use of a tall, very attractive young woman might have been more to make an impression on male viewers while her towering over Detective-Inspector Charles might also have offered more of a humorous than a serious effect. In general at that time those few women who were able to physically overcome men were still very physically attractive and even their physical strikes were done with what might be considered "feminine grace", e.g. dancing-type kicks rather than punches. Other than this officer, women were virtually absent in police roles in Thriller and all the detectives depicted were men.

Plain-clothes policewoman (played by Carinthia West) in Screamer - breaking gender stereotypes?

Overall women were portrayed in Thriller in a rather traditional and arguably stereotypical manner. This portrayal wasn't unusual for the time although it probably was more traditional than in other shows and certainly so compared to social realist programmes. it must be borne in mind though that Thriller was made almost fifty years ago and while gender inequalities are far from defeated today they were far more prevalent, deep-rooted and often taken for granted back in the 1970s. It was not progressive in its depiction of gender or many other issues but it certainly wasn't an outlier at the time and should be judged in context. It reflected the times in which it was made and it is certainly possible to appreciate Thriller (and many other shows of the time) without endorsing its views (or possible views) on gender and other matters.