Thrillers are films that can be suspenseful, exciting or downright scary! They keep an audience at the edge of their seats with heart-pounding on-screen surprises, characters shrouded in mystery, or storylines meant to thrill and chill. Whether it’s a horror movie madman or secret spy mission ready to unfold, films in this wide-ranging genre emphasize action, tension and atmosphere to exhilarate viewers and leave them wanting more.
Making a thriller of your own? Check out filmmaking tools, tips, and classroom-ready resources on the Beyond the Peaks festival homepage and in our Storytelling and Filmmaking collection on PBS LearningMedia.
Thriller category requirements:
- Films must have a run time of 5 minutes or less.
- Pre-production materials include a script and storyboard.
- Additional materials include a poster, trailer, synopsis, and cast & crew lists.
Students can submit original films in a variety of additional categories including Documentary, Narrative, 60-Second Challenge, and Open.
Discover Thrillers That Outright Exhilarate
Get inspired to create your own thriller with this selection of high anxiety, edge-of-your-seat short films. Explore exciting plots—from cursed magic cards to a hike in the woods gone horribly wrong—there’s lots to discover with thrillers.
POP | Beyond the Peaks Film Fest 2025
“POP”, submitted by Peru High School student Melina Mitchell, features a group of friends on a search for a used AP Biology review book. During their trip to locate the book at a store around town the girls end up finding a card collection containing magic tricks. With one of the teens eager to learn some new tricks, mystery, horror and comedy ensue. This film was the Thriller category winner in the 2025 Beyond the Peaks Film Festival.
FACADE | Beyond the Peaks Film Fest 2024
Deep in a patch of woods surrounded by abandoned buildings, two friends, Simon and Cassie, go for a hike. Harmless jokes quickly subside and take a dark turn as masked beings emerge, causing the pair to scramble through the woods in search of a way out. Will they ever be able to see past the deception? Submitted by Northwest Career and Technical Education Center students Brady Shaver, Evelyn Davis, and El King, “FACADE” was a Thriller category nominee in the 2024 Beyond the Peaks Film Festival.
Hard Candy | Film School Shorts
“Hard Candy”, an electro-pop, animated noir film by Henry McClellan of RISD, follows two shadowy agents on a mission through the underbelly of Oakland, California. Film School Shorts, brought to you by KQED, is a weekly series that showcases short student films, giving emerging filmmakers around the country a platform to show off their top-notch storytelling.
Enter the “Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival”!
To get started, create a student or teacher account on Launchpad. Explore tutorials, resources, and step-by-step instructions on how to successfully submit your completed film entries!
Documentary | Narrative | Thriller | 60-Second Challenge | Open entry
Submissions are due May 13th with winners announced at an end-of-school year Red Carpet Showcase. The top three winners will receive a cash prize and video supplies!
Sign up for Beyond the Peaks!
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