Vintage Mystery Thriller is an aesthetic based on late 19th to early 20th century mystery and thriller novels that largely revolve around the upper class characters being involved with murder, theft, and violence. It centers around the dichotomy between the elegance of the European elite and the savagery and blood that comes with the events of the story. Feelings of suspense, interesting characters with different backgrounds, and glamorous settings are a major component of this type of aesthetic.
The architecture and fashion spans multiple decades, with the landed gentry and British empire being major background context. Because of the tastes and traditions of the rich, most of these historical components would not interfere with the aesthetic. Many of the activities and behaviors that they do would now be considered archaic, such as hunting, cocktail parties, and traveling via ornate steam trains. After the fall of the British empire and shifts in tastes with the rich, this aesthetic is largely unseen except in fiction or purposefully historic houses and events.
Exotic elements, such as the story taking place in jungles or deserts, tropical animals, and non-European artifacts are also be incorporated due to the British Empire's influence. Many stories revolve around characters who are colonial authorities, explorers, archaeologists, and travelers. Please note that because of the time period, the depictions of the native people are often ignored or racist due to the prejudice of the time period.
The visual and story tropes arose from the popularity of authors such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie, with other pulp novels that utilize the same aesthetic. In contemporary fiction, many of these have been spoofed in modern media and parodies, which further cements the aesthetic. There have also been some novel and kitschy elements added to the aesthetic because of its spread into children's media and board games. In this aspect, murder and violence is down-played, and writers/game designers add riddles, hidden rooms, and fantastical elements such as alchemy and dungeons.
A lot of the imagery is connected with Gothic literature and horror, but the main story and visual component is free of supernatural components in favor of showing the motives of the criminals that started the events of the plot. The nobility being the perpetuator can also serve as a critique of their over-indulgence and greed of some of the gentry. It also shares visual tropes and some story components with Dark Academia, but does not involve learning and explicitly takes place among non-students.
Visuals
- Antique rifles
- Blood
- Butlers, servants, and maids
- Cigars and smoking
- Decor typical of aristocratic houses, such as suits of armor and portraits
- Dinner parties, with multiple courses and traditionally wealthy foods such as Beef Wellington and foie grois
- Detective paraphernalia such as magnifying glasses and fingerprint powder
- Egyptian artefacts
- Exotic animals such as jaguars and lions, often used as "murder weapon"
- Fashionable clothing and jewelry indicative of the upper class, i.e. pearls
- Hunting paraphernalia such as taxidermy, hunting dogs, and tranquilizer darts
- Liquor, a good medium for poison and blurred memories
- Manor houses, often in remote areas
- Oak paneled walls
- Oriental rugs
- Puzzle boxes and hidden rooms
- Poison
- Steam engine trains
- Swords, knives, and daggers
- Unspecified "oriental" artefacts, often Turkish, Indian, or Chinese
- Valuable objects to steal and act as a MacGuffin
Activities
- Chases and escapes
- Fencing
- Heists
- Hunting (humans included)
Media
Authors, Playwrights, etc.
- Agatha Christie
- Arthur Conan Doyle
- Edward Gorey, who does not write true mysteries or thrillers, but employs this aesthetic
- Mary Roberts Rinehart
Comic Books
- Some aspects of Batman, specifically storylines involving Bruce Wayne, Ra's al Ghul, and The Court of Owls
Films
Please do not include film adaptations of other works
- Knives Out (2019). One of the few modern works that incorporates this aesthetic.
Literature and Short Stories
This does not include works done by the authors previously mentioned
- "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
Table-top Games
- Clue (1949)
TV and Web Series
- Edgar Allan Poe's Murder Mystery Dinner Party (2016)
Gallery
