Similarities in Thrillers: Rear Window and Se7en

• There is a killer (antagonist)
• There are victims - often the subject of the protagonist's investigations
• Urban suburban setting
• Male protagonist is vulnerable or flawed (Mills' anger and Jeff's broken leg)
• The antagonist and protagonist only interact for a short period of time - although it is intense (in Rear Window they do not interact AT ALL!)
• Feeling of a cynical, cold and uncaring world  
• The antagonist is in control for most of the film

Rear Window and Se7en both have that outdoorsy feeling and the sense of being on-the-go which is interesting on the part of the former as the protagonist is unable to move due to an injury. The gritty surrealism of the settings are both conducted to convey verisimilitude. Both antagonists are elusive and kept silent for most of the film until the build up towards the climax.  The female love interests are virtuous, caring characters which plays into the empathy that the audience adopts throughout the story and ties a burden around the protagonists' emotions.