Monday, 21 October 2013

Stock characters in Horror

A stock character is someone based on common literary or social stereotype.

Examples of stock characters in Horror are:

1. The Wanderer; a member in a group who breaks away from other characters to explore the location where they are situated. The Wanderer goes to seek any characters that go missing or goes in search for help. However, The Wanderer ends up being killed or narrowly escapes death. The Wanderer would typically use the phrase 'let's split up' or is generally seen as the weak link between the characters. An example of a Wanderer stock character is Sarah Darling from Screem 3. 

















2. The Popular Girl; is usually the most attractive female character. She is someone who is either loved or envied, but either way someone who everyone aspires to be like. The popular girl is usually dating the most popular boy in school or the 'Jock'. However, the popular girl is often killed during the beginning of the movie due to their state of popularity and/or what they get up to, e.g. drinking alcohol, smoking, having sex, as a punishment for their behaviour. An example of a Popular Girl stock character is Jennifer from Jennifer's Body.














3. Jock; is seen as the alpha male of a group of boys due to his sporting achievement. The Jock most commonly dates the popular girl and has a group of loyal friends who usually help him to bully other males who have a lower level of social status. However, the Jock is a regular target for the killer in horror films. An example of a Jock is Billy from Final Destination.














4. The Final Girl; The final girl is the last female character in the movie to be killed or is the only character to survive despite the killer's continuous effort to murder her. When there is a sequel to a film the Final Girl is often the main character as the killer wants to seek revenge on her for escaping previously. An example of a Final Girl is Sarah from The Descent.












5. Pandora; is the misleading character who at the beginning of the film appears to be innocent, however as the story unveils their true nature is shown; usually as the killer or the accomplice of the killer. An example of Pandora is Esther from The Orphan.




















6. The Pervert; is a sexually motivated character, usually male, who despite not being the main focus for the killer, usually gets killed with the popular girl and the jock. It could be suggested, as with the popular girl, that his death was a punishment for how he lived his life. An example of a Pervert is Blake from The House of Wax.





















What has learning about Horror stock characters taught me?

Researching stock characters has shown me how important they are in films as they allow particular audiences to familiarise with a particular character, whether that character is a jock or the popular girl. Stock characters also allow for fast and simple recognition of traits. A stock character often creates a sense of comfort for the audience as the audience feels as if they know what to expect from each character and understand where these characters come from. After looking at stock characters I have decided that in my trailer I want to include a Wanderer, a pervert, a jock. This is because I believe a wanderer creates tension for the audience as they leave the group to discover any hidden secrets, which could lead to how they are found by my killer. In addition to this, I would use a pervert and a jock because they would show traits which would anger my killer and show that my killer has a reason for killing them.

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