As Burton's theory states, genres (and even sub-genres in the case of slasher horror) are compromised of key elements. In this task I have explored one of those which is the use of stock characters who differ from the protagonist as they are usually less developed and get killed off by the villain early on in the movie. I have identified six of these which are repeated and varied in different films.
The wanderer: A character who endangers his or herself by straying away from the rest of their peer group often to look for something but says “I’ll be right back” or similar dialogue before being killed by the villain. The wanderer is normally characterised as the stupidest of the group and their death instigates the ones that will follow. An example of the wanderer is Kirk in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), shown below.
The popular girl: One or more characters who are typically pretty and arrogant girls, sometimes cheerleaders who date the ‘Jock’ characters. They are killed by the villain as revenge for their mean behaviour towards others. The activity she engages in is the complete opposite of that of the Final Girl. Occasionally the Popular Girl is conflated with the Final Girl, for example in Carrie (1976) popular girl Sue begins to feel sorry for the killer and by changing her ways, escapes the killer's wrath. A more conventional example of Popular Girls are the cheerleaders in Jeepers Creepers II (2003)
The jock: The male equivalent of the Popular Girl in terms of popularity, he is the alpha male of the group (also the captain of the sports team). He is either characterised as a bully or 'leader of the pack' but is always targeted by the killer, usually ending up a victim. An exception to this is in My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009) in which the Jock, Tom (pictured below) is revealed to be the serial killer.
The final girl: The heroine of the film and is the only person within her peer group who escapes the killer as a result of not indulging in drinking, drug use or underage sex. Observers have noted that typically, she is more developed than other characters, intelligent and has androgynous characteristics such as a unisex name. An example would be Sidney (below) from the Scream series and a variation on the character is Amanda in the Saw franchise who becomes the killer after the first film. The Final Girl appears throughout horror movie franchises as the audience already identify and sympathise with the character.
The pervert: The boy who will go to any length to sleep with a girl in the peer group. This results in him being killed as he is unaware of the killer about to murder him. An example would be the boy in House of Wax (2005). The character is a minor stock character who is killed before the others and highlights the notion that the kids are being punished by the killer for their perceived immoral acts.
The incompetent authority figure: Characters such as the police in Scream 4 (2011) who project the fear of having no protection against the killer. Adult characters rarely sympathise with the teens in slasher horror movies, for example the police believing a prank is being played on them.
The final girl: The heroine of the film and is the only person within her peer group who escapes the killer as a result of not indulging in drinking, drug use or underage sex. Observers have noted that typically, she is more developed than other characters, intelligent and has androgynous characteristics such as a unisex name. An example would be Sidney (below) from the Scream series and a variation on the character is Amanda in the Saw franchise who becomes the killer after the first film. The Final Girl appears throughout horror movie franchises as the audience already identify and sympathise with the character.
The pervert: The boy who will go to any length to sleep with a girl in the peer group. This results in him being killed as he is unaware of the killer about to murder him. An example would be the boy in House of Wax (2005). The character is a minor stock character who is killed before the others and highlights the notion that the kids are being punished by the killer for their perceived immoral acts.
The incompetent authority figure: Characters such as the police in Scream 4 (2011) who project the fear of having no protection against the killer. Adult characters rarely sympathise with the teens in slasher horror movies, for example the police believing a prank is being played on them.
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