Supernatural Horror Films- Characters (Individual)

Throughout supernatural horror there is certain characters that are often portray in different ways but with the same personality throughout. They are significant to the genre and are often associated to it. All characters besides the supernatural antagonist are usually dressed in normal clothes to portray their innocence in the film.

The Leader/Hero
There is often a character who the rest of the group tends to follow or even just the character that one that others tend to lean on. They often come up with the ideas and try and get the others to survive. They are often male with a stronger build and even though horror doesn't often have any hero's or good triumphing evil he often tries to protect the others and tries to be the less emotional of the group whilst supporting the others. However in more recent films there is more female leaders becoming apparent which is challenging the stereotype. An example of a leader is Ellison Oswalt from Sinister.

Female Victim
Most horror films have a female victim who will take part in an accident and are shown in distress with a need of protection. They are often portrayed as a 'dumb blonde' and she is usually killed at some point in the film in a gruesome way. They will also be used to portray fear throughout the audience as as they often jump and over react making the audience jump along with them. An example of the female victim is Sue Snell from Carrie.

Hysterical Character
They are usually female and are mostly used to build suspense in the film often leading to their ultimate demise. She often becomes hysterical after there first sighting of the supernatural being which has usually lead to the death of one of her friends. The mother from The Others is an example of a hysterical character.

The Supernatural Being
This can take many different forms but some of the most iconic are vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts or possession. They will often be undefeated due to their healing or large physique. The supernatural element gives the impression of the unknown which plays on the fear of many of the audience members. This strikes fear in the audience the most and allows the audience to react more. Samara in The Ring is an example of this.

The Couple
These are usually the first characters to be killed as they are distracted by one another so they don't even see the killer coming towards them. This usually leaves the audience on edge as they can see what is going to ultimately happen however they can't do anything to stop it. An example is Barry and Claudette in Friday the 13th.

The Outcast
This can either be a nerd who is accepted by the group after their long ordeal that they go through together although at the beginning the aren't accepted by many of the other characters until they have saved their lives. They often are wearing glasses and just a stereotypical 'geek'. During the film Split the character of Casey is the social outcast of the film.

The Non Believer
They are often a male character that ignores the signs and attempts to convince the others that nothing is going on usually leading him to be one of the first to be killed. The audience will lean on this as a crutch however when he is killed the audience will lose their sense of security.

The Children
Most supernatural horror films will involves some sort of child which can either be part of the protagonist group or the antagonists. Often they are the least likely to die as the rest of the group try to protects them. They give the audience a sense of innocence and leaves the audience feeling protective over them. The children from the The Others are an example.