Characters and Stereotypes

The opening sequence of a Horror/Thriller film usually has a main protagonist (Main Character) that is within the entire sequence of the film. In the opening sequence of a film we learn about the protagonists personality, lifestyle and characteristics. In our opening sequence the main protagonist will be that of a teenage girl. Using female characters as the main protagonists are now quite popular within the horror genre, they are known as heroines. Some films that have used female protagonists are, Halloween (Laurie Strode), Wrong Turn (Jessie Burlingame) and The ring (Rachel Keller).

In most horror/thriller films there are lots of stereotypical characters that the audience will recognise, for instance in the film “Scream” most of the female characters are noticed as the typical teenage girl that gets stalked and then murdered. However in some other films such as “Wrong Turn” the main female protagonist is seen as a powerful and strong character.

Emily