The Horror Genre - Character Types

Although there are many different types or sub-genres of horror films, there are a few different character types that I have found that appear frequently within the genre. 

• The monster 
• The final girl 
• The first victim 
• The non-believer 
• The wise elder or harbinger

The 'monster'

The 'monster' character type is common in all horror films, and provides the threat or source of menace or danger in the narrative. In some horror films this character type may take the literal form of a monster, such as a ghost, a vampire, a werewolf or a zombie, but is frequently a human, such as a serial killer or a deranged man. 

This role is important as without it the characters would not be in any danger. The threat they provide also helps to scare the audience, which is the intended effect of horror films. 

The 'final girl'

The 'final girl' character type is the female character left at the end of a horror film who has outlived her companions and has to defeat the monster or escape. 

Usually this character is mocked as a virgin or as a girl who is not promiscuous, she is usually presented as intelligent and having traits that we associate with masculine characters, and she also atypically dresses in less feminine clothes. Frequently, she has a ‘male’ name and usually suspects the danger first but is ignored by her friends.

The 'first victim'

The first victim, who is usually female, is the first character who gets killed off (often in the horror film's opening scene). In older horror films, this character was often female (typically promiscuous) black or fat, however, thankfully in more recent (less stereotypical) films the victim is often the ‘annoying' characters or the one who will not listen to the others. Commonly, this is the ‘jock' character or the ‘dumb blonde’ character.

The 'non-believer'

The 'non-believer', or skeptic, is a common character within the genre, refusing to believe the terrible or supernatural events which are going on around them. They seek out rational explanations and their ignorance usually ends up getting them killed. Often, the non-believer ends up being the film's first victim.

The 'wise elder' or 'harbinger'

The 'wise elder' or 'harbinger', a character much older than the typically young central characters, gives the protagonist(s) a helpful piece of information that they need to defeat the monster (much like Vladimir Propp's 'donor' character type), or warns them of the dangers that they may face (though this is frequently ignored). Occasionally this character type turns out to be in league with the monster.