2. The Wanderer
The wanderer is someone who travels aimlessly which
can be referred to itinerant people. They go from place
to place with no permanent home or are vagrant.
Due to their curiosity by wandering around places, they
are often the first to get killed.
They are also represented as the most naïve character.
“ I'm just going to get help, I'll be back” the sentence
which marks the end of this stock characters
participation in the film. The wanderer is commonly a
female who breaks off from the group and goes off on
her own. When she tries to find help they usually end
up getting killed.
Examples: Wade from House of Wax , Megan Helms
from Black Christmas
3. The Popular Girl
Popular girls is the cool girl who everyone adores and
aspirers to be like. They are usually dating the most
popular boy in the school or the ‘jock.’ However, their
status for being very noticed makes them very
vulnerable as they are often killed near the start of the
film.
Most of these "popular girls" get drunk, have sex
which also is seen as conventional in teen films.
Examples of popular girls appear in : Cabin in the
Woods and Scream
4. Jock
The Jock is the cool male of the group which is similar to the status of the
popular girl as they have a sense of power over the other characters. The
jock is seen as the dominant leader which usually relates to his sporting
achievements.
Example: Billy from Final Destination
Curt from Cabin in the Woods
Dan from Nightmare on Elm Street
5. The Final Girl
The final girl is a trope in horror films. They are often seen in
slasher films. The final girl is also referred as the last women alive
that confronts the killer. As she is the last victim, the audience
follow her perspective of the story.
Examples: Halloween (Laurie Strode)
Friday the 13th (Alice Hardy)
Scream (Sidney Prescott)
6. Pandora
Pandora is someone who unlocks secrets that weren’t suppose to be told. The character is (usually
female) puts the group in great danger and puts them at risk getting killed. They provoke trouble
and is often a trigger for bad events in horror films. This also originates from Greek mythology
where the character comes from ‘Pandora’s Box.’ If the box was opened, it releases hell on earth.
Also, if someone is the Pandora, they are represented as innocent and good-willing throughout the
duration of the film. This makes them a good killer or a good side-kick to the killer. By hiding their
true identity makes them unsusceptible so no one expects them to be the killer. This gives the film
a twist and unpredictable ending.
Example: Esther from Orphan, Mrs.Baylock from Omen(2006)
7. The Pervert
The ‘pervert’ is a character who is very sexually motivated.
They are usually male characters who are seen as
disturbed and desires women. Perverts are usually the
first to die (along with jock/popular girl) as they are
focused on getting someone into bed and not aware
what’s going on around them. This highlights that their
immoral acts will be punished.
Examples: Frankie in Final Destination
Blake in House of Wax
