6. The ‘Joker’ Usually the dorky, practical joker, teases the final girl and typically makes a fool of himself. The Joker is very useful for setting up ‘false scare’ in horror. Example: Dalton from House of Wax (2005) is the laughing stock of the group members. Dalton is a practical joker who likes to tease the other group members by suggesting false scare.
7. The ‘Useless Authority Figure’ Often horror films will feature an ineffective, useless authority figure, most commonly a police officer, therapist, etc. Such presence provides a veneer of respectability to the slasher horror film, as well as engaging the audience in a sense of false hope and desperation. Example: Sheriff Carver in Wrong Turn , is shot in the back of the head with a bow and arrow by ‘Three-fingers’ (character) before actually doing anything to resolve the crime. Example: John Saxon in Nightmare on Elm Street
![The ‘Wanderer’ ,[object Object],Example: Kirk from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Kirk wanders off to ask a nearby house for gas, when he receives no answer he discovers that the door is unlocked and walks in. Upon walking in, Leatherface (the villain) kills him while the rest of the group remain unaware of his whereabouts. Example: Ned from Friday 13 th (1980) follows a mysterious dark figure into a cabin where he is then murdered. The rest of the group are unaware of his whereabouts.](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)