presentation on stock characters in horror

2. Stock characters are the other characters in a
movie, apart from the main protagonist.
In regards to horror, they are usually the ones
who are victimised and killed throughout the
movie.
Over the years there has also been repetition
in what type of person becomes a stock
character as they have become quite popular
to use in horror films.

3.  Every horror; including J-horror feature a female victim;
portrayed as vulnerable and in need of protection. It refers to
the last woman alive to confront the killer and the one left to
tell the story.
 There is a climax in which the last surviving member of the
group, a girl or woman, either vanquishes the killer or gets
away.
 Dates back to earlier horror films; made in a sexist era.
 Young, blonde and attractive- helps to widen male audience
e.g. female in the ring.
 She is typically sexually unavailable or a virgin, avoiding the
vices of the victims (sex, illegal drugs lifestyle, etc.). She
sometimes has a unisex name
(e.g., Laurie, Sidney, Billie, Georgie).

4.  Often male, however the non- believer in the J-horror
movie ‘the ring’ is a cocky girl who doesn’t believe in the
‘urban legend’ that her friend describes to her.
 Portrayed as being cocky at ease, convincing the others
characters that they are over reacting and that noting is
going on. But are always the ones to die first.
 Begins with the audience listening to this voice of reason
and be reassured. Once he force rushes towards her and
presumably kills her the audience panic as all sense of
security has gone.

5.  Strong, usually male, character.
 Show little emotions. Strong and supportive
towards other characters.
 Recent horrors have started to feature women as
the role, as it makes the film more un-predictable
and challenges older and more traditional
conventions.
 The journalist in ‘The ring’ is performed by a
women who is investigating the video that seems to
curse most of the stock characters.

6.  Typically known as a female and not wanting to leave the
building(where they are), usually after witnessing the
murder of a friend. E.g. In the ring (J-Horror) one of the
friends in the cabin who gets the last call dies as they are
the hysterical character; scared and frightened of what
the have witnesses and been threatened by (Yurei)
 Breaks into hysterics, resulting in her staying behind and
being killed, or the character saved to be the last one
killed and it helps build more suspense.
 The character has quite an impact
on the audience and the hysterical
emotions reflex onto the audience,
which helps build more suspense.

7.  There are many forms in different sub-genres of
horror; serial killer, demonic possession, ghost,
monsters.
 If the antagonist were stabbed they usually manage
to get backup unharmed; idea of being inhuman.
 In the ring the Yurei plays on the fear of the unknown
and there is never any proof that they do not exist.
They play on the audiences primal fears and the fact
it is relevant for the situation to happen
to them.
 This character has the biggest impact on
the audience and strikes fear into them.
They are what cause the suspension
Throughout the film and all other codes
and convention have been building up to.

8. From this research of the different stock
characters that feature in horror films, I
have found that throughout the years the
codes and conventions have changed. As the
sub-genre that our group has decided is J-
horror, the stock characters in our trailer
may be the same or again challenge the sub-
genre’s codes to make it unexpected to our
target audience.