This document summarizes common stock characters that are often seen in horror films. It describes the wanderer who wanders off and is killed first, the stranger who is new to town and suspected of being the killer, the popular girl who leads her friends but is likely to die, the jock who is popular but still ends up dying, the final girl who survives until the end because she is smart, and Pandora who deceives others with appearances but is often the evil killer. These stock characters are tropes that frequently reoccur across many horror movies.

1. Stock Characters in Horrors
Talia-Jordan Lewis

2. The Wanderer
• This character always gets killed first
• Before they get killed they are the first to
wander off
• They are a thrill seeker
• A naive character
• Examples: Ryan Philippe “I know
• what you did last summer” and Megan Elms
• in Back Summer.

3. The Stranger
• This character is the new person in town and
is often considered to be the killer
• They often come around as soon as the killing
happens
• Other characters in the film are cautious and
weary of this character

4. The popular girl
• She is normally the person with the most
friends
• She is most likely to die
• She’s the leader of her group
• Examples: Paris Hilton in House of Wax and
Megan Fox in Jennifer’s Body.

5. The Jock
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•
•
•
The jock is the typical male that is popular
He is fearless and untouchable
He ends up dying in the end
Examples: Carter Horton in Final Destination

6. The Final Girl
• This girl survives at the end
• She is a smart and intelligent character
• Example : Brittany Snow in Prom Night

7. Pandora
• This character is well dressed and is very
deceiving to other characters
• They are normally the evil ones that tend to
be the killers