Horror character representations

Character Types- Vladimir Propp’s character theory can be used to identify the types of characters from the films that I have watched. • The Villain- This is often a creature or person from the supernatural which fights and struggles against the protagonist. They tend to be: zombies, mutants, demons, or possessed people. • The hero- This is the person who struggles against the villain. It is predominantly the Father of a family so their mission is to protect their family and others from this evil. • The donor- This is normally a team or individual expert who understands the situation as is experienced within it. They share their knowledge however they normally see things that they cannot help. E.g. Ed Warren in the Conjuring. These people can also be classed as the ‘helper’ in a horror genre. • The false hero- This can often be a member of the family. They may become possessed and therefore act as evil against the protagonists however the quest is normally to reverse this. These films do have other characters involved too. There is usually a full family involved whilst police services are always tending to investigate the situations. Different horror films may choose lots of different types of character.

How are these character types portrayed and represented? These character types are portrayed in different ways. The hero tends to be a stereotypical father of a family who wants to protect and save his family from evil. They are represented as very powerful characters who tend to take matters into their own hands whilst the female characters e.g The mother of the family will often just be a passive object. This powerful male character is evident in the film Sinister where Ellison ‘the Father’ is played by Ethan Hawke. At many points in the film he finds himself looking for evil with a baseball bat. This is similar in the Conjuring where Roger Perron (the father) played by Ron Livingston as he is always the first to react when there are signs of danger in the house. These types of characters are often over the age of 35 so they are represented as wise men who attempt to use their experience to free their families of any danger. The race of the main characters in all 3 of the films I watched were white British or American whilst these people are often represented as fairly wealthy people with a family who own a large house. This large house is the general setting for a horror film so it is only correct that these people can afford them otherwise the audience would become confused.

What research and theories have been done into representations for my genre? In other horror films the final girl theory is often evident. This is where the last woman alive will confront the killer and they are left to tell the story. It was designed by Carol J. Clover. An example of this is Laurie Strode from Halloween 1 and 2. Some suggest however that Clover's image of supposedly progressive final girls are never entirely victorious at the end of a film nor do they disrupt male order. Another key theory that is evident in horror films is the Levi-Strauss binary opposition theory. The idea of this is to show how opposites are key in these types of films. In a horror film this is almost always the idea of good VS evil. The films will be based around a constant struggle for power between these two sides. In the film Sinister, the side of good is Ellison and his family along with the deputy police officer and Professor Jonas (the expert). They battle for freedom against the illusive ‘Mr Boogie’ and the children that he has captured. The outcome however is not always a happy one and this is evident in Sinister.