10 Characters Who Will Never Survive A Horror Movie

Horror movies need death in order to really drive home the fear factor. That's why a long line of teenagers have met grizzly ends at the hands of a colourful rogue's gallery of slashers, killers and monsters - and it's why no matter how intelligent future horrors attempt to be, they will inevitably still continue to pile up the kills. And this being the horror genre, there are a certain set of rules: the very rules that occasionally limit the originality of modern horror films and open the genre up to criticism and parody. Some call them cliches, but to those horror film fans who've been around since the good old days, those recognisable traits and characteristics are comfortable old friends. And conveniently, those cliches are usually embodied in characters who pop up - and are generally slain - in their films. Unless someone tears up the rule book that has governed how horror films have been made for the last few decades, you can expect all of the following people to die if and when they appear. They might not be in every single horror - and of course, they probably won't appear in gimmick-led horrors like Paranormal Activity 18 - but chances are they will leave a residual impact on the writers to such a degree that their traits will be visible, even if the character types aren't quite fully formed. Here's a tip: if you ever find yourself involved in what appears to be a horror film, try not to be any of the following people...

1. The First Person On Screen

Unless the horror film in question is trying to be terribly self-conscious or post-modern, chances are the first person to appear on screen will probably be the first person to find themselves on the cold, sharp end of the killer's knife or hooked hand. They are a function more than a fully developed character - they are the device that drives the fear of the story, the lesson for later that sets the wheels in motion, and their death is a very real necessity for the rest of the plot. This goes doubly for the first person on screen if they have a heaving chest and a tight sweater or cardigan, but more on that later...
 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

WhatCulture's former COO, veteran writer and editor.