Types of Characters in Psycho Thriller films

Types of characters in Psycho Thriller films

In films, in different genres, there are typical types of characters that films will have. In this case, this is for Psycho Thriller films:

The Victim

This character is portrayed to be vulnerable and in need of protection by the main characters of the story, if the victim hasn't been killed or has gone missing by the time the characters are aware of the abnormalities occurring. This character is usually used in a storyline to make the characters realise the extent of the problem. Stereo typically, a young female is usually used for this role as when this genre of film was first used women were typically portrayed to be weak, naive, timid and generally unable to defend themselves. As a result, when the death of this character occurs, it is usually brutal and gruesome.

Hero
This character is typically the strongest of the group of characters that comes up with the plan and follows the case with intent. In some films, these characters triumph over the mysterious, evil character but sometimes die a heroes death in an attempt to save the rest of the characters. This character is typically a young male with a masculine build that is strong both physically and mentally, enough to have the ability to sympathise with other characters that are showing high levels of fear and nervousness,despite having it himself. In more recent films, the hero is a female since equality has allowed media to portray women to be just as strong as men

The Strange, Villainous Creature/person
This character can vary in several forms in terms of its appearance. They can be a psychotic killer, an abnormal, intelligent creature, a human with supernatural qualities, a ghost, vampire, zombie, werewolf etc. If the evil character is a human, they usually were masks to cover their identity as well as separating them from other human characters. This specific character usually has abnormal traits such as having inhuman strength when encountering stabbings or falling from large heights, sometimes the evil character has a mysterious, unknown feeling to them, sometimes to an extent where they do not show much trace of their existence. They're usually first revealed with low-key lighting and intense non-digetic music.

Non-believer
This character is typically aggressive in their explaining of why they do not believe the evidence given of the evil character's existence. They usually focus on not helping the other characters in their investigation and are the most shocked when they find out they were wrong. Their over confidence usually results in them getting killed or kidnapped. This results in a triggering of mass-killings of the other characters after the non-believer's death demonstrates that no one is safe, removing the sense of security an audience may have had.

A Panicking Character
This character is usually the loudest of the group and their fear is usually worsened when they witness the victim's death. This usually results in them making rash, unintelligent decisions that result in their death. The audience would feel sympathetic for the character but at the same time, relieved that they are no longer there to inject fear into the rest of the group.