Characteristics of the Horror Genre:

Archetype characters- this is a character which is typical to the genre of film, in a horror film the characters would be expected to be scary or a brave individual taking on the bad guy or bad guys .

The Helper- As the name states this character helps the protagonist with advice and aid in situations.

Antagonist- this is the bad guy in the film, he can be of either a supernatural entity which is spirit like etc. or psychopathic which means they have a mental disease.

Weaponry- What type of weapon is used e.g. a knife or gun, the antagonist however may not require a weapon when attacking the victims and attack them in another way, this method of attacking is commonly used by the supernatural as they have powers, psychopathic characters however can also attack their victims physically.

Themes- The themes of a horror film are often portrayed through binary oppositions such as good vs. evil, normal vs. abnormal, male vs. female and light vs. dark, this is to show messages and values of the film.

Costume and Make Up- What the antagonist wears shows characteristics of the antagonists personality e.g. if they wear a mask they are insecure of themselves and want to hide behind a mask.

Traits- Traits of the horror genre are that a killer or monster (antagonist) is set loose in a town or city and attacks many of the citizens, however there is always one victim (protagonist) who survives for most of the film trying to escape from the antagonist.

Monster Fodder- these are the victims in the film that are attacked and killed by the antagonist, they are usually killed early in the film to build a sense of fear in the audience for the rest of the film, these characters are known as stock characters and their characters aren't developed much as they are not featured in the film for very long.

Suburban Environment- If the film is set in the city then the antagonist usually attacks more people as there are more people exposed to being attacked.

Isolated Environment- The location in where the film is set may be isolated form other cities so that when the antagonist attacks the victims are unable to escape easily, they have to be rescued.

Protagonist- This is the good character in the film who is often female, the protagonist is often a female so that the final girl theory can be used.