Research and Planning - Typical Villian Characters In A Horror Film

I thought it would be a good idea to do research into the typical, villian characters that you would find in a horror film, to get to know what kind of character we are going to need to include in our teaser trailer.

• A horror film can't be a horror film without a 'killer' of some sort. The typical killer in horror is an expression of the dangers of a bad childhood, including spending too much time with relatives, being pushed around by even bigger psychopaths, or having a conservations Christian upbringing and finally simply acting paranoid due to an overprotective serial killer boyfriend. 

• Often, horror movie villains will live in a totally secluded environment. This is not necessarily to provide a cheap way to explain away absence of authorities, but to heighten the fear of the killer, who doesn't even need food to survive all on his own.
   
• Often in horror movies the villain will try to disquise himself from everyone, some films it maybe that we think someone is the killer throughout the film until we find out at the end that it is someone completely different. Villians tend to stick to themselves and not really get involved with other crowds of people as they see themselves and different from everybody else 'loner'.

• The protagonist maybe smart, dumb, thick, possibly pretty and usually a nerd. They can easily drift from popular to unpopular, this makes them more realistic and more relateable to the audience.

 

Below are some typical protagonists in horror movies: