Genre Research: Characters

In the sub genre of psychological thrillers tend to have typical characters that are expected to be featured. Psychology involved the mental and internal process of the body and mind, in psychological thrillers the characters reflect this:

Typical characters featured in psychological films:

• Convicts
• Criminals
• Stalkers
• Innocent victims
• Prison inmates
• Menaced women
• Characters with dark pasts
• Terrorists
• Police
• Psychotic individuals

Innocent Victims
Innocent characters are usually used in the thriller genre to create suspense as the audience feel like they are in danger. The stereotypical innocent victim tends to be a women as they have connotations of vulnerability. In most horror films it is based around a victim who is being chased, similarly in thrillers, as it adds fear and tension to the audience if there is a good person who could be in danger. An example of an innocent victim could be Tina from "Nightmare on Elm Street".

Police
Police are often used in thrillers to set the scene and give the feeling of protection and authority. Police often appear when they capture the convict or rescue the victim, in both these situation they make the audience feel a sense of relief and safety for the character. The police force are essential in some thrillers due to having a divide between good and evil, however in some films the police may also end up being in danger which adds more tension for the audience.