Horror: Zombie- film research. (Characters)

Characters
There are many different types of characters in zombie films and the same stereotypical set of characters seem to come up in numerous zombie films.

Leader- Main character that the film follows throughout, this is one of the only characters that makes justifiable decisions that the audience can agree with, this makes it easier for them to make a connection and an understanding with the character. Usually portrayed as your everyday average person, this shows the audience that anyone can be a hero or a leader. These characters usually survive the entire movie and remain popular with the viewer throughout the film. An example of this would be "Shaun" from the 2004 movie Shaun of the Dead.

"Shaun" from SOTD.

Child- This type of character is used to convey innocence, they are usually
defenseless and must be protected by other characters in the movie. This character is also used to show the effect a post apocalyptic world can have on a developing individual. These characters tend to get into trouble and have to be rescued by the other characters. They are very scared and confused about the situation and this character does not always survive, showing the brutality of the new world they live in. An example of this character would be Jesse Wilson from "Return of the Living Dead Part 2."



Jesse Wilson from "Return of the Living Dead Part 2."

Betrayer- This character is extremely shifty, and is usually out to save himself, using the group as protection for himself. This character is usually willing to kill other characters or leave them for dead in order to save himself. This character also tends to show sympathy for the zombies, believing that there is still humanity left within them. This character tends to be an outsider to the rest of the group. An example of this would be Shane from the TV Series "The walking dead"

Shane from "The walking dead"

 The Dictator- In the zombie genre, the characters tend to run into the Dictator just when they need them most.  These are usually government officials or soldiers and they assist the characters by saving them.  despite this, the dictator has only his superiors thoughts in mind, following orders at all costs and this can be for the worst. The Dictator usually forcefully makes the other survivors join his group, almost as prisoners. The irony is that this character usually dies so the heroes can make their escape. Which just goes to show: You can have all the guns, men and fortified super-bunkers in the world, but in the end not even that matters. An example of this would be Major Henry West   from "28 Days Later".


Major Henry West from "28 days later" 

  The Sex appeal- This role is often filled by a promiscuous woman, who is often the first to be killed and tends to partnered with the role of the irritating character, other than filling these roles this character is useless to the rest of the group. the viewer is usually happy for this character to die, due to their confusing behavior in the situation of the apocalypse. An example of this would be Monica from the 2004 remake of Romero's "Dawn of the Dead".

Monica from "Dawn of the Dead" (2004)

Nerd- This character is one that should not belong in the zombie apocalypse, this character usually makes slip ups and must be constantly saved by the rest of the group, despite this he still has use as he assists with more technical matters involving plans and such. This character tends not to survive alone and must rely on others as he is not good at combat. An example of this character would be Eugene from "The walking dead"

Eugene from "The walking dead"

These characters will help form the basis of our character selection, we will take aspects from each of the characters when considering how we will form our film, The reason for this is because we want the audience to feel like they can relate to the character as this gives them a better impression of the overall film.