The dominant representation is white middle aged males. This is possibly because the original film-making community was largely centered around White Caucasian, individualistic cultures, such as the culture within Hollywood, USA during the early stages of cinema.
Archetypal Victims:
Single, white, female virgins. This stereotype is beginning to change as Female characters in horror films are being given more complex roles as heroines instead of mere victims. This change in roles and development in the portrayal of female characters reflects the transgression of female stereotypes as the rise and success of feminism means that women are no longer confined to the domestic sphere within a patriarchal society. Contemporary horror and thriller films can no longer rely on females acting as the obvious victim within the narrative, unless the story line is within a historical setting when women remained relatively powerless and reliant on the financial and physical support of men.
Leading actors and directors in Hollywood were always Caucasian while black and ethnic minority actors only played minor roles. In the Thriller genre, it was common practice to have white male actors playing key roles. This has been challenged and broken by films like "Se7en" which has Morgan Freeman playing the lead role.
Gender Bias:
Females usually play the "femme fatale" or a victim. Since Jodie Foster's performance of "Clarice Starling" in "the Silence of the Lambs"(1990) the roles of women in thriller and horror films has become far more challenging and complex.
Heterosexual Bias:
Having a gay protagonist is still very unusual in Hollywood horror and thriller films. However, it isn't as unusual to have homosexual antagonists. For example, nearly all antagonists created by the author Thomas Harris have homosexual tendencies and sexual deviances, which has ultimately helped to form a negative stereotype for the horror and thriller genres.
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