One of the most tense subjects I can think of is war. Some of the films that come extremely close to my sensibilities are one's like Children of Men and 28 Days Later. These two movies specifically take the idea of a war torn location and throw combatants and regular people into stressful and thrilling situations. Keeping with that theme I've decided to create a horror film during the Afghan war. Yes I have no way of filming this, yes it can't be made into a thesis project necessarily and I totally understand that it's an idea I'll never get to see come to fruition. But the location is so exciting to write about. A war in itself is horrifying and scary, but to throw my beloved characters into that situation along with something supernatural would make an extremely tense situation. It's tough to write a character driven fictional film when that's not exactly what 
     In earlier blogs I wrote about comradory and family along with the themes of duty. I feel like those character archetypes fit perfectly for a soldier at war. The three main influencing events on my main character would be the death of his mother, the death of a fellow soldier, and his father leaving at an early age. These three events set up a man who is lonely and abandoned yet can find family and consolement in his squad or amongst his peers. I've really wanted to write about ghosts of lost family members and also a story about being lost in the physical environment. I've had so many terrifying dreams that are filled with anxiety about being lost and not knowing where I am. Therefore I could create a rewarding yet creepy story about a soldier meeting long lost ghosts while abandoned in the middle of the Afghan mountains. This could create a really rewarding, personal adventure for the lead character, but also give the supporting cast an opportunity to help him deal with these inner demons, and physical ones.

Storyline Inspiration
     In a filmic world I can't see a horror protagonist relating themselves to or being inspired by a figure. Perhaps one could say that god or a deity may drive a character to success or defeat in a horror film, but I don't want a religious protagonist in my film. The absence of faith works for me. The only other motivating figure I see for this sort of protagonist is a heroic one. Perhaps a comic book hero or someone strong and triumphant will help the protagonist see the change they can make and help them succeed in a scary or tense situation.

Filmic Inspiration
     I would love to write a character who is motivated by duty and living up to their role in a community, workplace or family. I personally enjoy the character of Brody in Jaws. PLayed by Roy Schnieder this troubled father and husband has family issues and problems living up to the duty of being chief of police in a small community. The entire film he's trying to make a difference and find that missing satisfaction in his life that can only be brought to him when his peers take him seriously. I don't consider Jaws to be a horror film, but it sure is tense. I love the rewarding ending to Brody's story as well. He saves the day single handedly and presumably the battle with the shark actually brings him closer to his family and coworkers. I recently attended a screening of Paranormal Activity 4 and also a film called Sinister. Both films ended with the protagonists being killed and defeated with no moral satisfaction or lesson being taught. I personally want to see the hero of the film succeed and want to see them overcome something scary, tense or even supernatural, and I bet viewers do 

     I think the one thing that differs with my idea of a horror protagonist is the sensibility of their reactions to the events they are thrown into. Horror films are filled with circumstantial plot points that build on one core theme. Generally the tense nature of the film will heighten each time one of these 'protagonist meets conflict' situations happen. My protagonist is male, in their late 20's and in all rights is a regular guy. I'm building a story out of the solutions to faults I find in most current horror films today. One of my most favorite horror and thriller protagonists is Mcready, Kurt Russels character in The Thing. He's a young male and acts naturally to everything that happens to him. He's sarcastic and relatable. So many current horror films and series have young, conflicted teen characters that just scream and act without rational to their circumstances. I can't stand those characters. Rather then writing a script from a story I've read, or a drama with some deep character building plot, I really want to throw an everyman protagonist into a horror film filled with dashes of the right ingredients to create a satisfying vibe that is both tense and scary. I actually look forward to describing the people who influence my character. Maybe I'm doing this in the reverse of what most horror writers do. In all honesty most horror and thriller films seem to make the focal point and element of the film the antagonist and not actually the protagonist. Or in a horror film is the protagonist actually the antagonist? Is Freddy the guy who the audience roots for? Does the audience really care about Roy Shnieders character in Jaws, or are they really fixated on how come this shark is terrorizing the beach dwelling population?