The antagonists place a huge tole within horror films; their responsibility: to be scaring the audience. In order to do this, these Killers tend to conform to a set of codes and conventions:
- mentally deranged and/or physically deformed.
- probably traumatised and/or injured at an early age; this incident sometimes has a link with the killer's weapon of choice.
- identity is often (but not always) concealed/unknown
(by a mask or creative lighting and camera work).
- often mute.
- superhuman abilities that allow them to withstand injuries inflicted by their victims.
- usually very big/strong.
- it's always implied that the killer is male with extremely masculine qualities.
- prefer handheld weapons.
- killer remains constant throughout most franchises.
