Often in horror, there is a focus not on the protagonist, but the obstacles that they face. We care more about the Creature than Victor, we want to see more of zombie horde than the personal struggles of the survivors, and we are far more fascinated with the trauma of a situation than how to protagonist deals with psychological tortures. It's not our fault completely, it's the scares of the situation that draw us in after all. You don't see a bad slasher sequel movie to see the group of teenagers after all, you do it to see the monster killing them off one by one. It's half the fun of seeing the movies after all, but that is not all there is to offer in terms of horror protagonists. For those of us who wish to learn how to make us more interested in the people who are handling the scares, continue on.
First, think about your protagonist, what makes them a compelling character? Are they funny? Smart? Do they have a nervous habit? Think through what makes your character a person. Come up with rumors others have heard about them, even a handful of false ones. Learn their reputation, their characteristics beyond just the visual and go into their head for a little bit. Let's take a relatively easy horror example that most should know: Laurie Strode from John Carpenter's Halloween. She is bookish, smart, rather practical and is your typical 70s teen.
But what does that mean, “typical”? She listens to rock music, smokes weed with her friends, has crushes on boys that she's embarrassed to talk about, and she babysits for extra money. Laurie obviously isn't very social, she is babysitting on what some would consider a partying night but she does have friends so she is one of those who likes a more close knit sort of group than a huge crowd. She increasingly grows paranoid as Laurie keeps seeing this same man following her everywhere in the same costume yet not enough to inform the police. When she finds her two friends naked and dead in the one home, she breaks down. Laurie doesn't know or care that the killer may still be lurking, she just lost one of her best friends and that is all she cares about in the moment. When she is trying to survive, Laurie fights back with whatever she can, knowing that her life depends on it but is still breaking down terrified when the psychiatrist shows up to kill Michael. She is not just a character, she is a human with feelings, fears, hopes, and at the end of the night, a lot of pain and trauma. Laurie is compelling because you can relate to her deeply on an empathetic level, you feel for her, and at the end of the movie you just wish to hold her and tell her everything is going to be alright even if its not.
That's what compelling means to me in the end, a character that gives you an empathetic link to them. Something that makes you feel for them instead of rolling your eyes at another body count increase. In this respect, it is key to know your character in and out, and find how they react to things. Figure out how to make them the true underdog of your horror story, get them to say the line from Cabin in the Woods by Hadley:
“It’s so strange, I’m actually rooting for this girl. She’s got so much heart, when you think of all the pain and the punishment…”
As black as the monster is painted, let the hero be colored in pale gray. Not perfect, not an angel but a relatable yet fallible human being. Let he or she be able to be not only understood, but someone you want to cheer for all the way home. After all, what's so scary about a horror story if you don't feel for the character dealing with all the terrors?
So what about you? Know any stories you've read or watched that have the best relatable characters? I'd have to say A Quiet Place knocked it out in the park for me in terms of protagonists that make you want to cheer for them to survive and empathize with them. Also the book Horrorstӧr has some really compelling characters in that they are all just the sort trying to keep their jobs or continue to do well at a company they love but are forced into a horrifying situation because of it. Do check those two out if you want to see examples of what I mean and tell me about your favorite horror protagonists below!