One particularly evident example of this is within the roles of the characters within horror films, particularly slasher horrors. There is a clear-cut sequence and order in which the protagonists of the films are killed in, and there is a specific criteria for the protagonist the remains alive in the end of the film and is the survivor.
The character that is often left alive at the end of the film and survives the trauma is often referred to as the 'final girl'. This character is often a virgin and portrayed to have good standards and morals. One of the first examples of a final girl can be seen in the character of Laurie Strode in Halloween.
The term 'final girl' was first used by Carol J. Clover. She recognised the trend in the altered perspective throughout the films. For example, in most slasher horrors, the killer's perspective is shared by the audience until partway through the film where there is a shift in identification where the final girl becomes the main focus of perspective.
Other typical characters that are often scene within slasher horrors are the highly sexually active couple. The couple is almost always heterosexual and the female within the relationship is often the best friend of the virgin final girl. This contrast causes the audience to see the female in the relationship in a negative light in comparison to her friend. The common theme within sexually active couples is that they will get killed during or after they are having sex. This is so common within horror films that it is often parodied within spoof films.
There is also a correlation between ethnicity and order of death. Slasher films often contain a token black character who is left under-developed and is killed off first. There has been an attempt as of late to see the decline of this trope, as it was realised that this was a bad representation of black people within films.
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