section 1

1. Joseph Russo
PROPP’S CHARACTER THEORY IN “IT
FOLLOWS”

2. VILLAIN – THE FOLLOWING PERSON
• In horror films, the villain disrupts the
equilibrium and is one of the most
important character types. Typically in the
horror genre, the villain is a paranormal,
mysterious character that tends to scare
the audience.
• In “It Follows”, the character is very
paranormal, as it can only be seen by
certain people. The villain can represent
many problems that people may face
through sexual intercourse and is shown
by the villain constantly following them
round.

3. PRINCESS - JAY
• In a horror film, the princess needs help,
protecting or saving. The princess in a
horror normally turns into a hero at the
end of the film, restoring the equilibrium.
They are normally the main character and
can either be male or female.
• In “It Follows”, Jay is the princess as it is
mainly her who is getting tormented by
the creature. It is up to her and her group
of her friends to stop this from happening
and in the end of the film they manage to
stop it, although the closing scene shows a
figure walking behind her.

4. DONOR - GREG
• A donor is someone who gives the hero
help, advice or an object. In a horror
film, they normally help the princess
character rather than the hero because
typically there is more likely to be a
princess rather than a hero.
• In “It Follows”, Greg is the donor as he
tries to help Jay by choosing to have the
villain passed on to him rather than it
being with her. The donor helps the
narrative progress and are a very
important character in horror films.