Propp's Theory

Propp analysed 100 folk and fairytales to identify how characters are used to move the narative foward.

His theory includes the following:

1) a hero

2) a villain

3) the donor

4) the dispatcher

5) the false hero

6) the helper

7) the princess

8) her father



These are the main points that he bases his theory on. This theory is true to an extent, however I do not think that it is usually seen applied to horror films. These are mostly related to fairytales and not applicable to the horror genre.