Markup View

Author: WaterBlap

Mar 30th 2017 at 10:11:42 AM

Suggestion for a new description (I'm not sure if "personifies" is the right word):

Genres tend to obey ''de facto'' rules, and in some genres, one of those rules concerns the [[EnsembleTropes number of characters in a given ensemble]].  These ensembles are generally thematically grouped -- whether by [[FourElementEnsemble elemental powers]] or [[FourPhilosophyEnsemble philosophical outlooks]].  In the case of ''this'' trope, however, the ensemble is thematically grouped by ''who dies.''

The genre that most notably utilizes this ensemble is {{Horror}} -- more specifically, it tends to be SciFiHorror or SurvivalHorror.

The ensemble is typically a group of teenagers, and there are exactly five members.  Each member virtually personifies specific death tropes commonly seen in {{Horror}}.  The five characters, and their typical secondary characteristics, are listed below:
# A girl who personifies DeathBySex and who usually dies first;
# A guy who personifies LaserGuidedKarma (coupled with KarmicDeath) who is usually TheBigGuy and the cockiest in the group;
# Another guy personifying DeathByGenreSavviness who's usually TheSmartGuy;
# A third guy who is TooDumbToLive (or suffers from DeathByMocking); and...
# A girl personifying either KillTheCutie (if she dies) or VirginityMakesYouStupid (if she survives).

This fifth character in the roster is AlwaysFemale and either dies last or is the only survivor.  Expect her to have ContractualImmortality.

This has become somewhat of a DiscreditedTrope since the 2010s, as seen in films like ''Film/TheCabinInTheWoods'' directly parodying this trope.

[placeholder for compare/contrast]

'''Note:''' The following examples should contain [[ExampleIndentation one bullet per group]] and [[ZeroContextExample adequate information per ensemble member]].