By the time we are teenagers, we probably know that the main characters in any story are usually completely safe in whatever dangerous situations they are in. After all, if the main characters are killed off then what's left in the story to interest the audience? Some authors have done this, such as Steven King famously in "The Stand" where he blew apart half the character list because he'd written himself into a hole and couldn't figure out what else to do. George R. R. Martin also did this, but because he wanted the tale to seem real and in reality nobody is safe.
I'm more focused on how to truly safe characters are kept on the razor's edge. Think about the classic "Alien" movies... Ellen Ripley is the hero and completely safe and we all know she'll make it out just fine. *spoilers ahead* Then, she is on the escape capsule and changing out of her clothes to get into the cryo-freeze chamber and confronts the alien. She is in a completely vulnerable place, in her underwear, and facing the creature who single handedly defeated everyone else. It's terrifying (so much so that I still have a difficult time watching it with the sound on).
In moments of such vulnerability and helplessness, the audience completely forgets the thematic safety of the character and we are truly worried. Study that scene and you'll find a great roadmap on freaking out your audience. A similar scene happens in the first "Terminator" movie when Sarah Conner is in the dance club and all the main characters converge in a shootout where the audience still hasn't decided who lives and dies. It's a great moment, and has become an iconic image for the franchise.
Know your audience, but also know their expectations. Done well, no character seems safe--even when they truly are and the audience knows it.
- M
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