The “Final Girl”, the final heroine at the end of a horror/slasher movie, is undoubtedly one of the most thrilling tropes horror movies can offer.
Carol J. Clover, Carol J. Clover Chainsaws are for Men and WomenThe film featured her famed theory of Final Girl. She explained that horror movies often favor the ‘innocents’ women who sit opposite her promiscuous peers. The film ended with the deaths of those who engaged in sex, drug abuse, and other “immoral” behaviors. Only the innocent survived.
The industry’s dominance is undeniable, thanks to these women’s strength and independence as well as their cultural influence as scream queens. The result of decades of productions, directors, and actors playing with the trope over the years, the boundaries of what a final girls should be have changed tremendously, opening up the doors to more outstanding and unique performances.
The best final girls have moments that redefine the trope from the most heart-stopping scream to the most elegantly dressed.
Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns). Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qayJfP02Onk
Best “epic ending”/maniacal laugh
The breathtaking final scenes of Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Sally Hardesty’s pick-up truck shot scene takes the cake and becomes a famous reference in horror history. After escaping from Leatherface and his sinister family’s slasher attempts, Sally steals the slasher’s chainsaw (or phallic symbol, for film buffs who enjoy more feminist readings) and uses it against him, injuring his leg. Defeating the toxic male-dominated family secures her power as the last heroine standing, and she victoriously screams/cackles her way into a celebrated reference nod for many feminist films to come (*waves to American Psycho*).
Adelaide/Red (Lupita Nyong’o), Contact Us (2019)
You are most likely to be confused.
This is an allegory to the monologue which sends chills up horror fans’ spines. On what was supposed to be a beach-house getaway, our doppelgänger antagonists —Adelaide Wilson’s “Tethered” family doubles — storm the home and introduce us to Adelaide’s double Red, whereupon Nyong’o delivers one of the best exposition dumps in horror history.
Audiences can’t help but hang onto Red’s every word as she explains the Tethered’s sudden emergence from the alternate universe Below our world. While Red is defeated by Adelaide in the end, situating Adelaide as the film’s final girl, the finale reveals that the ultimate switch had been successfully carried out years ago by the true Tether pretending to be “real Adelaide” all along. The interweaving the two clones creates a conflict between the “original” Adelaide and the antagonist. This reveals the limits of what makes a Final girl a Final girl.
The Girl (Sheila Vand), A Girl Goes Home Alone at Night (2014)
Best dressed.
In this Iranian spaghetti western/horror film, the mysterious protagonist with no name bends horror rules in her journey to become the movie’s antagonist AndFinal girl. An antihero teenage vampire who tortures and kills men, especially those who enact violence against women, all while keeping her identity private, “The Girl” sports a chador while riding around town on a stolen skateboard, often following sneakily behind or mirroring bystanders’ movements until they escape in terror (or, you know, get got). The most vulnerable women are often those wearing hijabs, which is why they’re often seen onscreen as Islamic women. The Girl appropriates and smashes through this stereotype by utilizing her veil as a sign of rebellion, the film’s very own superhero and villain. She’s the mysterious and strong girl who, while adhering to the rules of reason and strength as the other final girls, takes on the role of the film’s unique’slasher’.
Yvonne Miller (Kelly Jo Minter), A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989)
You are most likely to lend a helping hand to a friend in distress.
The final concept for a girl is based on her intelligence and strength. I can’t think of anything more sensible than finding a perverted dream invader with blades for fingers that sports a red and green TJ Maxx sweater hard to believe in.
For Nightmare on Elm Street 5’sFinal girl Yvonne Miller was skeptical of Freddy Krueger’s powers, giving her an edge that allowed Krueger to terrorize her dreamscape. Yvonne Miller, the film’s final girl and Alice Johnson (Lisa Wilcox), make it to the end. Yvonne, an independent and funnyly anxious teen, saves herself and her friend who are able to defeat Krueger in their own attempts. The rarity of two final girls — and one final girl of color, at that — in ’80s slashers brought forth a new era for what final girls could be. Give Yvonne Miller her flowers, people!
Kirsty cotton (Ashley Laurence). Hellraiser (1987)
Worst familial trauma. (Honorable mention: Best hair.
Hellraiser might be the farthest from being considered a true slasher film on this list so far, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Kirsty Cotton’s unique position as a final girl. Kirsty, who defies the “damsel-in-distress” tropes and refuses all help, is one of horror’s most independent and sassy protagonists/final girl. She is both headstrong and vulnerable and will not let her husband down. However, she will also break down in the midst of her nightmare and get right back up. Kirsty faces her own twisted family and wicked cenobites in a series exciting events that proves her prowess at defeating her enemies.
Between confusing doppelgänger mix-ups and antiheroes turned superheroes, we can’t wait to see where else the Final Girl trope can go.
