The Final Girls

The final girl, if you aren't familiar is generally characterized by a sweet, good girl type who is often the last survivor of a horror movie. This idea has been around for a while and I feel like it really became popular in the slasher movies of the 1970s and 1980s. You do still see the final girl in many horror movies, although some writers/ directors subvert the typical concept of the final girl. This may mean others survive, the satirize the character or a male character might be the only survivor. Of course, this is not just in horror movies. Books, television, comics, games, and a variety of other horror media will often have a so-called final girl.

Below are five of my favorites, although there are many more. These are in no particular order, however.

1. Dana Polk (The Cabin in the Woods): This is one of my favorite horror movies and I heart Joss Whedon whole bunches so this is probably one of my favorite horror movies ever. Dana is an average girl, much like her friends. They basically go party in the woods and scary, weird shit happens. Of course, she is by no means a typical final girl since there is a pretty great twist with this movie. However, she is cast into the role as the “virgin” although she doesn't completely fit this stereotype. If you haven't seen it, I don't want to ruin it by delving deeper, but I do highly recommend giving this one a watch...or a re-watch even.

2. Laurie Strode (Halloween 1 and 2, Halloween 2007): Laurie is a classic final girl in many ways. She is the good girl, virgin character who battles the evil Michael Myers and survives when no one else does. However, in the first two movies, she is more a victim of circumstance and often, does very little real fighting. However, the character does evolve in later movies and eventually, becomes one tough cookie.

3. Sidney Prescott (Scream series): The first of these movies came out when I started to get more involved in horror and left a lasting impression on me. It is an excellent slasher movie that subverts the typical tropes and even, makes you laugh a bit. Sidney is rather virginal and innocent at the beginning, but does eventually lose her virginity to the killer. She does manage to kick his ass and assume her place as one of the top final girls. Subsequent movies find her continuing to battle copycats and coming out on top.

4. Erin Harson (You're Next): This girl is a legit badass. At the beginning of the movie, she seems to be a rather typical horror movie stereotype, the quiet girlfriend of one of the male characters. However, when masked killers start creating havoc for a family, she showcases some mad survival skills and starts taking out the killers. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and enjoyed watching a tough lady kick some major ass.

5. Ellen Ripley (Alien series): Although the later movies are more action than horror, the original movie creates a sole survivor in Ellen Ripley. Trapped on a space ship, the crew is killed by a terrifying force and Ellen is the only one who survives. She stays rather calm considering the circumstances and manages to not panic as badly as the rest of the crew. In the end, she defeats the creature and showcases some seriously rad survival skills.

What are your favorite final girls?