We independently assess all our recommendations. Purchases through our links may earn us a commission.
Clever, cunning, and capable, the “final girls” are the sole survivors of horror and slasher films, battling twisted killers and persevering through anguish. There’s a very visible formula created by the heroines, and their unique traits are what allow them to live. Think of your favorite slasher film, the girl who outlives the rest, and read on to discover what makes them the ultimate downfall of your favorite killers.
The History of the Final Girl Trope
Although slasher films of the 70s and 80s displayed the “final girl” trope, it wasn’t until 1992 that the term was officially coined. Carol J. Clover, a professor at the University of California Berkeley, first referenced the concept of a final girl in her book Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. Clover studied the slashers of the 70s and 80s and came to several conclusions about the final girl- otherwise known as the protagonist woman who makes it to the end of the film, as everyone around her dies.
Clover examines the “moral superiority” of the final girls, stating that they’re usually virtuous in that they refrain from drugs, alcohol, sex, and other risky behaviors, they’re mostly brunette, sometimes have a unisex name, they might know the killer.
Clover also claims that the narrative begins via the male gaze- the depiction that the woman is sexualized and viewed from a cis male’s perspective. However, the narrative flips at some point in the film, Clover saying, “These films are designed to align spectators not with the male tormentor, but with the female victim — the final girl — who finally defeats her oppressor.”
Examples of Final Girls in Horror
Laurie Strode
We’ve all seen Laurie Strode make her many escapes from the man-made of nightmares, Michael Myers, first introduced in the 1978 horror film Halloween. Movie after movie, Strode seemingly defeats Myers, only for him to come back in a freakish and inexplicable way.
She is the final girl again, and again, and again, continuously tortured by having to witness everyone around her being killed off. Strode’s friends die, notably after having sex, while she is portrayed as prudish, wearing conservative clothing and not getting involved with romantic or sexual relationships.
One of the most classic horror characters of all time, Strode is a great example of a final girl, showing that she’s determined to beat Myers, no matter how many times it takes.
Sidney Prescott
In Wes Craven’s 1996 slasher Scream, Sidney Prescott fits the girl next door trope – intellectual, responsible, and mostly pure. Although Prescott isn’t the virginal type of final girl, she mostly refrains from any sexual situations and brings the killer to their knees, movie after movie.
Aligned with Clover’s criteria, Prescott is brunette, has a unisex name, knows the killer, and avoids most vices and risky behavior. Prescott is a well-known final girl, fighting her ever-existing Ghostface attackers and winning every time.
Is the final girl trope feminist?
There’s a lot of commentary on the purpose of the final girl and whether or not the depiction of them is feminist or not. Many slasher horror movies are directed or written by men, which supports the idea of the male gaze.
By the way!
Did you know we’re launching a Kickstarter campaign? In the next few months, our campaign for ‘Gentle Jack: The Party Game for Bad Friends‘ goes live! Visit the official website or follow the Kickstarter page to stay in the loop.
The final girl is tormented by savagery and bloodshed; Clover suggests the reason the final girl is a girl is that she has to experience brutality because that’s what the audience wants. In contrast, an audience might be put off if the terror is directed toward a male.
The reason, then, for the gender-neutral characteristics of the final girl (her name and clothing) is so male viewers can connect with the final survivor, despite their interest in the brutalization of women.
The representation of vices and sexuality is also important to note. As a nod to celebrating the pure, it is most often the girls who engage in sex and drugs being killed, while it is the chaste girls who survive. The final girls are also desexualized, so they’re more likable, creating more empathy for the things she must endure.
There are those who think the final girl trope is coming to its end, as suggested by the best horror films of the 2010s, and though that may be true, we have countless final girls and women to look to as the badasses who survived the epitome of evil. Just look back at the best 80s B horror movies if you need more examples of these final girls.