Final Girl
The image of the distressed female most likely to linger in memory is the image of the one who did not die: the survivor, or Final Girl. She is the one who encounters the mutilated bodies of her friends and perceives the full extent of the preceding horror and her own peril; who is chased, cornered, wounded; whom we see scream, stagger, fall, rise and scream again. She is abject terror personified. If her friends knew they were about to die only seconds before the event, the Final Girl lives with the knowledge for long minutes or hours. She alone looks death in the face, but she alone also finds the strength either to stay the killer long enough to be rescued (ending A) or to kill him herself (ending B). But in either case, from 1974 on, the survivor figure has been female. In Schoell’s words: “The vast majority of contemporary shockers, whether in the sexist mold or not, feature climaxes in which the women fight back against their attackers – the wandering, humorless psychos who populate these films. They often show more courage and levelheadedness than their cringing male counterparts.” Her scene occupies the last ten to twenty minutes (thirty in the case of Texas Chainsaw I) and contains the film’s empatic climax.
(Chapter One, Book: Men, Women, and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. Carol J. Clover. 1992.)
Since we all are aware now of who the final girl is, I bet most of you have seen her in movies or even in the old cinema since she’s quite common. If not, don't worry, cause here are some girls and their movies to initiate you on the experience. Sometimes traumatizing, sometimes just fun.
Classic Examples:
Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in Halloween (1978): The quintessential final girl, Laurie faces off against Michael Myers.
Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) in the Scream franchise: She is a central character in the Scream movies, surviving multiple attacks by different Ghostface killers.
Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in Alien (1979): Ripley battles the Xenomorph, showcasing bravery and resourcefulness.
Alice Hardy (Adrienne King) in Friday the 13th (1980): Alice is the sole survivor of Jason Voorhees's initial killing spree at Camp Crystal Lake.
Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): Nancy fights back against Freddy Krueger in her dreams.
Jess Bradford (Olivia Hussey) in Black Christmas (1974): Jess is the final girl in the original slasher film, Black Christmas.
Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) in Hellraiser (1987): Kirsty confronts the Cenobites and their leader, Pinhead.
Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974): Sally survives the Sawyer family's gruesome attacks.
Modern Examples:
Erin (Sharni Vinson) in You're Next (2011):
Erin's survival skills are put to the test when her family is targeted by masked attackers.
Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe) in Happy Death Day (2017):
Tree relives her birthday, attempting to identify her killer while also learning to be a better person.
Grace (Samara Weaving) in Ready or Not (2019):
Grace must survive a deadly game after marrying into a wealthy family.
Dani (Florence Pugh) in Midsommar (2019):
Dani experiences a traumatic breakup and joins her boyfriend on a trip to a
Swedish festival that takes a dark turn.
Mia (Jane Levy) in Evil Dead (2013):
Mia battles the demons that possess her friends in the remake of the original Evil Dead.
Maddie (Kate Siegel) in Hush (2016):
Maddie, a deaf and mute author, must use her wits and surroundings to survive a home invasion.
I love Hush in particular, the dynamic between the final girl and the “monster” here is very peculiar… You will understand once you watch it.