By: Alexandra Krasilovsky'27
The final girl trope is essential to the horror movie genre. One girl is in some way chosen, thrown into, or otherwise made to be the singular survivor of her group. Usually, this girl is connected to the killer in some way, relatively sexually inexperienced, and fundamentally “different” from her female counterparts. However, even underneath this specific set of character traits, there are some final girls who are remarkable among their class.
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Carrie White (Carrie, 1976):
Carrie’s experiences of being bullied, raised very religiously, and growing up essentially alone doesn’t make her an obviously suitable final girl. Her telekinetic powers and deep-rooted rage emerge towards the end of the movie as she kills everyone at the prom, then goes home and kills her mother in an act of self-defense. Carrie’s characterization as a mild, shy girl unable to hold onto her sanity after being humiliated is what makes her so compelling to watch, and thus, such a satisfying final girl.
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Wendy Torrance (The Shining, 1980):
Wendy’s utter exhaustion and determination to keep her son alive throughout the movie is palpable, which makes it so much more painful to see her fight for her life. However, it is that relentless fighting spirit that cements her status as a legendary final girl. I have a special place in my heart for Wendy because of her emotional fluidity throughout the movie. She never fails to acknowledge the horror of her situation and allows those powerful emotions to propel her toward survival.
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Sidney Prescott (Scream, 1996):
It wouldn’t be a final girls list without Sidney. Her impact on 21st-century horror, memorable one-liners, and multi-film legacy has her in the running for the most iconic final girl of all time. Again and again, she faces betrayal from those she loves, but never isolates herself from the world, as many of us would in her shoes. She is smart, one step ahead, and quick on her feet. She’s also not afraid to act in the interest of the greater good, even when it’s personally painful for her. Killing Billy, Stu, and Jill were pivotal moments of the saga, and she did not hesitate to do what she thought necessary for everyone else’s protection.
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Clear Rivers (Final Destination, 2000):
My personal favorite horror movie saga. Clear is intuitive, selfless, and absolutely an out-of-the-box thinker. (As one needs to be in Final Destination!) Throughout both movies she appears in, she spends most of her time plotting different ways to cheat Death. After her boyfriend Alex’s death, she makes the decision to voluntarily commit herself to a mental institution, cutting herself off from society and anything that could potentially kill her. After the protagonist of Final Destination 2 begs her for aid in avoiding Death, Clear leaves her safe haven, knowingly risking her life to save the lives of others. Clear is a deeply empathetic and trusting character whose morals shined in both of her feature films.
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Sarah (The Descent, 2005):
As “The Descent” begins, Sarah is introduced as suffering the heartbreaking loss of her husband and daughter while on a whitewater rafting trip. She then grapples with surprisingly realistic feelings of grief, regret, and longing while also battling blind cave creatures. Late in the movie, Sarah again faces death when she mercy kills her friend Beth, who was mistakenly stabbed by another character, Juno. Sarah’s confrontation with Juno over her affair with Sarah’s husband, as well as her choice to leave Beth for dead, is such a satisfying ending to their friendship. Finally, the film’s two different endings show Sarah escaping and being haunted by her experience, or hallucinating freedom as she loses energy in the cave. Regardless of her ending, Sarah is undoubtedly an emotional powerhouse with an impressive moral code.
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Max Cartwright (The Final Girls, 2015):
With a title like “The Final Girls”, Max Cartwright has a lot to live up to from the first moments of the film. I believe she absolutely fulfills this expectation through her comedic timing, touching desire to save her mother’s life, and genuine connection with the other characters. She is smart, dead set on her goals, and protective of everyone, regardless of her relationship with them. The scene of her taking on Billy after he’s killed her mother’s character, Nancy, is truly an awesome watch that completely sold me on her status as the final girl.
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Maddie Young (Hush, 2016):
“Hush” is one of the best horror movie premises I’ve ever watched. Maddie is a deaf-mute writer who lives in an isolated, wooded area. She is stalked by an unknown man who takes advantage of her inability to hear him and taunts her as she tries to escape the house or call for help. The ending of this movie is one of the most exciting, gratifying conclusions that I’ve ever seen. Maddie writes up a description of the killer and his crimes on her laptop as she starts to bleed out, then uses multiple unassuming objects in her house to injure, disorient, and finally kill the intruder. Lastly, she saved the life of her cat, which made the movie possible to rewatch for me.
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Charlotte Willmore & Lizzie Wells (The Perfection, 2018):
At the beginning of the movie, Charlotte appears to be a past-her-prime cellist filled with jealousy for her teacher’s new protégé, Lizzie. In one of my personal favorite plot devices, the film is manipulated so that the viewer is also under the impression that Charlotte is the villain. Once the audience has understood enough about the music academy both women attended, the movie timeline rewinds, and we understand why Charlotte sabotaged Lizzie’s music career. Had Lizzie continued her musical ascension, she would have been subjected to abuse at the hands of the music teachers. As the two join forces, they take down the institution that both bolstered their successes and inflicted their life’s trauma. This film involves two incredibly cunning protagonists, cult themes, and some heavy topics of sexual abuse, but crafts a masterfully detailed and unexpected series of events.
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Grace (Ready or Not, 2019):
Yet another popular choice for most impressive final girls, Grace directly works against the sadistic game of Hide and Seek orchestrated by her new husband’s family as they hunt her down on her wedding night. Her ability to work in an unfamiliar environment, cope with the deception of her in-laws, and survive a game set up to fail is spectacular. The dark comedy aspects of this movie blend well with Grace’s sarcastic nature, and the scenes of her rejecting the LeDomas family “tradition” speak to so much more than a murderous child’s game. Grace is a perfect example of a vintage scream queen with a modern mindset.
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Ziggy Berman (Fear Street Part Two: 1978, 2021):
Ziggy Berman is the most modern of the final girls on this list. She is fiery, stubborn, and self-serving until it really matters. Her scenes with her sister Cindy prove that Ziggy, while still a teenager, is willing to die for the people she loves, and will carry their memory with her until she herself dies. She is an imperfect final girl who makes mistakes and is ultimately saved because of Cindy’s love for her. As Ziggy grows up and then helps end the witch’s curse decades after her own traumatic event, her major redeeming quality is her refusal to let Cindy’s sacrifice be in vain.
*Note: The article was republished due to site maintenance. The original publication date is October 13th, 2024.
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