February 1st
marks the beginning of Women in Horror Month. As a huge horror enthusiast,
supporting the creators and actors behind the films is always on my to-do-list.
Women in Horror Month (WiHM), is an international grassroots initiative that
aims to encourage others to get involved and bring awareness to the women in
the horror industry.
In honor of WiHM I’m
going to start a series on my blog from now till the end of February
celebrating the many women that contribute to the horror genre.
To kick things off
we’re going to celebrate some of my favorite final girls. Now, what would
horror be without the “final girl”? For years, horror films have relied on
traditional horror troupes, a formula to create the perfect addition to the
genre. The “final girl” is a quintessential horror character and arguably – the
most important. The final girl is the last-girl-standing at the end of the
film; all of her friends are dead and after battling with the killer for the
entire film, she’s finally succeeded in killing them once and for all (or at
least until the inevitable sequel). The final girl serves as a heroine, a
strong, badass female for the audience to sympathize and/or identify with and
today we’re going to pay homage to a few of my most beloved.
Nancy (A Nightmare on
Elm Street) – Nancy Thompson, portrayed by Heather Langenkamp, squared up
against dream-killer Freddy Krueger in the 80s and again in the 90s. She
started out as a normal teenage girl, but having your best friend sliced and
diced and splattered all over the walls in your home will change a person.
Nancy was intelligent and determined and manages to defeat Krueger not once,
but three times. Even after being killed off in the third installment in the
series, Dream Warriors, she still returned to kick Freddy’s ass. We love a
legend.
Sydney (Scream) –
Enter Sydney Prescott, portrayed by Neve Campbell, arguably one of the most
notable final girls in the horror genre. As far as films go, Scream was one
that turned the horror genre upside down by taking everything you’ve ever known
about the genre and shoved it back in our faces. We see Sydney grow from a
stereotypical final girl – virginal and making rookie mistakes – to a bona-fied
badass that’s down to throw hands on Ghostface at any given time. Despite
having lost her virginity in the first Scream, she still managed to survive the
entire film, shattering one of the most important rules of surviving a horror
movie (Don’t have sex – ever). From shitty boyfriends and deranged cousins,
Sydney took them all down and earned her title as an iconic final girl.
Laurie (Halloween) –
Jamie Lee Curtis is pretty much the G.O.A.T. of final girls. Curtis’ mother
Janet Leigh graced the silver screen in the original Psycho so being a Scream
Queen was in her blood. Laurie Strode basically pioneered being a final girl,
after being the heroine in one of the longest-running series in the horror
genre. She was your typical “girl-next-door” with a dark secret that was locked
away until that secret broke out and came back home on Halloween
night. Laurie faced off against her knife-wielding brother, Michael Myers,
countless times; taking him down with everything from wire hangers to axes.
Even though Michael finally succeeded in taking her out in Halloween:
Resurrection, she still went out like a boss. However, it looks like Laurie
Strode will be returning to Haddonfield in the upcoming Halloween film. This
scream queen still reigns supreme.
Julie (I Know What
You Did Last Summer) – Cheesy slasher films are a favorite of mine and I Know
What You Did Last Summer is a classic. Before she was a Ghost Whisperer,
Jennifer Love Hewitt was Julie James, who was tormented by fisherman with a
hook in a small town in North Carolina. After running over local fisherman Ben
Willis and dumping his body off the pier at Miller’s Dock, Julie and her
friends receive letters a year later saying “I Know What You Did Last Summer”
(I know, it’s a cinematic masterpiece). One by one, this cloaked maniac with a
hook for a hand tries to pick them off, leaving Julie to face off against him
in a one final battle. Then, because it seems like fishermen are notorious
grudge-holders because he STILL knows what she did last summer, Julie once
again has to square up against Ben Willis and his crazed son in the sequel.
While Julie isn’t necessarily a badass like the others on the list, she still
made a name for herself in the horror genre. Julie was the prototype for future
final girls, even inspiring many of the scenes in the original Scary Movie.
Bravo Julie.
Kirsty (Hellraiser) –
Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) gets to square up against one of the coolest
villains to ever grace the screen. Pinhead and his merry-band of Cenobites, a
group of grotesque hellions from another dimension that’s only accessible by
solving this Pandora’s Box. Hellraiser is sadomasochistic nightmare-fuel but
it’s bloody good fun, and our girl Kirsty is right in the middle of it all.
After her seedy uncle is literally torn to shreds by the Cenobites, which he
summoned in the hopes of some cheap thrills but got way more than he bargained
for, Kirsty is thrown into this world of BDSM horror (think 50 Shades meets
Texas Chainsaw). Kirsty is clever and thinks quick on her feet outsmarts the
Cenobites by informing them that her uncle Frank has escaped their clutches and
in exchange for her freedom, they agree to take Frank back to their realm.
After the final battle ensues and Frank is once again torn to pieces, Pinhead
and his crew try to kidnap Kirsty and since she was clearly not trying to end
up like Frank, she retrieves the box and banishes the Cenobites back to
wherever the hell they came from. She steps up her game in the sequel
Hellbound: Hellraiser II and saves the day once again.
Sally (The Texas
Chainsaw Massacre) – Marilyn Burns portrayed one of the first final girls in
this groundbreaking 70s slasher film. All Sally Hardesty wanted was a
fun-filled summer with her friends but instead she gets catapulted into the dark,
twisted world of the Sawyer family and the secret that they keep hidden behind
that huge steel door. Instead of sipping lemonade by the pool or attending a
music festival, Sally gets to witness her friends and boyfriend get slaughtered
one-by-one by Leatherface. Leatherface enjoys long walks on the beach and
slicing off his victim’s faces and making a mask out of the skin. Oh – and then
she’s invited to a nice family dinner where she’s served their remains. How
lovely. Sally managed to survive the night and escapes the Sawyer family’s
House of Horrors, earning her a spot on this list.
Erin (You’re Next) –
Sharni Vinson’s character Erin Harson is the most recent final girl on this
list. The 2011 film You’re Next starts off as your run-of-the-mill home invasion
film when a family reunion is cut short when these animal-masked killers show
up. Despite being armed with crossbows, garrote wires, and knives, these
assailants are no match for our final girl in this film. Erin isn’t easily
intimidated by their blood-scrawled messages and feeble attempts to add her to
their kill list and starts taking them out. Using anything she can get her
hands on from meat tenderizers and screwdrivers, Erin begins the fight for her
life. She throws any plans of being a victim back in their faces – literally.
It’s revealed that the killers were paid assassins hired by two of the family
members as part of their greedy scheme to walk away with the family fortune.
Too bad one of their family member’s girlfriend is basically the female Rambo. Turns
out, Erin grew up on a survivalist compound where she learned survivalist and
combat skills. This final girl made the killers her bitch. What an icon.
Ellen (Alien) –
Sigourney Weaver’s character Ellen Ripley is probably the most bad ass final
girl on this list. Not only was Ellen the final girl in this sci-fi horror
flick, she was the sole-survivor. In space, you’re basically on your own;
there’s not a soul that’s going to hear your screams or cries for help. She
when Ripley and her crew are met with this gigantic, big boss bitch alien, it’s
kill or be killed. Ripley is smart, strong, and had the captain listened to her
in the first place, this whole situation could have been avoided. Ripley stays
one-step ahead of her crew and the alien and kicks the alien’s ass all the way
into deep space. Let’s not forget Ripley’s incredible display of heroics in the
sequel and the iconic line, “Get away from her, you bitch.” Ripley did not come
to play games with these aliens and she lets them know time and time again.
That concludes this
list! Who’s your favorite final girl? Let me know in the comments and keep an
eye out for the next WiHM post!
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