Top 5 Final Girls

TV & Film

Sep 1

The best thing to come out of the horror genre is the final girl. In more modern horror films, we have started getting more final guys as well, but, for this list, I am only going to be looking at final girls. The final girl is not only the last character standing, but she is also the hero of the film. She has defeated the villain and is going to save as many as she can along the way. She may also be either the first person to die in the sequel or she will be the mentor for the next wave of victims. Let’s take a look at five of the best final girls in horror!WARNING!! This article contains spoilers!!

5. The Carpenter Sisters – 'Scream VI' (2023)

I absolutely love the Scream franchise, and I was pretty nervous about the idea of there being new final girls, but the Carpenter Sisters are great! I hated Scream (2022), so I am only going to be talking about Scream VI. In the newest film, the girls are not only dealing with the trauma of the events from the previous film, but they are also having to deal with the online backlash which is something that we don’t see most final girls having to deal with. It is rare for the final girl(s) to have to deal with the backlash from saving the day, but that is exactly what these sisters are dealing with. I think that adding the social media element helps to move the idea of the final girl into the new generation.

Scream VI is available to stream on Paramount+.

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4. Julie – 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' (1997)

This film doesn’t get nearly enough attention, and neither does Julie. I feel like when most people talk about final girls they talk about everyone, but Julie which is crazy because she is one of the smartest final girls in the genre. When her friends kill a man and want to cover it up she is the when trying to talk sense into them. She doesn’t go along with them because she thinks it is a good idea, but because she is worried about her own safety when they threaten her. She is also the person making most of the smart decisions when the killer comes after them. I am really excited to see Jennifer Love Hewitt return to this role in the reboot that is rumored to currently be in the works.

I Know What You Did Last Summer is available to rent on Prime Video.

3. Sidney – 'Scream' (1996)

I feel like Sidney is one of every horror fan’s favorite final girls. Like Julie, she is smart and makes smart decisions for the majority of the film. While I love Scream 1-4 they did do her character dirty after the first film because she starts making some of the dumbest choices that ultimately get multiple people killed. In the first film, she makes all of the right decisions, her character is one of the reasons that the film did so well. I am excited to see where her character goes in Scream VII because in Scream (2022) she is more of an annoyance than anything.

Scream is available to stream on Max.

2. Nancy – 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' (1984)

Nancy is another character that I feel is on every horror fan’s list because she is just a great character. Unlike Sidney, her character stays smart in movies one and three even though she does end up getting killed. My favorite film with her though is Wes Craven’s New Nightmare because she not only has to be Nancy, but she also has to make the right decisions in the real world when dealing with a villain that should be just in the films. Heather Langenkamp is one of the best horror actresses of all time.

A Nightmare on Elm Street is available to rent on Prime Video.

1. Laurie – 'Halloween' (1978)

Laurie is an amazing final girl in Halloween 1 and 2, but also in Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills. She appears in many of the other films in the franchise, but since those are not canon for the main timeline I am leaving them out. Like the other final girls on this list, Laurie is smart, which is something that you don’t get very often in horror films, and especially not in slasher films. She makes the right decisions, but she also doesn’t worry about saving herself. She is more than willing to sacrifice herself to save other people which is one of the reasons that she is my number one choice for this list. I am still furious with the way they did her character in Halloween Ends, but Laurie and Jamie Lee Curtis will forever be my favorite final girl in the genre.

Halloween is available to rent on Prime Video.

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