Final Girl trope is horror’s feminist rebrand

Olivia Jazwick, Contributing Writer

As a self-proclaimed movie buff, Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. Sure, I love going out dressed up as my favorite movie character and drinking red punch labeled “Fresh Blood,” but most of all, I love to watch a good horror movie. 

The horror genre has always held a special place in my heart, I’d argue it’s the art of film at its finest. From the ominous music and iconic cinematography to the extreme range of emotions that actors portray, horror can deliver its audience an adrenaline rush without asking them to leave their seats. 

Alongside the jump scares and gore that we’ve come to love, one of the hallmarks of a great horror movie is the “Final Girl.” We all know and love her; she’s the protagonist who saves the day while covered in the blood of her enemies. But where did she come from, and what does she represent?

To understand the origin of the Final Girl, we have to look at horror movies from before she was born. 

In the 1930s, horror was making waves in the film industry with the release of movies like “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” in 1931. But these movies centered on male leads whose duty was to rescue the damsel in distress from peril. By the early ‘70s, however, a change was taking place.

In 1963, Betty Friedan released a book entitled “The Feminine Mystique,” which was heralded as one of the catalysts of the second-wave feminist movement. The feminists of the ‘60s and ‘70s differed from their ancestors — the suffragettes of the 19th century — in that they concerned themselves with shedding light on systemic issues of race, domestic abuse and gender equality, rather than just political rights. 

It’s not a coincidence that after the beginning of second-wave feminism, there was a change from the damsel in distress trope to the Final Girl. She was a reaction to the shifting mindset of women everywhere who wanted to see an empowering heroine on the silver screen, especially in a film genre that often fetishizes female pain. 

Women have always been associated with pain and gore, long before the existence of film. Childbirth, menstruation, virginity, the myth of hysteria; to be a woman in society is emotional labor, and still, we are seen as weak. In reality, women hold the weight of the world on their shoulders, and they do it with a smile on their faces. Final Girl is about dispelling the myth of women not being in control of their narrative.

Enter the blood-caked and maniacally laughing Sally Hardesty in 1974. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is not only one of the most well-known slashers, but it’s also one of the first depictions of the Final Girl as we know her today. 

Sally Hardesty opened the door for girls everywhere to be the hero of their story, whether in the everyday sense or in narrowly escaping Leatherface and his bloody chainsaw. 

In 1979, Sigourney Weaver furthered the narrative with her character Ellen Ripley in the critically acclaimed sci-fi thriller “Alien.” This time, it wasn’t about the fetishization of female pain or rage, it was a battle of wits and ability.

Weaver’s character represents a woman fully realized, a tough and capable astronaut who proves her heroic nature by outsmarting an alien that attempts to take over her ship, “The Nostromo,” and saving her space cat, Jones, in the process. 

The ‘80s soon ensued with Final Girl at the forefront of horror and brought to cinema some of the most iconic characters we know and love today. “Friday the Thirteenth,” “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Hellraiser” were just a few of the franchises that showcased Final Girl and dominated theaters at the time.

Nowadays, Final Girl is everywhere, and she reflects a lot of the same ideals of third-wave feminism. 

Jordan Peele’s “Nope” features KeKe Palmer as a Black lesbian hunting down a territorial space alien, Ti West’s “X” gives us Mia Goth as a confident sex worker with the dream of being a movie star, and Ari Aster’s “Midsommar” touches on mental health and domestic abuse hidden in the plot about the indoctrination rituals of a Swedish pagan cult. 

If I’m being honest, I could go on for hours naming more iconic Final Girls, but I just suggest you watch them for yourself.