The horror genre has been a staple in movies since the 1920’s. Since its debut, it’s expanded into many subgenres: psychological horror, sci-fi horror, and of course slashers. Slasher films follow the same formula, a masked killer harasses and murders groups of people, typically teenagers. The movie is filled with blood, ‘jumpscares’, and few survivors. Some of the most iconic horror movies ever made, like Scream, Friday the 13th, Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, are part of this category. A very common trope in slasher films is the concept of a ‘final girl’, the last female character who outsmarts the killer and ends up surviving until the end of the movie . The final girl was stereotypically a white, suburban, ‘pure’ young girl. She survives one or more attacks from the killer and usually ends up killing the masked murderer in the final act of the movie (Weaver et al., 2015).
A great example of a traditional final girl is Laurie Strode from the Halloween franchise. Her character represents conservative values, which were popular in the 1970’s . She’s portrayed as quiet and bookish, and avoids the typical teenage recklessness. Being the final girl, she survives the various attacks from the masked killer throughout the movie, seemingly as a ‘reward’ for her good behavior and morals. Her friends, on the other hand, who are less ‘morally good,’ doing things like having sex and drinking alcohol, are killed (Almwaka 2022).
The traditional final girl has shifted from its original stereotype to a more diverse and layered character. The final girl is no longer expected to be a perfect, pure, sweet girl; someone who doesn’t ‘deserve’ to die (Almwaka 2022). This shift is reinforced with Mindy Meeks-Martin, the final girl in the latest installments of the Scream franchise. Mindy is witty, brass, and unashamed to be queer. She’s the complete opposite to everything the final girl has been stereotyped to be for the past decades. She’s smart and capable, she uses her knowledge of horror tropes to her advantage to win, rather than stumbling through the movie and surviving by just sheer luck, like past iterations. Mindy isn’t ashamed of her sexuality, even speaking about it openly and not being sexualized by it. Historically, LGBTQ+ characters and minorities are often the first ones to die. Nevertheless, Mindy’s survival is a clear example of the evolution of the final girl character type (Christensen 2011).
Mindy’s significance as a minority character also extends beyond just being an LGBTQ+ final girl. As a black woman in horror, she also represents a break from the genre’s long-standing stereotype of sidelining or killing off minority characters early in the story. In older slasher films, black characters especially were often written as comic relief, expendable sidekicks, or characters audiences knew were doomed from the start (Peay 2023). Mindy, however, is central to the narrative. Her survival and prominence in the film not only challenges racial and gender stereotypes but also shows a broader shift in representation, reflecting a more diverse and inclusive approach to the horror genre .
The evolution of the final girl archetype reflects a broader cultural shift in how audiences engage with horror. The final girl is no longer just a survivor but an active participant in her fate (Almwaka 2022). She has agency, intelligence, and depth beyond just being the representation of ‘correct’ virtues. Modern final girls continue to expand the archetype, often reclaiming power and turning the tables on their oppressors (Welsh 2010). It has now become a trend to give power to previous final girls and help them become independent and strong characters. Sidney Prescott, the first final girl of the Scream franchise grows into a battle-hardened, independent protagonist who actively confronts her trauma throughout the Scream sequels. Furthermore, even the pure, “innocent”, Laurie Strode has evolved. Over time, her character has grown; in later installments of the Halloween franchise, Laurie is no longer just a naïve teenager. She’s a hardened survivor, shaped by her trauma and experiences. By the time of Halloween (2018) she’s become an independent character, prepared for Michael Meyer’s inevitable return. Her arc from fearful babysitter to a warrior shows the growth of the final girl archetype (Christensen 2011).
By breaking away from the notion that only ‘pure’ or morally upright characters can make it to the end, modern horror encourages a broader, more inclusive definition of resilience. Psychologically, this shift can be empowering, by giving power to audiences who once felt excluded from these narratives now see themselves reflected in survivors rather than the first to go. This representation can enhance self-perception, reinforcing the idea that strength is not limited to a specific identity or set of behaviors. However, as everything this often comes with backlash either through online criticism or industry reluctance. What started as a trope rooted in conservative morality has transformed into something far more complex and representative of modern society. The archetype has become more reflective of modern values, where resilience, intelligence and resourcefulness are the defining traits, rather than just her innocence or being “pure”. Today, the final girl is no longer just a victim who happens to survive, but a fighter, a strategist, and often the most interesting character in the film.
Bibliography
Almwaka, Majdoulin. 2022. “Complex Female Agency, the ‘Final Girl’ Trope, and the Subversion and Reaffirmation of Patriarchy: The Cases of Western & MENA Horror Films.”
Christensen, Kyle. 2011. “The Final Girl versus Wes Craven’s ‘a Nightmare on Elm Street’:Proposing a Stronger Model of Feminism in Slasher Horror Cinema on JSTOR.” Jstor.org 34 (1): 23–47. https://doi.org/10.2307/23416349.
Peay, Malik. 2023. “Why ‘the Black Guy Dies First’ in Horror Movies.” Rolling Stone. February 7, 2023. https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-features/why-the-black-guy-dies-first-in-horror-movies-get-out-jordan-peele-george-romero-1234675530/.
Weaver, Angela D., A. Dana Ménard, Christine Cabrera, and Angela Taylor. 2015. “Embodying the Moral Code? Thirty Years of Final Girls in Slasher Films.” Psychology of Popular Media Culture 4 (1): 31–46. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000006.
Welsh, Andrew. 2010. “On the Perils of Living Dangerously in the Slasher Horror Film: Gender Differences in the Association between Sexual Activity and Survival.” Sex Roles 62 (11-12): 762–73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-010-9762-x.
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