The Evolution of Feminism and the Final Girl in Horror
Image Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures
Panting, covered in blood, but alive. The Final Girl rules triumphant at the end of the movie, leaving the killer behind, finally dead for good. Or is he…
If you have watched any of the classic horror films, such as Halloween, Scream, Friday the 13th, or Nightmare on Elm Street, you will recognise the Final Girl trope. One woman will be the lone survivor of the slasher, beating the killer and becoming the last one standing.
This premise seems progressive, however, the trope was usually that the Final Girl was seen as the most ‘moral’ girl. If you are having sex in a horror film, drinking too much, or doing drugs, you are going to be one of the first to get killed. If you are the more innocent, kind, or virginal girl, you will always be the one who survives. This perspective goes hand in hand with women being objectified in horror films, with their bodies being used for sex and dismemberment, often being found in compromising positions, shown with their breasts exposed, or sexually assaulted on screen.
When you think of the original horror icons - Freddy Kreuger, Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers, Ghostface, Candyman, even back to the time of Dracula - they are all male. Women are always the victims in these slasher films, which is reflective of society in the way that horror films often mirror the fears and cultures of the time. The monster never fully dies, because they resemble our fears of all men, coming back again with a different face for a different victim.
But although these characters are feared in the movies, in real life they are celebrated, they are ‘icons’, they are Halloween costumes. Male characters, directors, writers and even mask designers had saturated the early days of horror cinema to the point where women were not represented as anything other than victims.
You might think, what’s the problem, why do you want women to be shown as killers?
But that’s not the point. The principle is to show women with agency, for a woman to be a horror icon and not just shown as a victim.
In this new modern horror era we are seeing more women as the central characters, subverting the Final Girl trope and leading the way into horror feminist cinema which focuses on the female experience and gives women more power over their destiny.
Examples of contemporary Final Girls who have subverted the trope:
Scream - the protagonist of the reboot, Sam Carpenter, is a complex character with a troubled past who became addicted to drugs after finding out she is the daughter of the original Ghostface killer Billy Loomis. Throughout the movies she struggles with her own internal battle between right and wrong while battling hallucinations of her dead father.
Halloween - Jamie Lee Curtis’s Laurie Strode has become as much an iconic part of the franchise as Michael Myers, creating an almost symbiotic relationship where the purpose that drives each one is the other.
X/Pearl/MaXXXine - this horror trilogy features an unrivalled performance from Mia Goth, who plays both the killer Pearl, an elderly woman, AND the final girl Maxine, a pornstar. The sequel delves into the background of Pearl, who just wants to be a star!
Jennifer’s Body - Megan Fox becomes a literal monster who is killing men to stay beautiful after being offered as a virgin sacrifice to Satan (despite not being a virgin), while her best friend is the Final Girl that has to fight against her.
Ready or Not - when her new husband’s rich, eccentric family attempts to kill her as part of a Hide and Seek tradition on her wedding night, the Final Girl bride fights back and lets her fiance die, showing she doesn’t need that man.
Midsommar - this movie, complete with stellar acting skills from Florence Pugh, launched the popular Halloween costume featuring a girl surrounded by flowers watching her cheating boyfriend burn to death in a bear suit.
Ma - the villain of this slasher is a middle-aged woman attacking a bunch of teenagers who she lets party in her basement, demonstrating a distinction from the usual type of roles we see Octavia Spencer in and our typical view of the villain.
Us - in Jordan Peele’s horror, Lupita Nyong'o acts as the main character fighting against an underground version of herself, giving a double performance as both the villain and the Final Girl in one story.
The impact society has with how women are portrayed in horror and vice versa is incredibly significant. As much as horror reflects society’s worst fears, women have to see themselves as victims enough in real life, therefore it’s important to subvert these tropes to create new storylines and representations which allow women to escape from the horrors of the real world.
Written by Ally McLaren
Editor
Hi, I’m Ally, Editor of This Modern Struggle Magazine.
You may have seen my writing in Mouthy Magazine or Darling Magazine. I currently work in Marketing and PR and do freelance copywriting on the side. I also have experience in journalism and feature writing for women’s magazines and national press.
When I’m not writing you can find me eating pizza, stroking my cat and watching true crime documentaries.
I started this magazine for all the fellow strugglers who feel the same way that I do; like everyone else has it all figured out and you just don’t know what you’re doing in life.