Six of horror’s best-ever ‘final girls’, from Sigourney Weaver to Lupita Nyong’o
‘Final girls’ always survive. (Frank Trapper/Corbis David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Wireimage/ Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Cindy Ord/VF24/Getty Images for Vanity Fair/Getty)
Every horror movie fan knows the rules: don’t split up, don’t answer the phone, and don’t trust anyone. But there’s one rule that’s endured for decades: the final girl always survives.
The “final girl” trope has slashed into popular culture, becoming a fierce symbol of survival in the face of terror and bloodshed. From Jamie Lee Curtis fleeing Michael Myers in Halloween to Lupita Nyong’o facing her own twisted reflection in Us, these women aren’t just scream queens: they’re symbols of resilience.
Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween (1978)
Halloween‘s Laurie Strode pretty much set the bar for all other final girls as far back as 1978. She didn’t have any superhuman qualities or an idealistic moral compass. She was just resourceful, smart and a dab hand with a knitting needle.
Laurie’s appeal was her defiance. She didn’t want to be anyone’s hero, and she didn’t fit into any patriarchal box. She was witty, gritty wasn’t gonna take any sh*tty. And her experience reflected a lot of queer experiences. She was hunted for simply existing, and had to fight her way through to survive. The lesson is clear: whether it’s homophobia or a masked maniac trying to kill the babysitter: don’t mess with the underdog.
The Badass: Sigourney Weaver in Alien (1979)
We can’t talk about final girls without the queen of outer space, Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley.
In 1979, horror sci-fi classic Alien delivered a final girl who didn’t just survive, she slayed extra-terrestrial butt while doing so. She also outlived a bunch of men, so…
Ripley has also become a queer favourite, breaking gender boundaries in a galaxy traditionally ruled by men. And she just wanted to make it through without herself, or her cat, being eaten alive by a “b*tch”. Relatable.
And then, after a few years in suspended animation, she went back for more.
Sidney Prescott: The comeback queen of Scream (1996)
Perhaps the most notable final girl, Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott from the Scream franchise is a horror legend. She faced Ghostface for the first time in 1996, then again in numerous sequels, beating them every time.
In each new instalment, she came back stronger, the definition of a survivor. Sidney’s story of defiance in the face of adversity mirrors the queer experience.
Keke Palmer: Final girl energy in Nope (2022)
Keke Palmer’s character in Nope (2022) is one of the freshest takes on the trope. What makes Emerald Haywood stand out against other final girls is her power. She isn’t just running from an unknown alien force (which, in our opinion, looks like a spooky bedsheet), but she proves that a final girl can be hilarious and completely aware of her power while doing it.
She doesn’t just survive the horror, she rides into the sunset, victorious, hair blowing in the wind. Legendary.
Eili Harboe’s Thelma: A queer awakening (2017)
Thelma is the perfect example of the trope leaning into its queerness, and not just in subtext.
In 2017 film, Thelma, played by Eili Harboe, grapples with her new-found telekinesis – alongside an emerging attraction to another girl.
It is a very explicit metaphor, we have to admit, but the plot mirrors the queer experience: discovering something within yourself that others deem dangerous or abnormal, but claiming it anyway. By the end of the movie, she is in control of her new powers and her queerness.
Lupita Nyong’o in Us: Battling your inner demons, literally (2019)
Adelaide Wilson in Us (2019) brought a new dimension to the final girl. She isn’t trying to survive a random guy in a mask, she’s battling her darker self. And, in typical director Jordan Peele fashion, the film is a social commentary on privilege, identity and the masks we wear.
For queer viewers, Us explores issues around duality and the horrors that present themselves when we’re forced to hide ourselves. Adelaide, played by Lupita Nyong’o, is a final girl who confronts her demons – a journey that’s all too familiar for those of us who have wrestled with our own identity.
From Ripley to Emerald, Sidney to Thelma, the final girl trope has become a symbol of survival, empowerment and, sometimes, queerness. Horror films, in all their campy, chaotic glory, have long held space in queer hearts. LGBTQ+ audiences find catharsis in the spooky, the gory and the chilling.
And final girls will always, without doubt, be queer legends.
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