Celebrating final girls isn’t uncommon practice in the horror world. In fact, if anything, we celebrate quite a number of final girls on a consistent basis, including Sally Hardesty (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the reboot), Ripley (Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, and Alien: Resurrection), Nancy Thompson (A Nightmare on Elm Street 1 + 3 and New Nightmare) Sidney Prescott (Scream 1-5 and soon 7) and more. Those ladies get their fair share of recognition from horror fans, but what about the other final girls? What about the final girls who are underdiscussed?
There should always be room for discussion of final girls who might not be well known, part of a major franchise, or belong to several marginalized communities. There are a few recent final girls that have received recognition, like Em (Nope), Beth (Evil Dead Rise), Sienna Shaw (Terrifier 2 and 3), Sam Carpenter (Scream 5 and 6), Rain (Alien: Romulus) and more. But the following final girls are the ones that don’t get brought up enough or don’t get recognized as legitimate final girls.
Jeryline
Film: Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight
Over the years, Jeryline (Jada Pinkett Smith) has gotten slight recognition, but not always from the general horror fandom. Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight is not only an underrated horror gem about a group of people that try to prevent a demon from kickstarting the apocalypse. It also has a Black final girl in Jeryline, something that’s still not as common nowadays. Her existence as a final girl is extremely important to the Black horror canon and has certainly inspired other films. There’s more than enough to appreciate about Jeryline and how she survives against such formidable threats.
Gale Weathers
Franchise: Scream
There’s nothing wrong with praising Sidney (Neve Campbell) as an iconic final girl. However, Gale (Courteney Cox) is just as much of a final girl as Sidney and deserves to be seen as such. Scream is an incredibly influential horror franchise and even if the franchise ended with VI for you personally, there’s no denying its longstanding influence on horror. And Gale is the prime example of going against the personality archetype for final girls. She’s not a side character and is a final girl that some might controversially prefer over Sidney.
Carly Jones
Film: House of Wax
Considering how House of Wax hasn’t always received the best reception, Carly Jones (Elisha Cuthbert) has been swept under the rug as a final girl. House of Wax is a mid-aughts horror remake of the ‘53 film of the same name and follows a group of friends who end up in a perilous situation. Carly fits the bill for a typical final girl and manages to scrap and be resourceful when she needs to be. While she isn’t deemed the strongest final girl and might not crack anyone’s top 10, she’s still a final girl to talk about. Especially when the 2000s horror remakes boom isn’t always highly regarded.
Beth
Film: Hostel: Part II
Arguably, Hostel: Part II is one, if not the best Eli Roth film, and Beth (Lauren German) is a huge reason why that is. The film takes place after Hostel and follows three women who end up kidnapped by the Elite Hunting Club. It’s a grimy and bloody sequel, and Beth is an incredibly smart final girl. She knows how to bargain, think fast, and utilize whatever is at her disposal to survive. It’s likely her being in an Eli Roth film is why people don’t discuss her as widely. But as far as final girls from the 2000s go, she’s notable.
Kinsey
Film: The Strangers: Prey at Night
Despite how The Strangers: Prey at Night isn’t what everyone wanted as a sequel, there’s no arguing that Kinsey (Bailee Madison) is a persistent final girl. The Strangers: Prey at Night is steeped in ‘80s slashers flavor and follows a family who encounters the killers from the first film. From the start, Kinsey comes across as a girl trying her hand at being “bad”, but as the film goes on, she proves she has tenacity. She endures quite a bit in her night from hell, much like other final girls, and isn’t nearly talked about enough in modern slasher conversations.
Erin
Film: You’re Next
As far as modern slashers go, You’re Next is one of the best of the 2010s. And not only is that the case, it has one of the most badass final girls in horror. The film follows a woman who goes to her boyfriend’s family estate and has to fight to survive against masked men. Erin (Sharni Vinson) isn’t your regular final girl, and she knows how to fight and survive due to her upbringing. She utilizes all of those skills to the fullest extent, and it might shock you during first viewing. It’s a refreshing flip on the trajectory of final girls in slashers, and she should be brought up more.
Deena Johnson (Fear Street trilogy)
The summer of 2021 was fun for a lot of us because of the Fear Street trilogy. It gave us a lot to look forward to for three weeks and also presented a Black lesbian final girl in Deena Johnson (Kiana Madeira). There are only so many Black final girls and queer final girls are especially hard to come by; therefore, for Deena to be the main character is huge. She’s flawed and fights hard for those she loves as well as her cursed town. Love her or be lukewarm about her, Deena is a welcome addition to the final girl canon.
Vanessa Maki is a queer Blerd, freelance writer, and artist. She has written for a variety of publications including Pink Advocate, Dread Central, The Mary Sue, Hear Us Scream and many more. She's a former regular contributor for Pink Advocate and The Mary Sue. Currently she's a contributor for But Why Tho? You can find her on Twitter and IG @theblackbuffy.
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