For decades, slasher and horror movie fans relied on the final survivor to thrive. Fans and experts used the term "final girl" for the last girl to make it out alive. This character was the main target, and the one with the last word. However, in the last decade or so, filmmakers have learned to twist the term around and flip the trope to keep fans interested.
Some of the most iconic final girls get the last laugh and that's what makes viewers cheer for them. These final survivors have enough wit and charisma to remember and the best quotes throughout their respected films.
In Happy Death Day, Tree begins to relive the same day over and over again until she figures out who is killing her. It's a comedic twist on the classic slasher films that came before it. Tree isn't like the typical "final girl" as she is self-centered, shallow, and selfish.
However, as she begins to relive the same day, she realizes things she never did before that catch her eye and she soon matures for the better. Her behavior towards the people in her life changes and she quickly rethinks her viewpoints. Her comedic timing makes her likable by the end of the movie.
In the 2019 horror film Ready Or Not, Grace begins to get ready for her wedding to the incredibly wealthy Le Domas family. After the wedding, she learns there is a long-running game that the family plays when each member gets married. It is disguised as a hide and seek game but it is actually a game of survival.
It is the whole family versus the resilient Grace as she manages to escape the game at the end of the movie. This quote stands out because of all the things she had to endure it becomes almost comical that the police handling what happened inside asks her "what happened?" She responds with this quote, which actually explains a lot.
Deena Johnson and her friends suffer through mysterious murders that happen in their town of Shadyside. It seems bad things follow them when murders continue to happen. Others were taught that there was a curse that plagued their town Shadyside, and in fact, there was.
Deena works to not only stop the evil but also tried to save Samantha from being possessed by a witch named Sarah Fier. Many characters in Fear Street are smart and figure out ways to end the curse. Overall, the main theme of this film series revolves around being true to yourself and that not everything is what it seems. This is why this quote jumps out in Fear Street.
Adelaide Wilson takes her family to a familiar vacation house where things begin to become unsettling. In Us, their house is bombarded by strangers that appear to look exactly like them. Their sole mission is to terrorize and kill the family with the mother as the leader.
Adelaide manages to come out on top while also trying her best to save her family. She knows that this situation will not come easy to them because their true mission is to get revenge. She knows this far too well and exactly how to get out of this mess.
In the 2015 slasher film The Final Girls, Max and her friends find themselves stuck inside a campy 1980 film where her mother was the main character. She and her friends must outsmart the killer and manage to stop the future of each kill. They must also figure out a way to escape the movie.
Although Max is reunited with her mother who passed away, she knows she has to make it out alive. The film also mentions slasher tropes like the virgin who is the final girl. With Max in the film, the ending seems to change and she quickly matures and makes it out alive.
1997's I Know What You Did Last Summer is a slasher film that is based on a book. It follows the lives of four friends that accidentally run over a man one day and hide it. They are haunted by what they did the next year and are tormented by the man they ran over.
Julie James is the final girl in this film and tries to find answers and survive just like the rest of her friends. She is fed up and determined to make it out alive without being a victim. Julie James is among many other final girls that have a lot of willpower to fight.
Gale Weathers is one of the most well-known characters in the Scream films. She may not be the obvious final girl but she does possess the same qualities. Throughout every Scream film, Gale uses her sarcastic banter and survival skills to make it out alive.
She is supportive yet remains someone people do not want to mess with. She has no problem pulling the trigger and seeking revenge on all the killers that come for her. With a film that had many shocking plot twists, it was amazing how she always made out alright right next to Sidney.
Nancy Thompson is haunted by Freddy Kruger in A Nightmare on Elm Street. It almost becomes impossible to escape Freddy since he haunts her any chance he can get, in her dreams. After he kills her best friends, Nancy is another target.
She tries to outsmart the monster that has been attacking everyone by setting up boobie traps and convincing herself and everyone that he only has his powers in their dreams. She is another final girl who won't be a victim, but a survivor.
For decades, Laurie Strode has been tormented by the mask-wearing killer, Michael Myers. In Every Halloween movie, Laurie seems to make it out alive while being stalked and terrorized by the killer, Michael.
He is relentless and determined to take her down and she is also determined to end this once and for all. In the most recent film, Laurie is more confident than ever in killing Michael and protecting her family. She knows this war is truly between the two of them.
In the Scream franchise, Sidney had no choice but to be a survivor. She had no choice but to fight because she was always the one that they wanted. In the beginning of this franchise, she was slowly tormented by phone calls from a mysterious voice and later was framed as the reason so many people she knew were killed.
Sidney has always been the one that had to escape and start different lives. She is a true final girl from the ways she manages to not only protect herself but be there for the ones who were caught in the crossfire.
