10 GREAT FINAL GIRLS
10 Great Final Girls
The Final Girl. She’s pretty, smart and hopefully if the director did his job right, likable. After Michael or Jason or Freddy have dispatched her boyfriend, her best friend and her (usually) more promiscuous girlfriends it's up to the Final Girl to send Leatherface or whomever back to hell (until the next sequel).
Who are the best? Why? Glad you asked or this blog would be pointless. I'm confining my list to actual slasher flicks (Sigourney Weaver can't make the list, yes she was the last woman standing in the Alien movies but those are not slashers) get it? Got it? Good. Don't sleep with your man or toke no weed and you may live to see Halloween 4.
#10 Alice (Friday The 13Th 1980) played by Adrienne King
Scream Queen Cred:Friday the 13Th, Friday the 13Th part 2.
Why she is #10: She beheaded Jason's mother in part one so she gets points for that but was killed in the first five Min's of part 2. Although she did a pretty good job fighting for her life her opponent was a 55 year old crazy lady in a mom sweater. Compared to what the Friday the 13th Final girls had to contend with in the next 11 movies Alice had it pretty easy.
Also deduct points for failing to notice any clues or save anyone. She was he final girl because she happened to be the last councilor to go out looking for a missing friend, not due to wits or skill.
#9 Sydney (Scream 1996)Played by Neve Cambell
Scream Queen Cred: Scream 1-4
Why she is #9: Syd gets points for spunk, a tragic connection to the killer and the fact that she managed to turn the tables on 2 slashers in one movie. She is #9 because she wasn't really the "final" girl. Courtney Cox, David Arquette and Jamie Kennedy lived to see Scream 2.
#8 Kristen (Nightmare On elm Street 3)
Scream Queen Cred: A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 Dream Warriors
Why he is #7: Kristen has the power to pull other kids into her dreams. She is also a skilled gymnast in her dreams which leads to many a kick to Freddy's face. Points deducted for Patricia refusing to appear in part 4.Like Jamie Lloyd The character was re-cast and killed off.
#7 Erin(Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake 2003) Played by Jessica Beal
Scream Queen cred: This movie. Plus I'm sure dating Justin Timberlake can be horrific.
Why she is #7: Not only does she take on Leather face while looking very hot in her wife beater, she actually acts in this movie something she avoided during her many seasons on 7Th Heaven.
#6 Nancy (Nightmare On Elm Street 1984)played by Heather Langencamp
Scream Queen cred: Nightmare on Elm Street 1, 3 and Wes Cravens New Nightmare
Why she is #6: Nancy is strong, smart and dates Johnny Depp. She also learns how to set a series of traps for Freddy and trap him in the real world. Extra points for having so many complex relationships in one film.
She has to deal with her lush of a mother and father who thinks she is crazy, their divorce, her tragic best friend and boyfriend not to mention Freddy. That's a lot of relationships for a character to have in a genre film.
#5 Jesse Walsh (Nightmare On Elm street Part 2 1985)played by Mark Patton
Scream Queen Cred: Yes!!
This movie is listed as the most unintentionally gay slasher flick of all time. Look it up. I'm not buying the unintentional aspect of it, I just see hella subtext. It is. Hilarious, homoerotic at every turn, the final girl is in fact a dude running around screaming like a chick.
He is much more emotionally connected to his male co-star than his leading lady and his gym coach makes passes at him throughout the flick. All good things this flick is all good things.
#4 Tina (Friday the 13Th part 7 The New Blood 1987 played by Lar Park Lincoln
Scream queen cred (this movie)
Finally a final girl that can do Jason some real damage. Why it took 7 F13 movies to pit Jason up against a telekinetic is beyond me but it was well worth the wait. Tina dropped a roof on Jason, electrocuted him, squeezed his head with his hockey mask, and set him on fire...all with the power of her mind.
Minus 2 points for allowing her mother to die but plus one for saving her boyfriend.
#3 Erin You're Next (2013) Played By Sharni Vinson
Scream Queen Cred: You're Next
Why She Is #3?
Erin girlfriend of middle son Crispian in home invasion thriller You’re Next has such a sweet demeanor. That is until you threaten her life at which point she becomes a total badass. Erin (played by) is attending her boyfriend’s family weekend reunion when some psycho’s in animal masks start picking the family members off one by one!
If you haven’t seen You’re Next I’m not going to spoil some of the surprise’s but suffice to say there is more to sweet little Erin than meets the eye.
#2 Ginny (Played By Amy Steel)
Scream Queen Cred: Friday The 13th part 2, April Fools Day
Why she is #2: She was almost #1. Not only is Ginny one of the most clever survivor girls ever (she dresses up like Jason's mom to fool him into letting his guard down) not only does she have balls (kicking Jason in the balls and attacking him with a chainsaw takes balls) but Amy Steele's performance is by far the best acted final girl in 12 Friday the 13th movies.
On top of all that Ginny smokes weed, drinks and has sex wit her boyfriend...and still lives to tell about. Not killed off in a sequel (Laurie, Alice) not driven mad (Kris part 3) Ginny figures out who and what Jason is and uses this knowledge to save her and her boyfriend’s life. She was almost #1
#1 Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, Halloween 2, H20, Halloween Resurrection,Prom Night,The Fog,Terror Train)
Scream Queen Cred: See Above damnit. I ain't yo mamma!
why she is #1 How could she not be. She was the first, the best. Laurie Strode was indeed smart and sexually repressed (as final girls tend to be) but she sure as hell hit that joint Annie had in the car on the way to baby-sit the kids on that Halloween night knowhatimsayin. She not only managed to shoot, stab,and gouge MM's eyes out with a coat hanger she protected 2 kids and later her own son and his girlfriend from her Boogyman of a brother.
She is also by far the most prolific final girl on the list surviving 3 Halloween movies and 4 other flicks in the slasher genre before going mainstream. Oh and her Mamma Janet Leigh got stabbed in the shower in Psycho.
