The term “final girl” was coined by Carol Clover in her 1992 book Men, Women, and ChainSaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. Traditionally, the final girl is offered in horror cinema as the embodiment of what a woman “should be”, following conservative, puritanical morals. In doing so, she is able to rise against the villain to save herself in opposition to her peers who are tormented for demonstrating sexual agency or other “sinful” activity. However, there can be more to women of the genre than these limiting perceptions. Many horror films from the late 1960s-1970s offer socio-political commentary on women’s issues, which guided new niches in the genre for works of the late 20th century to today. 

One of the earliest films that addresses socio-political commentary on womanhood is Roman Polanski’s 1968 film Rosemary’s Baby. In the book New Blood in Contemporary Cinema: Women Directors and the Poetics of Horror Patricia Pisters asserts,

“Other horror films refer to the monstrosity of the womb belonging to a woman who gives birth to some kind of terrifying creature. Some of the most famous male-directed horror films address the archaic or parthenogenetic mother who has the power of reproduction beyond male control…other horror fantasies pertaining to pregnancy explore the idea of  impregnation by the devil or other demon entities, most famously rendered in Rosemary’s Baby” (Pisters 2020).

This statement offers a poignant view on motherhood, suggesting that the role is a societal expectation which women are pressured to fulfill. To guide this point, Pisters connects the archaic concept of motherhood in Rosemary’s Baby to literature of the early 20th century, including Virginia Woolf’s 1927 novel To the Lighthouse. This work discusses different paths for women such as motherhood or careers, psychology, and the conflict between men and women. In connection to this, Pisters states, “Following Woolf and the first wave of feminists, the feminists of the second wave had even more explicit points of view and mixed feelings about childbearing and motherhood” (Pisters 2020). This is extremely relevant to Rosemary’s Baby as the film was released within the decade of second wave feminism. This is highlighted in the script, as Mia Farrow’s character Rosemary Woodhouse demonstrates this ambivalence, and is ultimately demonized for voicing these concerns. Though this film does not choose to incorporate the final girl trope, it still holds relevance to commentary of the era while offering antiquated roles for women. 

One film which incorporates socio-political commentary through conventional tropes of horror is Bob Clark’s 1974 sorority slasher Black Christmas. While this film focuses on the brutal killings of promiscuous sorority girls, there is one girl who is provided with an entire subplot. Jess’s (Olivia Hussey) subplot consists of her finding out she is pregnant among the midst of her sorority sisters’ disappearances. She discusses her concerns about the pregnancy conflicting with her education and career with her boyfriend Peter (Albert Dunk), and expresses her decision to get an abortion. This choice for her character is significantly relevant during the era, since Roe v. Wade was included in the United States Constitution a year prior to this film’s release. Clark highlights the tension and controversy of Jess’s decision by framing Peter out of focus behind her while she discusses this option with him. While this commentary on abortion was immensely controversial for its time, Clark still chooses to remain true to the archaic final girl trope.

Moreover, Clark offers tracking shots of the film’s first victim, Clare Harrison’s (Lynne Griffin) room when her father goes looking for her. In her room, he discovers drug paraphernalia and Woodstock posters of nude hippies. When he discovers this, he remarks that he did not send his daughter to school to adopt this behavior. After he leaves, the sorority mother Mrs. Mac (Marian Waldman) mutters that she does not know how he expects her to keep the girls out of trouble and notes, “These broads would hump the Leaning Tower of Pisa if they could get up there!” (Clark, Black Christmas). Mrs. Mac establishes a sin factor, not only for Clare, but for other members of the sorority as well. This eliminates the possibility of survival in the traditional horror film. Further, this would ultimately explain their demise as they stray from conservative morals. Another victim, Barb (Margot Kidder), is also tortured for demonstrating promiscuity, using crude humor, and consistently smoking and drinking. Jess is the film’s final girl since she is not depicted engaging in any of this behavior with the exception of her decision to get an abortion. However, the final shot of the killer’s eyes framed within a closet door suggest that she is not entirely safe, thus perpetuating the demonization of women for displaying sexual agency in film. 

Moving into the later end of the 20th century, horror cinema began to offer self awareness of the tropes, commenting on their previous tendencies to negatively depict women. The main film that brought forth these views is Wes Craven’s 1996 slasher Scream. The film incorporates the classic final girl trope, however, its victims and killers are now aware of the rules. They actively reference and develop rules from films like Halloween (1978), Prom Night (1980), and When a Stranger Calls (1979). As one member of the tormented group, horror fanatic Randy Meeks (Jamie Kennedy) notes, 

“There are certain RULES that one must abide by in order to successfully survive a horror movie. For instance, number one: you can never have sex. BIG NO NO! Sex equals death, okay? Number two: you can never drink or do drugs. The sin factor! It’s a sin. It’s an extension of number one. And number three: never under any circumstances say, “I’ll be right back.” Because you won’t be back” (Craven, Scream).

As Randy asserts, breaking from these values rooted in religion is deemed “sinful”, and will result in the impending death of members in the group. Scream’s killers call out these rules before slaying their victims, using them as a guide for the horrors they commit. However, the film’s final girl, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), displays sexual agency while calling out the sexism in horror, and is still able to fight back and survive. 

In lending Sidney’s awareness of the archaic portrayal of women in horror, Craven rewrites the narrative for survival, altering the concept of who the final girl can be. In the article “How Scream Has Been Killing Off Sexist Horror Tropes for 25 Years”, Kaleigh Dray states, 

“As Neve Campbell’s Sidney Prescott tells the killer early in the film, she’s sick of sexism in horror movies.“They’re all the same,” she says. “Some stupid killer stalking some big-breasted girl who can’t act who is always running up the stairs when she should be running out the front door? It’s insulting.” This final girl, unlike those who came before her, isn’t here to play by the rules. She has sex with her boyfriend, sure, but she survives all four Scream movies” (Dray).

Through this discussion of Sidney’s horror culture awareness, Dray suggests that she is able to bend the rules because of her intelligence. Dray further notes that her character continues to fight back, becoming stronger in each film of the franchise as the tropes develop. Ultimately, Sidney’s intelligence and awareness of horror cinema guidelines ensure her survival. In contrast, members of her original friend group choose to ignore them, and are punished for their lack of knowledge on slashers. Overall, this is perhaps the first time in horror cinema that awareness of the tropes is demonstrated by female characters, and would guide new developments for the genre.

When looking at horror cinema offered today, many provide social commentary while abandoning the concept of the final girl. Examples include Robert Mitchell’s 2014 film It Follows, Robert Eggers’ The Witch (2015), and Ari Aster’s Midsommar (2019). Robert Mitchell’s 2014 film It Follows provides themes on safe sex and consent without driving the fears surrounding those issues. The film’s female lead Jay (Maika Monroe) is haunted by an unknown entity after she has sex with her new boyfriend Hugh (Jake Weary). Hugh explains to her that he was followed by this entity after he had sex with a different woman, and that in order for Jay to get rid of it,  she must have sex with someone else. While Jay attempts to get rid of this entity, she is not demonized by her friends, but rather accepted by them through open conversation. With their support, Jay is able to survive. In this film, the woman is not portrayed as the victim, but rather a strong protagonist who survives the horrors inflicted on her.

Similarly, Robert Eggers’ The Witch (2015), and Ari Aster’s Midsommar (2019) succeed in depicting strong female protagonists while abandoning traditional conventions. Both female protagonists in The Witch and Midsommar are depicted as being held down by patriarchal elements like the father and boyfriend figure, yet emerge by taking control of their lives and bodies. In The Witch, Thomasin (Anya Taylor Joy) actively rejects Puritan ideals, recognizes her sexuality, and ultimately uses her position to subvert the roles that have been imposed on her. In a similar manner, Dani (Florence Pugh) escapes a toxic relationship in Midsommar, and reclaims autonomy in a matriarchal cult. Overall, both characters emerge from the traumas inflicted on them, and move in a direction of their own choosing.

When comparing horror cinema of the late 1960s-1970s to more recent films, it is evident that conventional tropes like the final girl are evolving or are being eliminated altogether. While this type of cinema previously provided undertones of socio-political commentary on women’s issues, they are now becoming stronger or driving the focus for many films of the genre today. With filmmakers like Mitchell, Eggers, and Aster the landscape for horror is gradually changing. Films of the genre are no longer limited to groups being killed off one by one or characters being demonized for drug use or sexual promiscuity. Instead, female characters are reclaiming agency without being tokenized as the virgin or final girl. Ultimately, they are carving their own niche, moving toward more empowering depictions on screen.  

Sources

Clark , Bob, director. Black Christmas. Warner Bros., 1974. 

Clover, Carol J. “Men, Women, and ChainSaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film.” JSTOR, Princeton University Press, 1992, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvc7776m

Craven, Wes, director. Scream. Dimension Films, 1996. 

Dray, Kayleigh. “How Scream Has Been Killing Off Sexist Horror Tropes for 25 Years.” Stylist.Co.Uk, Stylist, 2021, www.stylist.co.uk/life/scream-horror-movies-sexism-feminism-neve-campbell-courteney-cox/412951 . 

Pisters, Patricia. “New Blood in Contemporary Cinema: Women Directors and the Poetics of Horror.” JSTOR, Edinburgh University Press, www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctv177thfv . Accessed 22 Oct. 2023.