For horror fans, names such as Laurie Strode and Sidney Prescott are synonymous with the genre. These Final Girls have fought the villains of their respective franchises repeatedly and always succeed; they've earned their top-tier reputations. With changing times, the horror genre has evolved and paved the way for modern incarnations of The Final Girl. These protagonists are molded by their modern world while holding similar qualities to their predecessors. Here's an analysis of the modern Final Girl in horror.
Allyson - Halloween Franchise - Generational Trauma
The Halloween franchise unofficially passes the torch from one survivor to the next, with David Gordon Green's reboot trilogy, giving us Final Girl, Allyson. Granddaughter of Laurie Strode, Allyson holds the same survival instincts as Laurie. Quick on her feet, decisive, and bold, Allyson is a force to be reckoned with. Much of her characteristics are shaped through generational trauma. Her mother, Karen, raised her with virtually no contact with Laurie, which only fueled Allyson's desire to get to know her. As Allyson learned more about her grandmother's traumatizing ordeal, she began to sympathize for her. Allyson's own first-hand experiences with Michael Myers shape her into a fighter by Halloween Ends. Similarly to Laurie, she loses all her closest friends, family, and any semblance of a normal life to Haddonfield's notorious serial killer. Allyson embodies trauma manifested from one generation to the next.
Tara - Scream (2022) - Dysfunctional Families
The Scream franchise focuses on dysfunctional families. In Scream, Sidney is emotionally conflicted when discovering her mother, Maureen, sustained multiple affairs shortly before her death. In Scream 2, Mrs. Loomis takes revenge as a coping mechanism after her son, Billy, is murdered by Sidney...despite having abandoned Billy months before his death. In Scream 3, Roman takes revenge against Sidney over being rejected by their mother, feeling Maureen favored Sidney over him. In Scream 4, Jill feels her mother favors her cousin, Sidney, due to her tragic history, prompting Jill to commit matricide as part of her plan to achieve fame. Lastly, Scream (2022) introduces Tara, a teenager with a dysfunctional relationship with her mother, Christina, over the latter's alcoholism. Tara has one coping mechanism: their shared love of the horror genre, which influences Tara's preferred subgenre, elevated horror.
During the film's opening scene, Tara references The Babadook as her favorite horror film due to it being "a meditation on motherhood and grieve." Tara's choice reflects her own relationship with Christina; Christina battles an all-consuming illness while Tara is constantly grieving over their dysfunctional relationship.
Sam - Scream (2022) - Inherited Mental Illness
Though it's never blatantly mentioned, Mrs. Loomis and her son, Billy, suffer from some form of mental illness that drives their killing sprees. While Sam isn't murderous herself, she relies on antipsychotics to function on the daily. The fact that she relentlessly murders Richie, in a manner nearly identical to her father's killing style, leaves the open interpretation to whether this is a survival instinct or repressed psychopathic urges.
Erin - You're Next - Fight or Flight
Erin spends her formative years in a survivalist compound that, for better or worse, prepares her for the apocalypse. Little does Erin suspect these skills will benefit her when meeting her boyfriend Crispin's family. A tense family reunion soon turns into a deadly ordeal as masked intruders start killing the family off. While everyone undergoes a "Flight" response, Erin immediately goes into "Fight" mode and uses her training to get the upper hand, turning the predators into prey.
Phoebe - The Babysitter: Killer Queen - Identity
Phoebe Atwell is a smart-mouthed, witty, rebellious teenager that on the surface, seems confident and unapproachable; this is simply part of her cover. Guilt-ridden by her parents deaths, Phoebe assumes a guarded demeanor and rejects anyone trying to connect with her. Ultimately, it's the fear of losing someone dear again that brings out a softer, loving side to Phoebe. Phoebe's identity is as complex as Final Girls come, and she uses her defining qualities to protect Cole from the cult members pursuing them.
Lila - Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) - PTSD
Texas Chainsaw Massacre makes several social commentaries throughout its runtime, specifically on gun control and the effects of gun violence on victims. After surviving a near fatal shooting, Lila develops severe PTSD at the sight of guns. Though Lila overcoming her trauma by handling a gun against Leatherface is incredulous for some audiences; the psychological depiction of her trauma isn't.
Maxine - X - Gender Norms
Maxine is a byproduct of her time and era. Born in the late 1950s in the rural South, Maxine is raised in a religious household led by her father, a preacher. Maxine loathes the lifestyle, aspiring to be a worldwide star instead. Even after running away from home to pursue her dream, social norms aren't easy to brush off for Maxine. Throughout the course of X, Maxine is merely a pawn in Wayne and RJ's plans to profit off her and the other women in their film. RJ himself expresses contempt towards Maxine for participating in the film and indirectly influencing Lorraine to do the same. Whether under her father's restrictive watch or in the company of Wayne's filmmaking crew, Maxine remains classified as a second-class citizen by the men surrounding her.
Sienna - Terrifier 2 - Grief
Unlike other Final Girls in the genre, Sienna possesses superhero abilities that give her a definite advantage against most killers, even the seemingly immortal Art the Clown. Nevertheless, Sienna's as conflicted as any other Final Girl that's experienced significant loss. Her costume is designed by her father shortly before his passing; her signature fighting tool, a sword, is passed down by her father, and she ultimately dons the costume on Halloween to honor him. Her transformation culminates when a grief-stricken Sienna rescues her only remaining family, Jonathan, from Art the Clown. Grieve molds Sienna into becoming the ultimate Final Girl.