The horror genre plays on tropes, remixing and reimagining familiar story beats and archetypes for new audiences with each film. There’s always a killer hiding in the basement or the shed, a supernatural force that requires a blood sacrifice, a jump scare coming as soon as the main character rounds a corner.
The Final Girl is typically the least likely survivor: She’s nonviolent , virginal , and has a pretty powerful scream, letting the killer think he’s about to win right up until the last second. Horror cinema’s final girls have become some of the most beloved characters of the genre, so well-liked that they often come back for more in their own franchises.Halloween
, we knew exactly who to root for. The minute the confused girlfriend turns into the survivalist Terminator of, we knew we were in for a few surprises. We’ve compiled a list of our favorites, from the O.G.s to the new kids on the block, ready with an ax or a steak knife to show the bad guys you can’t keep a good Final Girl down.Witches and slasher villains and interdimensional beings from Hell have nothing on these expert survivors.