The 20 most memorable 'final girls' from modern horror cinema

In older horror films, final girls would usually be prim and proper virgins, and anybody sexually active would be killed. This is definitely not the case in X, which stars Mia Goth as Maxine Minx. Maxine is an adult film star who dreams of becoming a serious actress and is targeted by a bitter woman named Pearl. Thanks to her hunger for fame and ambitious spirit, Maxine outwits Pearl and manages to escape her clutches, ready for Hollywood. She reprises her role in MaXXXine. 

Happy Death Day takes the final girl trope and turns it on its head. With a Groundhog Day-esque plot, the film sees college student Tree Gelbman relive the day of her murder over and over again until she can identify the killer. Tree is initially mean and unlikable, and a character viewers would expect to be killed off almost straight away. However, as Tree fights for her survival, she grows emotionally and becomes a protagonist audiences can’t help but root for.

You’re Next not only sees its final girl survive but also "eat the rich" in the process. A family celebrates their parent’s wedding anniversary at their lavish estate, only to be hunted by killers wearing animal masks. Erin is the outsider of this wealthy family and has a knack for fighting back, much to everybody’s surprise. Due to growing up in a survivalist compound, she has the skills and smarts to stay alive and retaliate, unlike the naive rich folk, who aren’t so lucky. 

Maika Monroe, who also stars in the horror flick Longlegs, plays Jay in It Follows. After a sexual encounter with her boyfriend, Jay is followed by a demonic entity. The only way she can get rid of it is by having sex with somebody else and passing it on. Jay does not want to pass it on to anybody, so she tries to devise another plan to get rid of it. Her mindset and determination are in full force until the end of the film as she tries to outsmart the evil that is following her.

Sidney Prescott from Scream is one of the most famous final girls of all time, having survived Ghostface on multiple occasions. 2022’s Scream sees a new generation of characters hunted down by the killer, including Sam, who is essentially the new Sidney. To protect the people she loves, including her sister Tara, Sam goes after Ghostface without fear or hesitation. As the daughter of Billy Loomis, the killer in the first movie, she has a darkness that she can use to her advantage. 

Grace gets a whole lot more than she bargained for on her wedding night in Ready or Not. When she marries into a wealthy and eccentric family, she is forced to play a seemingly innocent game of hide-and-seek with them. This reveals a twisted ritual where the family hunts her down and tries to kill her. In her ripped and blood-soaked wedding dress, sporting a gun and ammo, Grace is totally awesome. As the family’s mansion burns down behind her, she iconically smokes a cigarette, exhausted. 

A lot goes down in the surprising and shocking Barbarian, but the action starts with Tess. Tess books an Airbnb, only to discover that a man named Keith has booked it. Against her better judgment, she decides to stay the night. However, Tess isn’t as silly as she seems. She is on high alert, making sure to lock doors behind her and being aware of her surroundings — and Keith. While she tries to find out what she can about him, there is much worse horror for her waiting in the house.

The Cabin in the Woods is an unexpected ride with a detour that viewers won’t see coming. It has a fairly basic storyline: a group of friends stay at an isolated cabin in the woods, where strange things start to occur. If you’ve seen the film, however, you’ll know it’s much more than that. Dana isn’t your typical pure final girl, as she’s just had a fling with her college professor. When she makes it to the end, she is accompanied by Marty, who is a "final guy" of sorts.

Hush puts another unique spin on the final girl and classic slasher flick. Maddie is a writer who has retreated to the woods to work and is also deaf and mute. When a masked killer appears at her window, she must fight to stay alive. Due to her condition, especially not being able to hear anything, Maddie seems like an easy target. However, she uses her intelligence and resources to fight back, not letting her deafness get in the way or weaken her.

The Evil Dead franchise gets an upgrade with Evil Dead Rise, which follows a separate story from Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams. When two estranged sisters are reunited, flesh-possessing demons take over and turn their family into a nightmare. Beth must protect her nieces and nephew from her possessed sister and must come to terms with the fact that it is no longer her sister who stands in front of her. By the end, she is drenched in blood and wields a chainsaw.

Totally Killer features an entertaining blend of the slasher flick and time travel. When the infamous "Sweet Sixteen Killer" returns after thirty-five years and murders her mother, Jamie travels back in time to the ‘80s in an effort to stop the killer before he even gets started. Played by Kiernan Shipka, Jamie is smart, resourceful, witty, and likable, which is rare to find in horror movies. With her stylish and retro fringe leather jacket, she kicks butt and takes names while looking fabulous.

Anya Taylor-Joy is one of Hollywood’s leading new scream queens, with her best turn so far being in the comedic horror The Menu. In the film, a group of wealthy diners go to an exclusive restaurant on a remote island. However, the head chef has some shocking surprises in store. Margot is there with Tyler, but she’s an escort and wasn’t selected like the other rich patrons. Because of this, Margot finds a way out of "hell’s kitchen" and enjoys a sumptuous cheeseburger at the film's end.

Thanks to films like Get Out , Jordan Peele is known as a modern horror auteur . In Us, he provides audiences with one of the most unique and challenging takes on the final girl trope. In the film, a family on vacation is attacked by their doppelgängers. Adelaide is a fierce mother, willing to do anything to protect her children from these intruders. However, a plot twist in the film reveals that Adelaide isn’t initially who we thought she was and makes us question who the real monster is.

Fresh takes the concept of modern dating and puts a horrific spin on it. Noa is sick of dating apps and meets Steve in a grocery store. The pair spend a romantic weekend together, only for her to find out he’s a cannibal and intends to eat her. Noa’s predicament is the stuff nightmares are made of, as she is trapped and mutilated by Steve. However, Noa manages to psychologically manipulate him so he will trust her, gaining insight into her captor’s mind and using it against him.

James Wan’s Malignant is one of the wackiest and weirdest horror movies. When Madison starts having visions of strangers being murdered in real time, she sets out to find the killer, Gabriel. When she realizes she and Gabriel are connected, and he has control over her actions, things become much more difficult. Despite the evil inside her, Madison is able to overcome Gabriel's grip, eventually discovering his weaknesses and locking him away in her mind.

Netflix released the Fear Street trilogy in 2021, with three films set in different periods. They all revolve around a curse that has been placed on a small town called Shadyside, and the action kicks off with Fear Street Part One: 1984. Deena and her friends try to uncover the truth about the curse tormenting them. Deena is a woman of color and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, making her a groundbreaking final girl, as these characters are often misrepresented in horror.

The Invisible Man uses horror to explore elements of domestic violence and trauma. In the film, Cecilia’s abusive ex-boyfriend fakes his death and creates a device to turn invisible, which he uses to stalk and torment her. At the beginning of the film, Cecilia is afraid and seemingly helpless. As the film progresses, she reclaims her power and stands up against her tormentor. By the film's end, she has total control and uses her wits to bring about his downfall.

Ari Aster’s twisted and unnerving Midsommar does something unprecedented with its final girl. When Dani and her boyfriend visit Sweden for the mid-summer festival, they soon realize they are at the violent and ritualistic hands of a pagan cult. Dani is emotionally distant from her boyfriend while grieving and disturbingly finds solace and acceptance in the cult. She can break away from her toxic relationship, even if she totally loses her mind and humanity.

Real-life couple John Krasinski and Emily Blunt star in A Quiet Place, where silence is everything. A family tries to survive in a world inhabited by sound-sensitive creatures who are out to kill anything in their path. Blunt plays Evelyn, who must use sign language to communicate with her family. After her husband sacrifices himself, Evelyn avenges him and fiercely protects her children from the creatures, becoming the sequel’s main protagonist. 

Don’t Breathe sees a group of criminals break into the house of a seemingly harmless blind old man. However, they soon discover he is not as defenseless as he seems and becomes his victims. While most criminals are unlikable, Rocky is easier to root for, as she desperately needs the money and has a daughter to provide for. Even though she essentially starts as "the villain," it becomes clear she is far from one when she finds herself face-to-face with true evil.