History Main / FinalGirl

* Used one way or another in every ''{{Cube}}'' movie:

** ''Cube 2: Hypercube'' [[SubvertedTrope appears to play it straight]], with a wholesome blonde surviving to the end [[spoiler: but not much further -- she's revealed to be a government operative who, after her de-briefing, [[ShootTheShaggyDog is executed to keep the secrets secure]].]]
** ''Cube Zero'' [[spoiler:plays it straight with Raines]].

* Played straight in the original cut of ''Film/DeepBlueSea'', but averted in the finished cut, because test audiences found the female lead to be obnoxious and self-centered. [[spoiler:The PluckyComicRelief survived in her place.]]

* In ''FridayThe13th'', Alice smokes pot and plays [[StripPoker strip Monopoly]] with Brenda and Bill.
* In ''FridayThe13thPart2'', Ginny is seen taking her shirt off (but she's [[LingerieScene wearing a bra]]) and changing into a robe. Paul then sneaks into her cabin and they have sex.

* In ''FridayThe13th'', Alice smokes pot while playing [[StripPoker strip Monopoly]] with Brenda and Bill.

The simplest definition of this is "[[DwindlingParty the last character]] [[SoleSurvivor left alive]] to confront the killer" in a SlasherMovie. The character in question tends to follow a certain set of characteristics. The most obvious one is being (almost) AlwaysFemale. Especially in older works she'll also [[TokenWholesome almost certainly be a virgin]], avoiding DeathBySex, and probably won't [[TheScourgeOfGod drink alcohol, smoke tobacco or take drugs]], either. Finally, she'll probably turn out to be more intelligent and resourceful than the other victims, occasionally even evolving into a type of ActionGirl by the movie's end. Looking at the SortingAlgorithmOfMortality, you could say that the Final Girl is a combination of TheHero, TheCutie and the DamselInDistress - which obviously gives her a very low deadness score. The Final Girl is usually but not always brunette, often in contrast to a [[SlashersPreferBlondes promiscuous blonde who traditionally gets killed off]].

** [[OlderThanTheyThink Yeah, now]]. Ashley started out as a male name. A lot of male names end up like that after a century or two. Still, Ashley had been a popularly female for so long, this is easily exactly what the filmmakers were going for.
* In ''Film/NineDead'', [[spoiler: Kelley Murphy]] was the sole surviving female of the movie. In the end, [[spoiler: she shot the masked shooter, leaving 9 people dead in the room.]]
** {{Subverted}} in that [[spoiler: Kelley murdered the two men who should have survived with her to stay out of jail.]]

The simplest definition of this is "[[DwindlingParty the last character]] [[SoleSurvivor left alive]] to confront the killer" in a SlasherMovie. The character in question tends to follow a certain set of characteristics. The most obvious one is being (almost) AlwaysFemale. She'll also [[TokenWholesome almost certainly be a virgin]], avoiding DeathBySex, and probably won't [[TheScourgeOfGod drink alcohol, smoke tobacco or take drugs]], either. Finally, she'll probably turn out to be more intelligent and resourceful than the other victims, occasionally even evolving into a type of ActionGirl by the movie's end. Looking at the SortingAlgorithmOfMortality, you could say that the Final Girl is a combination of TheHero, TheCutie and the DamselInDistress - which obviously gives her a very low deadness score. The Final Girl is usually but not always brunette, often in contrast to a [[SlashersPreferBlondes promiscuous blonde who traditionally gets killed off]].

This trope has seen a growing number of subversions, aversions and parodies in recent years which suggests it may be slowly weakening. Then again, the ActionSurvivor's replacing the ActionHero points in an interesting direction.

If the FinalGirl appears in a sequel to the movie she survived, there is a very high chance of her falling victim to SuddenSequelDeathSyndrome.

The simplest definition of this is "[[DwindlingParty the last character]] [[SoleSurvivor left alive]] to confront the killer" in a SlasherMovie. The character in question tends to follow a certain set of characteristics. The most obvious one is being (almost) AlwaysFemale. She'll also [[TokenWholesome almost certainly be a virgin]], avoiding DeathBySex, and probably won't [[TheScourgeOfGod drink alcohol, smoke tobacco or take drugs]], either. Finally, she'll probably turn out to be more intelligent and resourceful than the other victims, occasionally even evolving into a type of ActionGirl by the movie's end. Looking at the SortingAlgorithmOfMortality, you could say that the Final Girl is a combination of TheHero, TheCutie and the DamselInDistress - which obviously gives her a very low deadness score. The Final Girl is usually but not always brunette, often in contrast to a [[SlashersPreferBlondes promiscuous blonde who traditionally gets killed off]].

* Aside from being [[GenderFlip male]], [[TagalongKid Emporio Alnino]] from JojosBizarreAdventure is this played dead straight. Of the seven protagonists, he's the youngest, most innocent ([[PrisonEpisode relatively speaking]]) and the only one to have never killed [[spoiler: until the end.]] He's also the last man standing after [[SinisterMinister Father]] [[BigBad Enrico Pucci]] gains [[StoryBreakerPower Made in Heaven]] and goes through the other protagonists like a chainsaw [[spoiler: and kills him with the combination of [[BiggerOnTheInside Burning Down the House]] and [[PowerOfTheStorm Heavy Weather]]]]

* The comic book ''[[HackSlash Hack/Slash]]'' stars a former Final Girl who becomes a slasher-hunter. She gradually meets up with other (mostly female) slasher survivors, resulting in a team largely comprised of Final Girls.

* In ''Film/PitchBlack'', the woman who seems most likely to be the final girl is [[spoiler:killed off only a few minutes before the movie ends, though the fact that she tries to sacrifice the passengers of the ship she was piloting early in the film hints at her [[RedemptionEqualsDeath redemptive]] [[HeroicSacrifice death]]]]. The only characters to survive the movie are [[spoiler:ironically the ones most likely to die in another slasher flick: the pacifist [[BlackDudeDiesFirst black man]]; the teenage [[SweetPollyOliver girl who pretended to be a ''boy'']] for the first half of the movie and has just reached [[DeathBySex sexual]] [[NoPeriodsPeriod maturity]]; and Riddick, the VillainProtagonist, who survives due to ExecutiveMeddling that turned out to be very profitable]]. This approach is arguably what sets the film apart and part of why the sequel fails to deliver the same emotional punch. ''Film/PitchBlack'' is a survival movie in space that subverts character expectations; ''Film/TheChroniclesOfRiddick'' tries more to be straightforward StarWars.

* In ''{{Nine Dead}}'', [[spoiler: Kelley Murphy]] was the sole surviving female of the movie. In the end, [[spoiler: she shot the masked shooter, leaving 9 people dead in the room.]]

* In GingerSnaps, the quieter, plainer sister of Ginger is the last major character left alive after Ginger kills Sam, who is forced to kill the werewolf that was once her sister and best friend.

* In the 2012 version of ''VideoGame/TwistedMetal'', [[MonsterClown Sweet]] [[SerialKiller Tooth]]'s wish is to track down his Final Girl, [[spoiler:his daughter]] Sophia, so he can finally kill her. [[spoiler:Only it turns out she had already [[DrivenToSuicide killed herself]] as a result of the trauma she went through. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor The result?]] Calypso [[BuriedAlive buries Sweet Tooth alive]] in Sophia's casket.]]

* Though, as mentioned above, the ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' film series usually plays it straight, special mention should be made for the character of Tommy Jarvis, who manages to make it safely through installments ''[[Film/FridayThe13thTheFinalChapter IV]], [[Film/FridayThe13thPartVANewBeginning]]'' and [[Film/FridayThe13thPartVIJasonLives VI]]'' as the TagalongKid, TroubledButCute, and ZenSurvivor respectively.

It's also interesting to note how the FinalGirl can be interpreted in film theory. On one hand, the character seems to be the living embodiment of stereotypical conservative attitudes of what women "should be". On the other, feminists have noticed that through this device, a predominantly male audience is forced to identify with a woman in the climax of the movie. In practical terms, the makers of a horror film want the victim to experience abject terror in the climax, and feel that viewers would reject a film that showed a man experiencing such abject terror.

* ''Film/{{Halloween 1978}}'' was the Trope Codifier and introduced the DeathBySex trope (actually unintentional) which became a staple of the genre. Laurie Strode's actress, JamieLeeCurtis, was typecast as a FinalGirl early on in her career so if she was in a slasher film, she would definitely be surviving. [[spoiler:Except in ''Film/HalloweenResurrection'']]

* The movie ''Film/{{Shrooms}}'' gleefully takes aim at the whole concept of the FinalGirl. At the end [[spoiler: the Final Girl discovers that she herself is the killer, having been driven insane by the titular ''Shrooms''.]]

* Played with in the movie ''{{Mindhunters}}'', [[spoiler: there are two of the original group left standing - a guy and a girl, but seeing as the boy is the killer, she is technically the Final Girl standing. But alas it's not technically true, as one of the other victims is shown to have just passed out.]]

* The girl who looks most likely to be the FinalGirl in ''The Deadly Spawn'' [[spoiler: dies in the last 20 minutes and is replaced by another girl who arrived shortly before two-thirds of the way through the film. The monster ends up being killed by the precocious little boy who was hiding in the basement where he was cornered by the monster earlier, figured out its weaknesses by observing it, and had enough know-how to construct a home-made bomb when he finally got free.]]
* ''The Cottage'', saw the FinalGirl turn out to be so unpleasant and obnoxious that the technically-bad but not actually evil kidnappers who made up the other three heroes were much more sympathetic characters. Hilariously [[spoiler: she not only releases the monster but manages to get herself killed by said monster before any of the guys - it is probably not a good idea to mouth off to a psychotic 7-foot tall deformed cannibal when he is about to brain someone with a shovel]].

* Averted in ''TheRuins''. Technically there ''is'' a FinalGirl but [[spoiler:she is not the main character, and is not the most intelligent or resourceful one amongst the victims. Her boyfriend is the wise and resourceful leader, but he sacrifices himself to save her. Ultimately, the end implies that she is doomed anyway.]]
* Averted in ''Film/TheDescent''. The cast of female spelunkers gets whittled down one by one, but ultimately the FinalGirl crosses a MoralEventHorizon, losing audience sympathy. In the end, [[spoiler:she seems to escape, but the scene cuts to reveal that it was just a fantasy and she's irrevocably trapped in the cave.]] Due to ExecutiveMeddling, the Final Girl trope is upheld in the American version, and she escapes.

* Subverted the hell out of in ''{{Saw}}''. Amanda is the only one of Jigsaw's victims to get free of his traps, but she's not the typically innocent FinalGirl (she had been addicted to heroin) and she agrees with the man that tried to kill her. In the second movie, the sweet, innocent-like (at least by ''Saw'' standards) blonde girl [[spoiler: dies fairly early on. The final girl? Amanda again, and she's working with the killer.]]

* ''{{Identity}}'' subverts this twice: the character set up as the FinalGirl was a prostitute, thus subverting the virgin-and-pure side of things. We then find out [[spoiler:one of the other characters who we thought had died was actually still alive. Said character, who was actually the killer, returns to finish the FinalGirl off]]
** It could also be considered a subversion that [[spoiler: the FinalGirl, the character that killed her and all of the other characters who didn't make it were actually the multiple personalities of a serial killer, and the whole thing was being played out in his mind. The "killing" of the characters was his real-life attempt to integrate. So when you get down to it, there's really no FinalGirl at all, and no person ever really died in the first place]].

* Subverted to hell and back in ''Film/AllTheBoysLoveMandyLane''. The innocent and pure Mandy appears to be this at first, [[spoiler:but then comes TheReveal that, the whole time, she was working with the killer, with whom she had entered a SuicidePact. It's then given a DoubleSubversion when Mandy backs out of the pact at the last minute, allowing her to be the FinalGirl after all.]]
* Inverted with ''Film/StudentBodies'', in which everyone is suspicious that the obvious FinalGirl is really the killer.
* In ''Film/{{Scream 4}}'', the character of Jill Roberts [[spoiler:takes this trope and puts it through the ringer. She was the killer all along, and planned to frame somebody else for it so that she can come out looking like the FinalGirl and ride the publicity to [[IfItBleedsItLeads book deals and talk show appearances]], following in the footsteps of her older cousin Sidney.]]

* The Final Girls of the ''Friday the 13th'' spin-off books ''[[FridayThe13thChurchOfTheDivinePsychopath Church of the Divine Psychopath]]'' and ''[[FridayThe13thCarnivalOfManiacs Carnival of Maniacs]]'' are also TheLadette.

** Also subverted in that [[spoiler: Vera, unlike the traditional goody-goody FinalGirl, is guilty of murder herself]].

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', both [[Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer the movie]] and TV show were created specifically as a subversion of the trope -- the "final girl" (who isn't particularly final, all things considered) is sexually active, conventionally attractive, and generally a lot more girly than the norm. Admittedly she does have superpowers (often explicitly superior to her foes) which makes it a bit debatable as to whether she belongs as a FinalGirl proper, or is simply a straight up superheroine who borrows a fair bit of slasher flick imagery.

* In the 2012 version of ''TwistedMetal'', [[MonsterClown Sweet]] [[SerialKiller Tooth]]'s wish is to track down his FinalGirl, [[spoiler:his daughter]] Sophia, so he can finally kill her. [[spoiler:Only it turns out she had already [[DrivenToSuicide killed herself]] as a result of the trauma she went through. [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor The result?]] Calypso [[BuriedAlive buries Sweet Tooth alive]] in Sophia's casket.]]

* A parody in ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' where ''ScoobyDoo'' meets [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]]. Velma complains that she is the final girl due to the stereotype that the virgin is always the last to die.

** The ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' episode "Fear Itself" had a similar premise, with a monster stalking Titan Tower and picking off the Titans one by one, using a method similar to killers used in slasher movies. [[spoiler: Raven was the last one left because the "monster" was her own powers acting on her repressed fear - after the team had watched a scary movie, no less. Ironically, this would not only make her the FinalGirl in this scenario, but techically, the antagonist as well.]]

The simplest definition of this is "[[DwindlingParty the last character]] [[SoleSurvivor left alive]] to confront the killer" in a slasher flick. The character in question tends to follow a certain set of characteristics. The most obvious one is being (almost) AlwaysFemale. She'll also [[TokenWholesome almost certainly be a virgin]], avoiding DeathBySex, and probably won't [[TheScourgeOfGod drink alcohol, smoke tobacco or take drugs]], either. Finally, she'll probably turn out to be more intelligent and resourceful than the other victims, occasionally even evolving into a type of ActionGirl by the movie's end. Looking at the SortingAlgorithmOfMortality, you could say that the Final Girl is a combination of TheHero, TheCutie and the DamselInDistress - which obviously gives her a very low deadness score. The Final Girl is usually but not always brunette, often in contrast to a [[SlashersPreferBlondes promiscuous blonde who traditionally gets killed off]].

* Played pretty straight with Simona and the child-killer in the Italian ''[[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077726/ L'immoralita`]]'', except that the final girl is eleven-and-a-half... [[LoliCon and no longer a virgin]]... and [[spoiler: she's the one who did all the on-screen killing, except for her father whose suicide helped touch off her RoaringRampageOfRevenge. All the child-killer's victims had already been dispatched before the film began, and he's shown burying the last of them in a shallow grave at the beginning.]] Let's just say that what accounts for her survival in the sorting algorithm is that ''[[BlackAndGrayMorality everyone else in the film was demonstrably even worse]]''.

** Laurie remained a final girl in ''Film/HalloweenII1981''. In ''Film/Halloween4TheReturnOfMichaelMyers'', Rachel and Jamie both shared this title, and in ''Film/HalloweenResurrection'', Sara is the Final Girl.

* Buffy from ''Film/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' is a survives the whole movie, but is meant to be a subversion of the typical opening victim who dies before the title. While the good and wholesome activist girl were meant to initially believe is the final girl turns out to be the first victim.

* The ''{{Wishmaster}}'' series is prone to playing with this. While played completely straight in the original, the sequel's Final Girl was a {{goth}} burglar who actually kills a guy in the opening, during a heist gone wrong, though she later redeems herself, in order to beat the Djinn. The protagonist of ''Wishmaster 4: The Prophecy Fulfilled'' is also shown having sex at least twice, including ''with the Djinn''.

** The ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' episode "Fear Itself" had a similar premise, with a monster stalking Titan Tower and picking off the Titans one by one, using a method similar to killers used in slasher movies. [[spoiler: Raven was the last one left because the "monster" was her own powers acting on her repressed fear - after the team had watched a scary movie, no less.]]

* In ''{{Nine Dead}}'', [[spoiler: Kelley Murphy]] was the sole surviving female to confront the masked shooter at gun point. In the end, [[spoiler: she shot the masked shooter, leaving 9 people dead in the room.]]

It's also interesting to note how the FinalGirl can be interpreted in film theory. On one hand, the character seems to be the living embodiment of stereotypical conservative attitudes of what women "should be". On the other, feminists have noticed that through this device the mostly male audience (or...not) is forced to identify with a woman in the climax of the movie. In practical terms, the makers of a horror film want the victim to experience abject terror in the climax, and feel that viewers would reject a film that showed a man experiencing such abject terror.

*** It's interesting to note that Creator/SarahMichelleGellar (Buffy, as if you didn't know) played the above trope straight in two separate slasher movies: as Helen Shivers in ''IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer'' and as Cici in ''Scream 2''.

* Averted in ''Film/HouseOf1000Corpses'', where the final girl escapes the killer family, but [[spoiler:the driver of the car that gives her a lift back to town is the EvilClown Captain Spaulding, who turns out to be part of the killer family.]]