The Last One Standing
One of the most popular tropes in horror films and slashers is the "final girl". From Ripley in Alien to Laurie Strode in Halloween, these are the most iconic characters to survive the worst nightmares imaginable.
Ellen Ripley: Alien (1979)
One of the most iconic final girls has to be Ellen Ripley from Alien, played by Sigourney Weaver. In this science fiction horror film, the spaceship Nostromo's crew has to fight for their lives. Their enemy? A terrifying parasitic monster called the Xenomorph.
As the rest of her team become victims of the bloody "Chestbursters," Ripley stays one step ahead of the game—and foils the alien in the last act.
Twentieth Century, Alien (1979)
Sarah Carter: The Descent (2005)
In 2005's The Descent, a group of friends find themselves in a sticky situation when they go on a caving adventure in the Appalachian Mountains. However, once inside the cave system, the passageway collapses and seals them in.
Sarah Carter, played by Shauna Macdonald, is the horror film's final girl, who must commit an unthinkable act to survive.
Clear Rivers: Final Destination (2000)
In 2000's Final Destination, a group of students are meant to board Flight 180 to Paris—but one teenager named Alex has a chilling premonition: He sees the plane exploding. Following his freakout on board, he and some of his peers are kicked off the plane, which inevitably meets a fiery end. However, not all is well.
Death soon comes to claim the survivors one by one. The final girl alive is Clear Rivers, played by Ali Larter, who manages to dodge dangerous situations on multiple occasions. Both she and Alex are the last ones standing.
New Line Cinema, Final Destination (2000)
Ginny Field: Friday The 13th Part 2 (1981)
In the second installment of Friday the 13th, Ginny Field, played by Amy Steel, has to face down one of the most terrifying villains of the horror genre: Jason Voorhees. Field, a psychology student, proves herself to be an exceptionally bright heroine—and winds up using a machete to take Jason down.
Paramount, Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
Rachel Keller: The Ring (2002)
In the American remake of the Japanese horror film Ring, Naomi Watts plays the protagonist, Rachel Keller. After her niece mysteriously dies after watching a VHS tape, Keller begins to investigate the tape's twisted origin story. However, she makes one awful mistake: She watches the tape herself.
Now Keller must find a way to break the curse or else meet a gruesome end. She has only seven days.
Dani Ardor: Midsommar (2019)
In 2019's Midsommar, Dani Ardor, played by Florence Pugh, goes on a trip to Sweden with a group of her friends following the loss of her family. But what starts off as a sweet escape soon turns terrifying. Dani finds herself in the midst of a deranged cult with a penchant for human sacrifice.
Not only does Dani survive, but the final scene of this film shows this final girl at the top of her game.
Maxine Minx: X (2022)
In one of the greatest modern slasher trilogies, Mia Goth plays Maxine Minx. In the first installment, X, she and a group of her co-workers arrive at a ranch, planning to film an explicit film in the barn. However, the farm owners are not what they seem—an elderly couple who end up targeting each and every one of them.
Maxine must tap into her own depraved instincts in order to survive and outwit the nightmare she finds herself in.
Sally Hardesty: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
1974's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a horror classic with a pretty messed-up premise. A group of friends have the misfortune of meeting a family of cannibals, led by the infamous villain Leatherface. In this slasher, Sally Hardesty, played by Marilyn Burns, is the only one to make it out alive.
New Line Cinema, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Laurie Strode: Halloween (1978)
In Halloween, we see Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut, playing the resilient Laurie Strode. Laurie has to survive the bloodlust of a mental hospital escapee—Michael Myers. Myers, who took the life of his own sister many years ago, returns to his hometown in Haddonfield. Here, he slips on a terrifying white mask and begins stalking Laurie.
The success of this independent film led to a long-lasting film franchise.
Compass International Pictures, Halloween (1978)
Sidney Prescott: Scream (1996)
In 1996's Scream, we're introduced to one of the most enduring final girls—Sidney Prescott played by Neve Campbell. Targeted by the film's villain Ghostface, Sidney's life becomes plagued by tragedy as the slayer often dispatches the people closest to her. Through it all, she emerges on top—a survivor through and through.
The character of Sidney Prescott has appeared in five of the Scream films, and Campbell will reprise her role in the seventh installation.
Dimension Films, Scream (1996)
Gale Weathers: Scream (1996)
Sidney Prescott isn't the only final girl of the Scream franchise. Gale Weathers, a journalist played by Courtney Cox, also manages to survive Ghostface on multiple occasions and appears in all six films. She works together with Prescott and Dewey Riley to put a stop to the horrific slayings.
Dimension Films, Scream (1996)
Kirsty Cotton: Hellraiser (1987)
Kirsty Cotton is the final girl in 1987's Hellraiser, and is played by Ashley Laurence. This deranged story centers on a puzzle box that has the power to summon some truly horrifying, supernatural beings called Cenobites. These monsters become teenage Kirsty's worst nightmare after she accidentally triggers the puzzle box.
New World Pictures, Hellraiser (1987)
Grace: Ready Or Not (2019)
2019's Ready or Not is a horror comedy, starring Samara Weaving as the main character, Grace. After Grace marries into the wealthy Le Domas family, her life takes a twisted turn. Turns out, there's a wild tradition she has to take part in. At midnight on her wedding day, she must draw a card from a puzzle box.
Unfortunately, she gets the worst card possible: "Hide and Seek".
Searchlight Pictures, Ready or Not (2019)
Sue Snell: Carrie (1974)
Based on Stephen King's horror novel, the final girl in 1974's Carrie is surprisingly not the titular character. After Carrie unleashes a nightmare at her high school prom, only one girl emerges alive—her peer, Sue Snell (Amy Irving). In fact, it's Sue who dominates the final, heart-stopping scene of the film.
Nancy Thompson: A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
Heather Langenkamp plays Nancy Thompson—the final girl in 1984's A Nightmare on Elm Street. The plot of this supernatural horror is enough to give anyone nightmares. The villain, Freddy Krueger, is able to slay his victims in their sleep, while they're dreaming.
Nancy manages to outwit this psychotic ghost by setting traps and dragging him from the depths of the dream world into the real world.
New Line Cinema, A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Dana Polk: The Cabin In The Woods (2012)
2012's The Cabin in the Woods follows the typical slasher formula—but with a twist. When a group of friends venture deep into a forest to stay at a cabin, they end up coming face to face with an onslaught of monsters. But not everything is as it seems. Behind the scenes, a group of technicians are orchestrating the entire horror show.
The final girl is Dana Polk, played by Kristen Connolly—and she survives by virtue of her archetype.
Lionsgate, The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
Julie James: I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Jennifer Love Hewitt plays Julie James—the final girl in 1997's I Know What You Did Last Summer. After four friends go on a drive and accidentally hit a pedestrian, they decide to dispose of the body and keep their lips sealed about the tragic incident.
However, the very next year, they have to face their own mortality as a slayer with a hook hand comes after them. Only Julie and her boyfriend survive his wrath.
Columbia, I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Tree Gelbman: Happy Death Day (2017)
2017's Happy Death Day is a slasher that manages to inject some comedy into the script. Actress Jessica Rothe plays the main character and final girl, Tree Gelbman. With elements of Groundhog Day, she has to relive her final day—her birthday—over and over again. This way, she can solve the mystery of her own demise and stop the person responsible.
Universal, Happy Death Day (2017)
Victoria Heyes: Terrifier (2016)
2016's slasher film Terrifier is not for the faint of heart. Its villain, Art the Clown, sets his sights on two young sisters on Halloween: Tara and Victoria Heyes. Victoria might be the darkest final girl on this list.
Due to the horrors she experiences, she goes completely mad. Instead of being a virtuous heroine, she becomes a cold-hearted villain herself.
