Which Of These 25 Bada** Female Horror Characters Would Be The Final, Final Girl?
Final girls are the female horror characters who use their wits, strength, and determination to make it to the end of the film, and are often the last one standing. Some famous final girls include Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) from the Scream franchise, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) from the Halloween franchise, and Deena Johnson from the Fear Street trilogy.
These women are fierce contenders, but who would be the final, final girl, if they were all in a movie together? Ellen Ripley from the Alien franchise has shown time and time again what a warrior she is. Erin from You’re Next has the benefit of a background growing up on a survivalist compound, so she is certainly not someone to mess with - at least not if you want to come out of the situation alive. Meanwhile, Adelaide from Us has been fighting for her life since she was a literal child. She will do whatever it takes to keep herself and her loved ones safe.
1. Ellen Ripley
Played by: Sigourney Weaver
OG film: Alien
Whether you consider the Alien franchise to be horror or sci-fi, etc., there is no denying that Ellen Ripley is tough as nails. She’s one of the few women on a spaceship in an industry that is also male-dominated. And yet, after the xenomorph violently escapes from the chest of Kane (John Hurt), the ship’s executive officer, Ripley is the one who takes charge, discovers the truth about Ash (Ian Holm), and manages to escape the alien, and save a cat in the process.
2. Laurie Strode
Played by: Jamie Lee Curtis
OG film: Halloween
Laurie Strode is a fighter, and has been battling Michael Myers since she was a teenager. She’s willing to risk herself to protect others, and is inventive and clever enough to turn her own home into a giant trap for the Haddonfield boogeyman. She knows how to use all kinds of weapons, and will never back down from a fight. People have demeaned her, called her crazy, and even villainized her for - God forbid - getting a divorce. A badass final girl if there ever was one, played by a real badass. Iconic.
3. Naru
Played by: Amber Midthunder
OG film: Prey
Naru, a young Comanche woman, is at first underestimated, because of her gender. However, she can hunt with the best of them, which she proves when the tribe faces its biggest threat yet, the Predator. Throughout the film she outsmarts the creature, cleverly setting traps to trick it, and disable it. Naru is definitely a force to be reckoned with.
4. Mia Allen
Played by: Jane Levy
OG film: Evil Dead (2013)
Mia Allen really goes through the wringer in Evil Dead (2013). First, she gets attacked and possessed, while she was already experiencing withdrawal symptoms, due to her trying to overcome her heroine addiction. She attacks her own people, before finally being released from the possession. She then had to immediately fight something called “the Abomination” that looks exactly like her.
5. Erin
Played by: Sharni Vinson
OG film: You're Next
First of all, Erin grew up in a survivalist compound where she learned combat and crucial survival skills. She can be calm in a crisis, and won’t hesitate to do what needs to be done to survive. She basically takes on a bunch of assassins all by herself, while also trying to instruct some of Crispian’s (A.J. Bowen) family members on how to help those who are injured. The odds are definitely in Erin’s favor.
6. Sidney Prescott
Played by: Neve Campbell
OG film: Scream
Sidney Prescott has fought off nine Ghostface killers throughout the first five Scream films. She persists, despite the fact that she is consistently losing the people who mean the most to her in horrific ways. She is resourceful, turning whatever she can - a TV, an umbrella, an ice pick - into a weapon to take down the killer. Between media scrutiny, the drama with Cotton Weary (Liev Schreiber), and being continuously pursued by killers wearing the same Halloween costumes, Sidney is mentally strong, calm in chaos, and a top contender for final, final girl.
7. Tree Gelbman
Played by: Jessica Rothe
OG film: Happy Death Day
When Happy Death Day begins, Tree is not the greatest person. However, there's something about the constant threat of death that changes somebody. By the end of the film, Tree changes her outlook on life, starts treating everyone in her family better, and solves - and survives - her own murder. She is scrappy, determined, and not afraid to take on anyone - whether that be a cop, an escaped serial killer, or a skeezy college professor.
8. Gale Weathers
Played by: Courteney Cox
OG film: Scream
Gale Weathers is the only character to make it through all six Scream films alive. Whether directly or indirectly, she's battled 12 Ghostface killers, survived numerous stabbings and gunshot wounds, and she does most of it in a killer suit and heels. The ruthlessness she practices in her journalism career helps her when she needs to go toe to toe with serial killers.
9. Selena
Played by: Naomie Harris
OG film: 28 Days Later
Selena is a strong leader, who saves those around her as much as she can, but is also not afraid to make the difficult decisions when need be. She also works well under pressure, a skill that helps her to become the final girl she is. She has survival instincts, and no matter how traumatized she gets, she never gives up - even when faced with hordes of vicious infected humans.
10. Kirsty Cotton
Played by: Ashley Laurence
OG film: Hellraiser
Kirsty survives multiple encounters with the Cenobites, and is clever enough to devise plans again and again to save herself, and make the the responsible parties pay for their crimes. She is another final girl on this list who will not shy away from whatever needs to be done in order to survive, which makes her a fierce final, final girl contender.
11. Dana Polk
Played by: Kristen Connolly
OG film: The Cabin in the Woods
Dana might be a bit of a shrinking violet when she is first introduced in the film. However, as the movie goes on, she proves herself a fighter, taking on a myriad of horrifying creatures. She smashes the slasher film archetypes, and even almost shoots her friend, Marty (Fran Kranz), in order to save herself. Dana is definitely not one to give up easily.
12. Nancy Thompson
Played by: Heather Langenkamp
OG film: A Nightmare on Elm Street
Nancy Thompson goes head to head with one of the most terrifying horror villains of all time, Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) - in more than one film. Seeing as Freddy can infiltrate dreams, there's really no way to escape him - you either fight back, or die. Nancy courageously does the former, and even manages to send him packing once she realizes he needs her fear to survive.
13. Clear Rivers
Played by: Ali Larter
OG film: Final Destination
Clear Rivers is smart, intuitive, and trusts her senses. She saw Alex (Devon Sawa) flip out on the plane after his premonition, and just had a gut feeling that he was right. Afterwards, she was quick to put the pieces together about signs, and paying attention to the clues that Death is on its way for them. She's a great ride or die for Alex, and can keep calm under pressure. She's fought Death itself, so she can probably handle anything.
14. Adelaide Wilson
Played by: Lupita Nyong'o
OG film: Us
Adelaide is a warrior from jump. She encounters her doppelgänger in a hall of mirrors in a funhouse when she is a child, and uses the opportunity to trade places with her. Addy steals her doppelgänger's identity, and goes to battle when she and the other Tethered emerge from underground decades later. She protects her family, and is not afraid to do what she has to do to stay safe.
15. Deena Johnson
Played by: Kiana Madeira
OG film: Fear Street Part One: 1994
Deena Johnson is the definition of “ride or die.” Even though she and Sam (Olivia Scott Welch) were broken up, she still put her own life on the line to do whatever she could to save her. She's brave enough to stand up to her closest friends when they wanted to sacrifice Sam to save themselves. Deena may not have the most positive outlook on life, but she is definitely never going to give up.
16. Grace le Domas
Played by: Samara Weaving
OG film: Ready or Not
Thanks to the le Domas’s deal with the devil, Grace quickly goes from living the happiest day of her life to the worst day of her life. She is one woman, fighting for her life while being chased on her opponent’s turf. The odds could not have been more against Grace, but she is a fighter, and refuses to give up. Her tenacity keeps her alive in a situation that would have taken down most other people. It wouldn’t be wise to bet against her.
17. Sarah Carter
Played by: Shauna Macdonald
OG film: The Descent
Just minutes into The Descent, Sarah faces the worst thing she could imagine, losing her husband and daughter in a car accident. Nothing can compare to that grief, so when she finds herself trapped underground with murderous creatures, and no help on the way, she chooses to fight instead of giving up. She fights creatures, finds her way out of a claustrophobic, unknown cave system, and even takes out her own (former) friend to enable her escape.
18. Sam Carpenter
Played by: Melissa Barrera
OG film: Scream (2022)
Samantha Carpenter is no shrinking violet of a final girl. She doesn't start off quiet and shy, but find her strength by the end. She is the daughter of infamous serial killer Billy Loomis, and she's definitely inherited some of his… tenacity. However, she's also fiercely protective of the ones she loves, and will do absolutely whatever it takes to keep her sister, Tara (Jenna Ortega) safe.
19. Maxine Minx
Played by: Mia Goth
OG film: X
Maxine refuses “to accept a life I do not deserve.” She certainly is not going to let anyone stop her from living her best life, and that includes old lady killers. She's bold, speaks up for what she believes in, and will not back down, no matter what. The brutal loss of her partner and friends in X will likely harden her even more, making her someone very much not to be trifled with.
20. Maggie Bess
Played by: Rah Digga
OG film: Thirteen Ghosts
Maggie Bess is the children's nanny in Thirteen Ghosts, and she manages to keep them safe, without having to sacrifice herself, which is often the case in horror films. She is the one who disrupts the machine, releasing the ghosts, and causing the machine to go haywire, which leads to the demise of their captor and aids in their eventual escape. Maggie is the only character not attacked by a ghost, despite coming across the most, with the aid of the spectral viewers. She may quit her job as soon as the family escapes the mansion, but that's after having been the hero, helping to save the day. Talk about going above and beyond for your job.
21. Sally Hardesty
Played by: Marilyn Burns
OG film: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Sally Hardesty was the sole survivor from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), which went on to inspire an entire franchise. She was kidnapped and held by the terrifying Sawyer family, saw her friends and brother get murdered, got chased by a chainsaw-wielding maniac, and still managed to make it out alive. To live through an experience like that, Hardesty has to be a contender.
22. Jess Bradford
Played by: Olivia Hussey
OG film: Black Christmas
Jess Bradford was a character far ahead of her time. She fights back against her own boyfriend, when he tries to bully her into not having an abortion, and successfully evades the man who broke into her sorority house to kill all of her friends. She's determined, self-assured, and not afraid to fight back when threatened.
23. Zoey Davis
Played by: Taylor Russell
OG film: Escape Room
Zoey Davis may be shy, but she is also unbelievably smart, and quick on her feet. Not only does she find her own way out of the rigged Minos Escape Room, but she goes back to save Ben Miller (Logan Miller) as well. She's brave enough to take on an entire organization, even though the odds are more than stacked against her. Zoey is definitely not someone you want to underestimate.
24. Nya Charms
Played by: Lex Scott Davis
OG film: The First Purge
Nya is fearless, and brave enough to stand up for what she believes in, even when the odds are impossibly stacked against her. She rallies against the “Purge,” seeing through the marketing and understanding it is really meant to take out the poor to save money on social programs. Even when those around her give in and join the “Purge,” Nya stays behind, trying to keep her loved ones safe.
25. Bee
Played by: Maria Bakalova
OG film: Bodies Bodies Bodies
Bee will do what needs to be done to keep herself and those she loves safe. She is thrust into a world of privilege, entitlement, and lots of drugs, when her girlfriend Sophie (Amandla Stenberg) brings her to a friend's “hurricane party.” When things go off the rails, Bee takes on the protector role, taking down anyone who threatens her and Sophie.
This article was originally published on Ranker.com.
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