The Revolution of the Final Girl: Feminism and Gender Stereotypes
Content warning: abortion, sexual assault, violence
Through the work of Carol J. Clover we were given the official label of final girl to describe the female protagonist:
“The image of the distressed female most likely to linger in memory is the image of the one who did not die: the survivor, or Final Girl. She is the one who encounters the mutilated bodies of her friends and perceives the full extent of the proceeding horror and her own peril; who is chased, cornered, wounded; whom we see Scream, stagger, fall, rise and Scream again. She is abject terror personified. If her friends knew they were about to die only seconds before the event, the Final Girl lives with the knowledge for long minutes or hours. She alone looks death in the face…” (Clover, 1992, p. 35).
Our shared moments with the final girl have us as horror lovers gripping our seats in the cinema with bated breath, waiting for her glory. We have cheered her on as she slashes, stabs, runs, and takes down evil with everything that she has got. The final girl is one of the most beloved tropes in horror, and it has been a centerpiece of almost every slasher we have ever seen. From Laurie, Nancy, Alice, and Sally to the modern final girl queens of post-9/11 horror such as Dani, Thomasin, Needy, and Erin. We crave her strength, her determination, and her absolute badassery.
From the early ‘60s through to the beginning of the ‘80s, society witnessed the ignition of second-wave feminism as a human rights movement; feminism was gaining momentum globally. It is important to recognise the implications that the waves suggest feminism is a “monolith with a single agenda” (Grady, 2018). Some theorists argue that the waves are reductive and restrict each generation of historical change to a stereotype when they were in fact monumental moments and catalysts of change (Grady, 2018). Each period of time since has marked historical change socially and politically in gender activism. When final girls were first taking the stage as a trope in horror movies, the 1970s were in full motion with the free-love movement, which helped sexual freedom and birth control rights. This time period ushered in some of the most significant political and legal reforms, changing lives and providing a new sense of autonomy that was only just the beginning (Zhou, 2019). The 1970s also welcomed an epic era of horror movies with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), Halloween (1978), and Black Christmas (1974). This decade of horror movies saw the impact of second-wave feminism after the first wave paved the way for social and political growth for primarily white women. Although women of color have always been integral to the struggle for women’s rights, their contributions and unique concerns went largely unacknowledged in mainstream feminist discourse at this time.
Second-wave feminism established that the personal is political, that problems faced by individual women in their daily lives are in fact the result of systemic gendered inequality. The focus shifted towards sexual autonomy, family dynamics, reproductive rights, gender expression, and domesticity. Jess Bradford (Black Christmas) is the perfect example of subverting the gender stereotypes of the early ‘70s. Through its overt feminism and depictions of women’s agency (including an abortion sub-plot), Black Christmas threatens to purposely destabilise the patriarchal stereotypes that come in the form of the male characters. Jess Bradford does not shy away from being an autonomous, independent, and intelligent final girl who, whilst she finds her sorority sisters murdered, is still able to fight for her life. When making the decision to terminate her pregnancy, Jess is not shown as if she is in the wrong. We are privy to the hard decision she has to make. Without the influence of second-wave feminism and increased bodily autonomy, Black Christmas could not have taken such an approach to (at the time) a very taboo topic in a film plot. Jess Bradford continues to contradict the gender stereotypes of the ‘70s with her fierce independence, loyalty to her female friends, and her determination.
Mehls (2015) argues that throughout the ‘70s women were putting themselves out there to prove that they could do anything that men could do. There was a lack of balance when it came to equity within their home and work lives. This is reflected through final girl characters such as Ripley in Alien (1979); her character is fighting for the rights that were being discussed in second-wave feminist discourse. Ripley is the essence of the second-wave feminism movement, fighting for autonomy, reproductive rights, and equity and fighting against patriarchal restraints and the capitalist exploitation of women’s bodies (Mehls, 2015). The barriers that Ripley breaks through regarding gendered expectations around beauty and femininity are depicted through her androgynous appearance. The ‘70s and ‘80s were marked by a rise in the “supermodel” and the expectation that women could “have it all,” pressuring women to work a stable job, perform domestic duties, and maintain a particular appearance. Watching Ripley subvert these gender stereotypes of femininity, superwoman, and domesticity while standing up to the patriarchy throughout the franchise is satisfying and inspiring.
The ‘80s showed a whole new final girl, one that fought back, one who took the autonomy of feminism in the ‘70s and fought tooth and nail to protect it. However, relatively sex-positive feminism had started to experience a backlash from anti-porn and conservatives’ influence, which caused women to be placed in more conservative roles (Mehls, 2015). Horror filmmakers such as Wes Craven rejected the pressure and rebelled against the conservative perspective that was expected to be used when starring women in film. Nancy (A Nightmare on Elm Street) provides a whole new perspective for the final girl revolution. She subverted and revolted against the expectation of being a bystander, and seeks Freddy out to end his reign of terror in Springwood. Nancy does what no other character can do and pulls Freddy out of the nightmare realm and into her world, where she defeats him. The final girl that we witnessed throughout the ‘80s with characters such as Nancy reflected the strength, power, and determination that welcomed in third-wave feminism.
As the ‘90s rolled around, third-wave feminism emerged in the wake of the second wave, and girl power took to the streets and to the silver screen. When Scream (1996) launched itself into a girl-powered decade, we were shifting into the third wave of feminist thought, which brought along with it increased attention to intersectionality and reclamation of identity. Whilst conservative backlash against feminism and traditional depictions of essentialized femininity continued to plague popular culture, horror continued to reject the reactionary doctrine. Sidney Prescott is no average final girl; she goes against the grain and even against the advice of her horror rule-loving friend Randy. Craven really gave two middle fingers up to those against sexuality and exploration by allowing a final girl to survive her first sexual experience when traditionally this would end a female character’s reign on the big screen. Keetly (2016) raises an interesting point about the role of community: the final girl in the ‘90s is no longer insulated and alone. She is a member of a supportive community that wants her to succeed. The concept of community is no longer bound to the projection of weakness but rather the perception of strength.
There has been a gratifying shift in the final girls of the current horror films; we’re in a movement of “good for her,” while she faces off against her adversary. We’ve fallen in love with characters like Thomasin in The VVitch (2015), Dani in Midsommar (2018), and Needy in Jennifer’s Body (2009). For me, it's a character like Grace in the 2011 release Ready or Not that unseats the expectations that have been established regarding a final girl. Grace doesn’t need Alex to survive, and that proves to be a point of contention later in the film. Alex becomes infuriated that she is playing against him and his family and is succeeding. Grace isn’t the person he thought he had married. Grace has come from adversity and continues to fight through life in a constant state of survival mode. Laytham (2020) argues that Grace is a “character who represents the strides horror has made” as she differs from the final girls that have come before her. Throughout the film, Grace sheds the elements that make her feminine; tearing down her dress, wearing converses instead of high heels, and she certainly isn’t afraid of getting dirty. For me personally, Grace is a superstar. Throughout the film, she constantly shows the intelligence, quick wit, critical thinking, and practicality that have been represented through all final girls over time. The ending of Ready or Not displays a level of catharsis that is reflected so perfectly through the final girls at the moment in the wake of their victory.
There is no argument that there is a new wave of feminism sweeping through post third-wave feminism and girl power. The influence that intersectional feminism has had on horror movies and final girl characters has seen the rise of women such as Jenna Ortega, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Sadie Sink, and Deena Johnson⸺a new generation of final girls that connect women to their characters and forge relationships with other women in the genre through their relatability. The final girls of the ‘70s and ‘80s walked so that the final girls of tomorrow could sprint, full speed, with a handful of weapons and a heart full of determination, compassion, intelligence, and love.
References:
Clover, C.J. (1987) “Her Body, Himself: Gender in the Slasher Film.” Representations, vol.
20, pp. 187–228.
Keetley, D. (2016, February 12). The New Final Girl of 90s Horror: Part 2 - Horror Movie. Horror Homeroom. http://www.horrorhomeroom.com/the-new-final-girl-of-90s-horror-part-2/
Laytham, E. (2020, May 22). READY OR NOT & The Bloody Remains Of The Final Girl Trope. Film Inquiry. https://www.filminquiry.com/ready-or-not-final-girl-trope/?fbclid=IwAR3IqfXrW1CiJG5wCuwd0lUW8yNhUZXMNNv6RDH5w_y-SPX5zOrpoMnecf8
Mehls, R. (2015). In History No One Can Hear You Scream: Feminism and the Horror Film 1974–1996. University of Colorado.
Rampton, M. (2020, July 13). Four Waves of Feminism. Pacific University. https://www.pacificu.edu/magazine/four-waves-feminism
Zhou, M. (2019). Evolution of the Final Girl: Exploring Feminism and Femininity in Halloween (1978–2018). Scripps Senior Theses. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/1279
