The final girl trope has a complicated history in the world of horror. It was originally used as symbolism for purity and placed a standard of conduct on women. The final girl in each slasher film would be the last person standing against the big bad monster. However, unlike her sexually active friends, her purity would give her the strength to fight off the evil creature threatening to kill her.

The term has taken on new meaning in modern horror. As gender expectations changed in the 90s, so did movie characters. No longer were final girl’s dependent on virtue to defeat the bad guys. This new generation of feminist icons lead the charge by being badass fighters or clever tacticians.

This isn’t to say that the horror genre doesn’t still feature problematic elements when it comes to gender, far from it. However, it is important to understand how far the genre has come. Today, we would like to examine some of the final girls that have changed the way horror audiences view women in the genre.

The Cabin in the Woods (Dana)

The Cabin in the Woods is a meta horror film that attempts to highlight some of the more problematic elements of the horror genre. One of these is the virgin sacrifice trope that is often seen in slasher films.

Not only does The Cabin in the Woods do a fantastic job of highlighting just how silly these tropes are to begin with, but it also manages to create a brilliant horror film in its own right.

The message presented by The Cabin in the Woods is simple. If the genre needs to rely on outdated tropes and punish women for enjoying their bodies, maybe the genre doesn’t deserve to exist anymore. While the film does a great job of identifying these issues, Dana’s quick thinking and heroic actions help to drive the point home even further.

Alien (Ellen Ripley)

Although the film was created at the height of the sexist final girl era. Ellen Ripley provided the first prototype for what final girls would become. There are still some problematic elements with her character but given the time period, it is amazing that Ripley was given such an impactful role in the series.

Unlike most of the women sci-fi horror films of the time, Ripley didn’t need a man to save her. She is a smart, strong, and capable woman who is able to outsmart and outmaneuver the hideous Xenomorph, unlike her male shipmates. Ripley’s started the path that led to the modern final girl and her actions continue to inspire viewers to this day.

Halloween (Laurie Strode)

Laurie Strode continues the evolution of the final girl throughout the Halloween franchise. While her character in the original film had some problematic elements, she has grown and adapted with the times.

What started out as a frightened young girl with a carving knife evolved into a badass one woman army capable of taking down Michael Myers head on. Strode provides the perfect example of the evolution of the final girl throughout her long history with Michael Myers.

Whether or not the newest version of the franchise is good is currently being debated. However, there are few film franchises that can document the evolution of a genre as a whole like the Halloween franchise.

Scream (Sidney Prescott)

Syndey Prescott provides the archetype for the modern version of the final girl. Although sex still played a key role in her character development, Prescott was not punished by the villain for her sexual activity.

Instead, she used her cunning to outsmart and kill the two slasher villains in Scream. This feat highlighted the tonal shift that was taking place in the 90s. Audiences were being introduced to new final girls like Sydney Prescott, Buffy Summers, and Jeryline.

These new final girls kicked ass and took names. No longer were they pushed into a corner to wait for a man to save them from the villain. While the original archetype still popped up from time to time, the success of characters like Sydney Prescott caught the attention of movie developers and changed the way final grills were portrayed moving forward.

Terrifier 2 (Sienna Shaw)

The Terrifier franchise is over the top, to say the least. It features some of the most brutal kills in film history and is home to the most sadistic killer ever brought to the silver screen.

What would a legendary monster be without an equally badass final girl to stop him? Sienna Shaw is the perfect example of the modern final girl. She is a fully fleshed out character who has her own passions, hobbies, and social life. She does not exist simply to defeat the bad guy. Instead, she exists on her own and just so happens to defeat the monster at the end of the film.

This may seem like a standard treatment for any character, but it has not always been the case for female characters in horror. For most of the genre’s history, female characters were prop tools, not fully realized individuals.

Sienna Shaw highlights just how much the genre, and the concept of the final girl, have changed over the past 50 years. As the genre continues to grow and change, we can only hope that we receive more wonderful characters like Shaw and the other women on this list.