I want to start by saying that I consider myself a feminist. I believe that women should have equal rights with men and that they should not have to suffer abuse whether physically or emotionally. Having said all this, I do find myself questioning my thoughts and opinions on how women are portrayed in media on a regular basis. None has created such debate in my head as “the Final Girl”.
As I mentioned in my article “Why I love Halloween again!“, I adore horror films. However, a common trope of many horror films is that of a girl who, as the last survivor of her group, confronts the villain and overcomes them whether by supposedly killing them (they usually don’t) or by outwitting them and escaping. On the surface this appears to be very feminist, showing women who can overcome villains that have been shown to be very powerful. However, it isn’t as simple as that.
In many early slasher films (before the trope had been fully formed), the girls aren’t the ultimate victors over the villains, instead being rescued by men who either offer them a way to escape or defeat the villain for them. While it can be argued that these girls have shown enough ingenuity to outlast the villain for as long as they have, the fact that they ultimately rely on a man to save them takes away from their triumph. Later slasher films corrected this, instead having the Final Girl deal the finishing blow or escape by herself.
During the height of the slasher film craze of the 70s and 80s, the trope of the Final Girl began to be set in stone, that of a girl who eschews the use of drugs and alcohol and refrains from sex in sharp contrast to her companions. It is often implied that this abstinence is what allows the girl to overcome the villain as she is alert to danger. This idea reinforces an antiquated way of thinking and is not conducive to feminism. Again, later films stripped away this archaic view but, even today, this aspect can be found hiding underneath the films message.
And yet for all of these faults, I can’t help but admire these women. In a genre notorious for the stupidity of most of the characters, the fact that a woman is ultimately portrayed as the most intelligent and capable character in the film is surely a feminist message. For me, part of the appeal of these films is seeing the underdog, in this case “the Final Girl”, overcome adversity to become ultimately victorious.
Some people have argued that women in lead roles in horror films allow the movies to exploit them as both a sexual object and a victim of pain. However, I contend that while many horror films do fall into these brackets, there are many other horror films that instead allow viewers to empathize with their female leads and ultimately cheer them on to survive and succeed. In these situations, the idea of the woman merely being a sexual object and victim is overcome and instead, they become our medium to overcome evil. This level of empathy cannot be viewed in any way other than feminist.
In conclusion, I find “the Final Girl” trope to be an unusual mix of feminism and sexism, combining archaic views of women with the demonstration of their incredible capability in the face of terror. I know that I will continue to respect these females while analyzing the themes of these films.
Hopefully you have found this article interesting and informative and, if you wish to seek any of the works I mentioned, don’t hesitate to use amazon.co.uk or amazon.com for all of your needs!