30 Woman-Friendly Horror Movies for the Thrill-Seeking Feminist

Final Girl

Final Girl, Image via Final Girl Productions/NGN Productions/Prospect Park/Cinedigm

Sub-Genre: Slasher

What it’s about: Jameson, Shane, Daniel, and Nelson are serial killers who like to play a disturbing game. They target blond women, convince them to go on a date with one of them, and then take them to the middle of the woods. Eventually they reveal that they are going to hunt and kill her. After giving her a head start, they proceed to make good on the promise. After twenty-something victims, they choose Veronica. But what they don’t know is that Veronica has been working with a different man, William – training specifically for that night. And the girl they thought would be an easy target turns out to be much more than they planned for.

What makes it feminist: The “final girl” trope, which the movie takes its name from, typically refers to a very innocent, docile young woman who gets wrapped up in a horrific plot. Initially she reacts very frantic and afraid, but by the end she has worked up the strength to fight. This movie turns that stereotype on its head. Veronica isn’t that humble and innocuous girl – she is a trained assassin. And she doesn’t fall into a situation that she doesn’t know what to do with. She has been working for years to learn how to take these guys down. She isn’t forced to fight at the end; she seeks out the fight, in order to bring these terrible people to justice. And she turns out to be way better at it than most of the people she’s fighting against.

Additionally, despite her training, Veronica is not a one-note heartless character. She is portrayed as being complex and even emotional. For example, she is motivated to do the job after the death of her parents, based on her compassion for William. Though she could have been depicted as hard and cold, these moments show that a woman doesn’t have to choose between being a badass and being vulnerable. She can be, and often is, both.