The horror genre loves its tropes, with the most famous being that of the “final girl”, the innocent, virginal female who survives the night while her friends are massacred, eventually overpowering the killer during the finale. Its roots can be traced back to the golden age of slasher movies in the 70s and 80s, and its influence is still felt in the genre today.
Some rare slashers establish a character that fits the mold of a heroine, only to kill her off to keep the viewers guessing about who’s going to make it out alive. The best horror movies surprise you, and the following movies do just that by killing off their supposed final girl.
Casey Becker - ‘Scream’ (1996)
Everybody knows Casey bites it now, but at the time ofScream’s release,Drew Barrymorewas the biggest star attached to the film. She’s even on the poster, where she is positioned closest to the front. So when audiences went to see this new horror movie in 1996, they were expecting the adorable kid fromE.T.to be the hero.
When the movie starts with Casey (Barrymore) home alone and tormented by the killer, you keep waiting for her to escape. Despite her parents arriving home in time, Casey fails to reach them and becomes one of Ghostface’s first victims. This unforgettable opening scene remains one of themost memorable moments in horrorand established that no one is safe in theScreamuniverse.
Screamis available to stream on Paramount+.
Marion Crane - ‘Psycho’ (1960)
Pulling the same trick thatScreamdid almost 40 years prior,Alfred Hitchcockloved to mess with his audience’s expectations.Psychobegins with Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) on the run after stealing money from her employer, stopping to spend the night at a remote motel.
After spending some time with the motel’s owner, Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins), Marion retires to her room and takes a shower, where she is brutally murdered. Despite seemingly being the main character, Marion dies halfway through the movie, leaving her sister Lila to take over.
Psychois available to stream on Peacock.
Carolyn Fry - ‘Pitch Black’ (2000)
The sci-fi horror hit that spawned one ofVin Diesel’s most popular characters,Pitch Blackis a brutal nightmare that harkens back toAlien. After a passenger ship crashes on a desolate planet, the survivors are left fighting for their lives as bloodthirsty nocturnal creatures hunt them down.
Carolyn Fry (Radha Mitchell), the ship’s pilot, tries her best to keep everyone alive, eventually joining forces with Diesel’s convicted murderer Riddick. When the pair reaches the last remaining spacecraft, their escape seems guaranteed. Those hopes are dashed however when Fry is ripped off into the darkness to be devoured.
Pitch Blackis available to stream on Peacock.
A straight-to-DVD sequel that is better than it has any right to be,Wrong Turn 2is thebest entry in the series. Following the cast and crew of a reality TV show that is filming in the American backwoods, it isn’t long before they come face to face with the deformed cannibals from the first movie.
The show’s producer Mara (Aleksa Palladino) is quiet and kind, prime final girl material. When she witnesses her director boyfriend cheating, it’s hard not to root for her as she strikes up a friendship with hardened Nina (Erica Leerhsen), who encourages her to stand up for herself. So it’s shocking when Mara is one of the first to die, an airborne axe being lodged in her head. It sets the tone early for this surprisingly great slasher.
Heroine - ‘Feast’ (2005)
Set at a dive bar in the desert,Feastkicks off early as the drunk patrons are startled by the arrival of a muscle-bound man with a shotgun. Claiming there are monsters outside and that he’s “the guy who’s going to save their ass”, the wannabe hero is soon interrupted as he’s pulled outside where his head is swiftly ripped off.
The dead man’s wife, Heroine (Navi Rawat) soon arrives, hoping to fill the heroic void left by her recently departed husband. A gory good time that isn’t afraid to pull the same gag twice, Heroine dies later in the film after being accidentally shot. It results in the group of remaining losers having to pull together to survive.
Feastis available to stream on Tubi.
Jenna - ‘Friday the 13th’ (2009)
A fun throwback to the king of campy (pun intended) slasher movies,Friday the 13this an entertaining reboot that does not try to rewrite the original’s legacy. When Clay (Jared Padalecki) arrives at Camp Crystal Lake looking for his missing sister, the local partying teens mostly ignore him. Only Jenna (Danielle Panabaker) shows concern for Clay’s plight, and she’s revealed to be a kind and caring presence among the selfish friends.
As Jason begins butchering the new crew of campers, Jenna works with Clay to survive, rescuing his sister along the way. As the three remaining survivors escape through Jason’s hidden tunnels, his machete pierces through Jenna’s chest, robbing the movie of its most likable character.
Friday the 13this available to stream on HBO Max.
Dr. Susan McCallister - ‘Deep Blue Sea’ (1999)
The second-greatest shark movieafterJaws,Deep Blue Seais best remembered for its shocking deaths. Taking place in a research base under the sea, it is not long before the sharks they are experimenting on break free and hunt the staff down for lunch.
Dr. Susan McCallister (Saffron Burrows), the facility’s head researcher, makes it to the film’s finale. Feeling responsible for all the deaths that have occurred, Susan jumps into the water to distract the last shark so Carter (Thomas Jane) can destroy it. The beast is too quick for her, however, and she is eaten, leavingDeep Blue Seaas the rare horror movie that ends with two final guys.
Deep Blue Seais available to stream on Tubi.
Adrienne - ‘Lost After Dark’ (2015)
A throwback to 80s slasher movies,Lost After Darkkills its cast in the reverse order of what you would expect. Nice girl Adrienne (Kendra Leigh Timmins) is the typical final girl, a good student who enjoys a close relationship with her widowed father. Goaded into spending a drunken weekend away with her friends, they soon fall victim to a maniac.
Lost After Darkshows its cards early by having Adrienne the first teen killed, impaled on a pickaxe as she attempts to help an injured friend. It’s rare for a slasher film to kill its obvious final girl early, and the fact that Adrienne’s crush, nice boy Sean (Justin Kelly), dies next, further emphasizes the movie’s unpredictable nature.
Kristy Earl - ‘Wolf Creek’ (2005)
When English backpacker Kristy (Kestie Morassi) sets out on a trip to the Australian outback with her friends Liz and Ben, they come face to face with unimaginable evil. With local hunter Mick (John Jarratt) tormenting them at every turn, the three friends struggle to survive in one of the world’s most unforgiving landscapes.
After killing Liz, Mick sets his sights on Kristy, who has escaped to the main road. Commandeering a stranger’s car, Kristy engages in a car chase with Mick. Seemingly knocking him off the road, Kristy crashes her car after Mick shoots out her tire with his rifle. He then executes the girl on the road, leaving Ben as the sole survivor.
Wolf Creekis available to stream on Tubi.
Jill Roberts - ‘Scream 4’ (2011)
Returning after a decade-long hiatus,Scream 4arrived with a fresh-faced cast while bringing back the surviving legacy characters of the franchise.Emma Robertsheadlines the new group as Jill, Sidney’s (Neve Campbell) niece, who becomes the new target of Ghostface alongside her friends.
WhileScream 4seemed primed to pass the torch from Sidney to Jill, these plans are ruined as Jill is revealed to be the killer. Attempting to become a beloved final girl like her aunt, Jill instead becomes just another psycho who failed to kill Sidney Prescott.
Scream 4is available to stream on Paramount+ and Tubi.
