WARNING: This Article May Contain Spoilers
Final girl/boy (definition)the last character, be it male or female, left alive to confront the killer, usually the one left to tell the story.
This is a theme of horror and slasher films I have covered previously in my review of Evil Dead in reference to Ash. It is more common for the trope to be ‘final girl’ but thankfully I’ve been able to dig up some male counterparts so that I don’t need to rehash what’s already been said. In this article, I will cover other characters of the same genre and whether they can be considered as such.
Alex Browning (Final Destination)
So, this guy was truly the inspiration for this whole article. Writing about Ash before had me looking into the final boy idea in general and several articles referred to Alex as one. I am sorry but I whole-heartedly disagree with this theory. Final Destination doesn’t even lend itself to this trope in any way, shape or form. It literally follows the idea, that when your number’s up, your number’s up.
Also, and you are more than welcome to disagree with me on this, I view the first and second films almost as one film because they are so closely connected. I would just like to remind you all, that not only does Alex not make it to the end of the first film alone – he also dies between the two films. Him and death faced off once again and Alex lost. Final boy? I think not.
Ellen Ripley (Alien trilogy)
This badass, for me, is a little bit of a conundrum. This is where all of you that have stuck with me so far scream at your screens that of course she’s a final girl. Can I just remind you all that the Ellen Ripley in the final film – is not the Ellen Ripley we’ve grown to the love (and possibly mourn) in the original 3 films. In case there are some of you who haven’t seen the 4th film, I’ll keep the reason why to myself.
I am also sure that there’s someone out there that will say after Aliens, Ripley should lose her final girl status. I beg to differ. Yes, she escapes with Newt and Hicks but we learn an important fact at the beginning of Alien3. By the time they crash on to the prison planet, Ripley is the only one to awake from stasis – both Newt and Hicks are killed by a stowaway Xenomorph. She even makes the ultimate sacrifice in order to take down The Queen at the end of this film, and if that isn’t a badass final girl then I don’t know what is.
Sidney Prescott (Scream)
Here stands another character that I have read several articles referring to her as a final girl. Want to hear something stupid? These same articles paint Gale Weathers with the same brush. A little bit contradictory, don’t you think? How can there be two final girls? Kind of takes away the whole meaning of ‘final’.
This isn’t the only reason I disagree with the idea of Sidney being a final girl. It’s rare that she’s actually the only one to take on the killer(s) at the end of each film. Yes, she’s usually the one to fire the final bullet but she’s never alone by this point in the story. Her, Gale and Dewey survive every film. Let’s also not forget Randy and his devotion to the cause, even after death. I’m sorry, Sid but final girl is just not the role for you.
Dana Polk (Cabin in the Woods)
Possibly the best film to discuss these tropes with as it well and truly seems to turn most of them on their heads. However, I do not believe for a single moment that Dana is a final girl. Hear me out. She isn’t the only one of the five main characters to make it to the end, as Marty is sitting with her as everything is crumbling down around them. Mentioning which, the world is literally ending as the final scene is played out and a massive hand crashes through the room they’re sitting in. There’s no way they’re surviving that, are they?
Grace (Ready or Not)
You want to talk about final girls? Grace is, one hundred percent without a doubt, the epitome of the definition. How can you argue with a character who is left sitting, covered in not only her blood but that of all the other characters she has come into contact with? Even ancillary characters are wiped out to leave her as the last woman standing. The film even ends with her telling the police what happened, with possibly one of the best closing lines of the current generation of films of this style:
Policeman: Jesus Christ. What happened to you?
Grace: In-Laws.
Casey (The Faculty)
Ever wanted to know what The Breakfast Club would be like if it was a horror film? Well, The Faculty would be your answer. As for Casey as a final boy, I’m erring on the side of caution with this one. Don’t get me wrong, he is hands down the hero of the story and yes, maybe he can be considered a final boy but that’s a BIG maybe. The only reason it is left to him to save them from The Queen, is because they have all been taken bar him and Zeke – who just so happens to have been knocked unconscious at the vital moment. However, because of Casey’s heroism – everyone is back to their normal selves by the end of the film. Verdict: Hero – yes, final boy – not so much.
Chris (Get Out)
I’m not going to explain to those of you reading this how genius this film is. That is something that needs to be seen. For me, Chris is truly the male equivalent of Grace, to be completely honest. How can you not be a final boy, if you are alone in the dark situation from the outset? OK, yes his friend is there right at the very end, but it’s all over by the point – Chris has already done all the hard work.
Michael Milch (The Belko Experiment)
OK, so this one kind of dawned on me when I re-watched the film. It’s possibly a little tenuous for some people but stay with me. Amid a massacre of his co-workers, Mike barely swings an axe in anger until he absolutely has to, and still ends up being the last man standing. Mike 1 – Enemies 0. He even takes down the people that had put them in the situation in the first place. Mike 2 – Enemies 0.
However, and this is the part that those who have seen The Belko Experiment will say Mike isn’t a final boy. We are shown at the end of the film, that it wasn’t just Mike’s office that had gone through the same thing (it’s a little Cabin in the Woods by this point) and leads us to believe there will be a sequel. There never was one, so I will remain on my soapbox saying the Mike Milch is a final boy until a film is released to disprove this.
Art Work Credit: Shen Osman (Instagram: @shen_peri_osman)
