Throughout slasher history, there haven’t been many surprising or unexpected final girls. Many slasher movies have made it obvious who will likely survive until the end, usually due to the formerly limited definition of a “final girl.” The defining characteristics of a final girl used to primarily center on virginal (or lacking in outright sexuality) qualities, a woman who abstains from drugs, partying, and is overall “virtuous.” However, as the definition has evolved and been redefined over time, we’ve encountered some final girls in horror that nobody really expected.
There’s nothing wrong with praising final girls who fit the original archetype or are positioned as the final girl from the beginning. Take iconic final girls like Halloween’s Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis or Scout Taylor-Compton in the Rob Zombie remake) or Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) in Scream. However, the unexpected final girls who kick ass and surprise us with their desire to survive are worth mentioning as well. Throughout the 2000s, we were gifted with quite a few of these surprising final girls, though some ladies on this list are from slashers that came out after 2010.
If you’ve seen the movies discussed below, the following list of unexpected final girls might be a fun (and surprising) reminder. If you haven’t watched these all, beware of spoilers!
Urban Legends: Final Cut
This sequel is not remotely like the first Urban Legend, but if you’re looking for a basic 2000s slasher, then Urban Legends: Final Cut might suffice. The film follows Amy (Jennifer Morrison) and her fellow college film students who are targeted and murdered while they work on a thesis project. Much to the audience’s surprise at the time, Reese (Loretta Devine) survived Urban Legend and is a much-needed presence in this sequel.
It’s not every day that a Black character makes it into the unofficial book of final girls. And most people would expect Reese to get taken out in Urban Legends: Final Cut, but she makes it to the end. While her character should’ve been the main protagonist (she’s more interesting than Amy), Reese’s status as a final girl is still worth noting, especially as a Black final girl in a 2000s slasher film that some fans might forget.
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane
There are times when slashers catch you off guard, and All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is one of those. The film follows a group of teenagers who invite a young woman named Mandy Lane (Amber Heard) to join them on their trip, only for things to go wrong when the friends start getting murdered. Spoiler alert: Mandy isn’t everything she seems, and the group doesn’t notice that until it’s too late. Thus cementing her final girl status as somewhat complicated because she’s in on it.
Mandy’s status as a killer and a conspirator alongside the other killer clashes with the typical definition of a final girl. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane isn’t perfect, and neither is the characterization, but Mandy seemingly being a serial killer who pretends to be a damsel in distress is interesting. If you want to see chaos unfold and potentially struggle to root for an accidental final girl, you might like All the Boys Love Mandy Lane and Mandy Lane as a character.
Wrong Turn 2: Dead End
The Wrong Turn franchise is known as the epitome of rural and “hillbilly” horror, and Wrong Turn 2: Dead End continues the trend. Wrong Turn 2: Dead End follows reality show contestants who must fight for their lives after running into a cannibal family. It’s a fun sequel that amps up the gore and the bonkers deaths, as well as giving us a very unexpected final girl in Nina (Erica Leerhsen).
Nina has a goth aesthetic and isn’t remotely the goody-two-shoes people typically associate with final girls. In fact, while watching Wrong Turn 2: Dead End, people no doubt think her newly made friend Mara (Aleksa Palladino) will make it to the end. Instead, Mara is killed in a shocking manner while she and Nina are fleeing from the cannibals. The film clearly displays her will to survive, and she manages to escape alongside another survivor. Wrong Turn 2: Dead End offers a decent enough final girl pivot, and that’s great.
Friday the 13th (2009)
The Friday the 13th reboot doesn’t land for everyone, but it’s a fun time that embodies everything the franchise is. The film follows Clay (Jared Padalecki), who finds himself in a perilous situation alongside some college students while searching for his missing sister, who Jason (Derek Mears) has kidnapped at Camp Crystal Lake. After a fantastic cold open and the introduction of a new group of folks, it’s not obvious that Whitney (Amanda Righetti) will be anything more than a kidnapped woman. Friday the 13th turns the tables and kills off the assumed final girl in the third act.
Friday the 13th doesn’t give us a lot of quality time with Whitney, aside from the first 21 minutes of the film, so there’s no huge attachment to her character. However, the shift from our expected final girl, Jenna (Danielle Panabaker), to Whitney is relatively shocking during the first watch. It’s a bold move from Friday the 13th, and it’s a big case of an unexpected final girl in this film. And if you can’t give the film anything else, you can give it that.
You’re Next
A slasher with a kick-ass final girl who knows how to fight? You’re Next has got you covered. The film follows a rich family who is attacked by murderous intruders wearing animal masks.
While Erin (Sharni Vinson) isn’t a total surprise as a final girl, it’s what she’s able to do that makes her surprising. You’re Next makes Erin a capable final girl right away, instead of having her build up to resilience. She knows how to fight because of her childhood experiences as part of a survivalist compound. And thus, she becomes more dangerous to the killers than they are to her in the end.
You’re Next is a delightful modern slasher with plenty of twists and one of the best final girls in modern horror history. Erin’s final girl status might not seem unexpected, but it’s more about the type of final girl she she is that earns her a spot on this list. The film is worth watching altogether, but if you want to see a final girl who exceeds expectations, then you’ll have a grand time.
X
A deranged elderly couple who kills young people and keeps them in a basement isn’t unheard of…at least not in Ti West’s X. The film follows a crew of porn stars who stay on farmland owned by a secretly murderous old couple. Immediately, you’re led to believe that “Church Mouse” Lorraine (Jenna Ortega) will survive until the end and make it off the farm. Only for the film to spin you around near the end and make the sexually confident Maxine (Mia Goth) the actual final girl. She’s a major subversion to the stereotypical final girl trope.
The expectation that Lorraine will be a triumphant final girl is teased throughout the film, only for the film to shake its head and have Maxine ultimately defeat Pearl (also played by Mia Goth) and escape into a sequel (Maxxxine). It’s a fun subversion and is tremendously unexpected because the film pivots near the very end. Overall, X is full of classic slasher elements, all while introducing a less than obvious final girl.
