Last Girl Tropes in Horror Movies and Books
Horror movies have long been known to feature a common trope called the “last girl,” a female character who survives until the end of the movie while most, if not all, of the other characters meet a gruesome fate. This trope has become a prominent feature in the slasher genre, and it serves as nature’s antidote to the cycle of violence depicted in these films.
According to Stephen Graham Jones, author of “My Heart Is a Chainsaw,” the last girl is to slashers what the silver bullet is to werewolves, daylight is to vampires, and a headshot is to zombies. In an interview on the Geek Guide to the Galaxy podcast, he explains that the last girl is a symbol of hope and ultimate victory against evil.
The concept of the last girl takes advantage of our natural tendency to root for the underdog. As David Barr Kirtley, the host of the podcast, points out, it is more impressive for a young woman to take down the bad guy than it is for a seasoned, muscular soldier. The final girls embody tenacity and the refusal to give up. Characters like Laurie Strode in Halloween and Ginny in Friday the 13th Part 2 are not particularly strong or powerful, but their determination and perseverance make them formidable opponents for the killers.
While the last girl trope has been a staple in horror movies, it has been less common in books until recently. Horror author Theresa De Lucci remarks that a new generation of authors is exploring the idea of final girls in more depth, shifting the focus to their feelings and the trauma they experience. By examining the impact of trauma on their lives from their own perspective, these authors provide a fresh and engaging take on the last girl character.
The podcast interview also delves into the personal experiences and motivations of the authors. Stephen Graham Jones shares how his fascination with horror movies, particularly Wes Craven’s “Scream,” shaped his writing career. Theresa DeLucci discusses her uncomfortable experience as the only woman in an audience of horror movie enthusiasts, highlighting a positive shift in the treatment of female characters within the genre.
Grady Hendrix, author of “The Ultimate Final Girl Support Group,” talks about his childhood obsession with horror movies, specifically his identification with the last girl character. His book draws inspiration from the shock and cruelty he felt when the last girl from “Friday the 13th Part 1” was killed off early in the sequel, leaving him deeply affected by her demise.
The discussion in the podcast centers around the evolving representation of final girls in both movies and literature, with a focus on their deeper exploration as characters. The authors’ insights and experiences shed light on the significance of the last girl trope and how it has evolved to address various social and cultural changes over time.
In conclusion, the last girl trope has become a prominent feature in horror movies and has gained traction in literature as well. The final girls embody tenacity, perseverance, and the refusal to give up in the face of extreme danger. Authors are now exploring this trope in more depth, focusing on the emotional impact and trauma experienced by these characters. The last girl character not only serves as an antidote to the cycle of violence but also captures the hearts of audiences by embodying the virtues of strength and resilience in the face of unimaginable horror.
*Summary: The last girl trope, a female character who survives until the end of a horror movie, serves as nature’s antidote to the cycle of violence. Authors are now exploring this trope in more depth in literature, delving into the emotional impact of trauma on the final girls. The last girl embodies tenacity and perseverance, capturing audiences’ hearts and providing hope in the face of horror.*
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Horror movies often feature a “last girl,” a female character who survives until the end of the movie when most (or all) of the other characters don’t. Stephen Graham Jonesauthor of my heart is a chainsawshe’s a huge fan of the latest girl trope.
“The last girl is to the slasher what the silver bullet is to the werewolf, as daylight is to the vampire, as a headshot is to the zombie,” Jones says in episode 482 of the series. geek guide to the galaxy podcast. “They are nature’s antidote to this cycle of violence.”
geek guide to the galaxy host David Barr Kirtley says that final girls take advantage of our natural tendency to root for the underdog. “It’s more of an accomplishment for a young woman to take down the bad guy than it is for a seasoned, muscular soldier,” she says. “Not much of a challenge for a character like that.”
Grady Hendrixauthor of ultimate support group for girls, says that the defining trait of the ultimate girls is tenacity. “They don’t stop trying things, they don’t give up,” she says. Laurie Strode [in Halloween] She’s not very strong and not very fast, Ginny in Friday the 13th Part 2 It is not particularly powerful. They just keep trying, they just don’t stop.”
The final girls often appear in the movies, but until recently the trope was less common in the books. horror author Theresa De Lucci says that a new generation of authors is exploring the idea of final girls in more depth. “I think the trend in final women’s fiction has been less to look at them from the outside and more to look at how they feel, the trauma, and the impact of trauma on their lives, from their own point of view,” she says. “And that’s how it makes it look fresh again, especially this summer.”
Listen to the full interview with Stephen Graham Jones, Grady Hendrix and Theresa DeLucci on episode 482 of geek guide to the galaxy (above). And check out some highlights from the discussion below.
Stephen Graham-Jones in Shout:
“I was in grad school in Florida, and the deal I made with myself to go to grad school was that I could only go if I wrote all the time; I couldn’t socialize or go out or anything like that. During the winter break of ’96, someone knocked on my door. There is a friend who says: ‘Hey, let’s go to the movies’. I gave him the usual excuse. I said, ‘Hey, I’m writing a story.’ I’m sorry.’ And he kept arguing with me, and eventually it became easier to go see that stupid movie with him than to argue with him. so i went and went Shout, and I felt my brain rewire itself, as if all the homework I’d been doing my whole life was suddenly worth it. And I was there for the next six nights, watching that movie again, and I’ve been living it ever since: reading about it, writing about it, watching it over and over again.
Theresa DeLucci on horrified women:
“One of the most uncomfortable experiences of my life was attending a horror convention where Ruggero Deodato was the guest of honor and Elf I was playing. they showed House on the Edge of the Parkfulci, Cannibal holocaust, All of these things. I was the only woman in an audience of 100 people, and in the third movie with the fifth rape scene, I just got up and left. I took my boyfriend’s keys and said, ‘I can’t take it anymore.’ Can’t.’ I came home and sat in a dark room and was nauseous all day. I say: ‘These movies are not for me.’ And I think there’s more of a trend now in movies (and we see it in fiction as well) where the sexualization of a female corpse, from the start, is no longer the trend.”
Grady Hendrix on death:
“Death is ultimately the nameless, faceless, masked killer with an unusual weapon, a scythe, coming at us all. Death is the great equalizer. That’s one of the things I love about slasher movies, like Friday the 13th Part 2. jason It kills you if you’re a tough guy in a gang, it kills you if you’re a good girl, it kills you if you’re a snob, it kills you if you’re a jerk. Seeing jerks, male or female, get it from Jason, seeing tough guys in gangs, male or female, threatening other people, get it from Jason, that never gets old. Death knocks everyone down. It doesn’t matter how open your neck is, or how many motorcycles you ride, or how big your mohawk is, Jason will punch your head off.”
Grady Hendrix in ultimate support group for girls:
“When I was a kid and I wasn’t allowed to watch R-rated movies, I would read about them and pretend to have seen them, because I didn’t want people to know that I was a loser who couldn’t watch R- movies. rated movies. When I was 8 years old, I managed to trick someone into buying me a copy of fangoria #12 April 1981, which had Friday the 13th Part 2 on the cover page. The big twist at the beginning of part 2 is that Alice Hardy, the last girl from part 1, played by Adrienne King, appears to be the star of part 2, and then she is eliminated after 10 minutes. She is having a normal night. she’s getting over the trauma of the first part, and then Jason just ice-pokes her on the head. I remember very clearly being shocked at how cruel that was. … I think partly it was because I identified with her for some reason, and I didn’t want her to die, because it was like I died. And that’s really where the book comes from.”
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