Final Girl Herstory

What if I told you there was a slasher trilogy centered around a lesbian love story and they both survive and live happily ever after? You’re probably thinking I’m telling a cruel joke and my punchline is “in your dreams!” Well it’s not a joke, it’s very real actually. Just look at the Fear Street trilogy on Netflix. The Fear Street trilogy follows Deena Johnson (Kiana Madeira), a high school student from Shadyside, and her friends as they fight off serial killers trying to kill Deena’s ex-girlfriend Sam Fraser (Olivia Scott Welch). Throughout the three movies that span three centuries of time, the audience learns how to save Sam, the history of the killers, and the real story of Sarah Fier, Shadyside’s first witch. The Fear Street trilogy is a masterclass in subverting common slasher tropes. The movies draw a lot of influence from iconic slasher movies, but are careful not to make the same mistakes and perpetuate harmful stereotypes.  Movies and television have had a troubled p...

To some, marriage may seem very daunting. I mean you’re promising your whole life to another person. Others will find it beautiful for the same reason, finally getting their happy ever after ending that they thought only existed in fairytales. However not all love stories ride into the sunset or even make it past their wedding night. Behind divorce, death is the second leading cause of a marriage ending. That’s not to say the bride is the one dying. We are talking about final girls here. In this post, we will be highlighting final girls who survive family violence and what these narratives say about women. In Ready or Not (2019), Grace le Domas (Samara Weaving) must survive a murderous game of hide and seek conducted by her in-laws on her wedding night. The le Domas family are incredibly wealthy due to their business in the game industry (think cards and board games, not video games). Every time a member of the family gets married, their spouse must draw a card from a puzzle box craf...