Here are some examples of Final Girls in Slasher movies:
...Scream - Sidney Prescott
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In this clip we see Sidney Prescott fighting back, she is clearly a Final Girl and follows many of the key conventions, for example, she is tough, resourceful, intelligent and survives till the end due to her fighting back.
Halloween H20: 20 years later- Laurie Strode
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Laurie Strode is another very clear final girl example and is a key archetype to the final girl conventions, she is a brunette, not sexually active, an introvert, tough, resourceful and uses her intelligence to survive.
Scary Movie (deconstruction = postmodernism) - Cindy Campbell
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Scary Movie is a great example of a final girl character as it is a post-modern deconstruction of many movies, in the clip it is a deconstruction of Scream. In scary movie, the characters roles are amplified and shown more intensely, this means that Cindy Campbell's role as a final girl is amplified and shows her to be extra resourceful, tough and a fighter all key parts of a final girl role
Carole J Clover:
The Final Girl Theory was first made famous by Carol J Clover in the essay "her body, Himself: Gender in the slasher film" (1987), in this essay she stated that Slasher movies presented woman in a way that gives a very clear picture of the sexual attitudes of men towards woman at the time. Clovers theory lay in the reversal of the male role and scream queen role in which the final girl defeats the killer instead of being the first to die.The Archetype:
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Laurie strode is the key archetype for a final girl, as can be seen here (girl on the left with books) she is nerdy, intelligent and in this scene it is made clear she does not have a boyfriend and is not sexually active. In this scene she she also says that she forgot her book at school to which her friends mock her for. Her friends are also smoking and talking about plans with their boyfriends, Laurie does not smoke or say she has plans which enforces her role as a Final Girl.
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The costume of Laurie Strode wears helps to signify her role, this is because it is very conservative, unrevealing and stereotypically worn by someone that is nerdy.
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The costume of Laurie Strode wears helps to signify her role, this is because it is very conservative, unrevealing and stereotypically worn by someone that is nerdy.
Other Examples of Final Girls:
Here are some other examples of Final girls in a variety of slasher movies, all of these reflect parts of the Final Girl convention.
Friday 13th - Alice hardy
Friday 13th - Alice hardy
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Psycho - Lila Loomis
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Nightmare on Elm street - Nancy Thompson
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Texas Chainsaw Massacre - Sally Hardesty
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Many of these characters reflect the same conventions of the final girl, they all dress conservatively, they are intelligent and tough and they either die lateen the movie or survive, juxtaposing the traditional scream queen role.
