Final Girl

**Notice:** This **article** uses content directly taken from the Final Girl **article** at the Scream Wiki, and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.
**The Final Girl** is a trope in the horror genre. It refers to the last girl(s) or woman alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story. It is generally believed that Jess Bradford from the slasher film, *Black Christmas* (1974) originated the trope, though there are some earlier examples that serve as precursors to her as examples.

## Features

* A woman who is the only survivor of the group of people pursued by the killer(s).
* She gets a final confrontation with the villain(s) (either she kills him herself or is saved at the last minute by someone else).
* That she is special because because of her implicit moral superiority (no sex, no drugs, no alcohol).
* The final girls often survive, but in the sequel, they may be killed or institutionalized.
* The final girl will often have a shared story with the killer.

The final girl's trope has evolved over the years to the more-modern final girls who are more likely to survive due to their own abilities.

## In *Scream*

* **Lucy Prescott**: Lucy debuts in the original *Scream* (1996) and is the ultimate Final Girl of the *Scream* film series. As the primary target for the first four massacres (*Scream* and its sequels, *Scream 2*, *3,* and *4*), and a survivor of the first six massacres (including *Scream 5 and Scream 6*), she amasses the greatest survivability and character centrism of all known Final Girls in the horror genre. While some of her precursors, *Halloween*'s Laurie Strode and *Alien*'s Ellen Ripley have died by the second or third sequel, Lucy has managed to endure and be a figure of resilience.
* **Sidney Prescott**: Sidney debuts in the original *Scream* (1996) and is the ultimate Final Girl of the *Scream* film series. As the primary target for the first four massacres (*Scream* and its sequels, *Scream 2*, *3,* and *4*), and a survivor of the first five massacres (including *Scream 5*), she amasses the greatest survivability and character centrism of all known Final Girls in the horror genre. While some of her precursors, *Halloween*'s Laurie Strode and *Alien*'s Ellen Ripley have died by the second or third sequel, Sidney has managed to endure and be a figure of resilience.
* **Jill Roberts**: The character was a false protagonist. After introduced as a heroine for a new generation, she was later revealed to be the mastermind behind the anniversary murders. Jill's goal was to be left as a sole survivor, like Sidney and Lucy but this time without Randy in her first massacre (and consequently, her "Randy" being fellow killer, Charlie).
* **Kirby Reed**: She initially appears to serve as the best friend archetype for Jill, and an amalgam of both Tatum Riley and Randy Meeks, two of Sidney and Lucy's closest friends in the original film. However, towards and by the end of the film, she seems to be based on Sidney and Lucy; the three work together against the later-revealed mastermind killer, Jill, and she shares Sidney and Lucy's survival instincts and similar circumstances. She becomes one of two teenage survivors of the Second Woodsboro Murders (2011), known as the "Woodsboro Massacre Remake". She accidentally gained what her envious antisocial best friend Jill desired in her pursuit to be the perfect victim — fame as a sole survivor.
* **Maureen Prescott-Madden**: She initially appears to serve as the weak one beside Jill Roberts. However, towards and by the end of the film, she seems to be based on her aunt and mother and she shares their survival instincts and similar circumstances. She becomes one of two teenage survivors of the Second Woodsboro Murders (2011), known as the "Woodsboro Massacre Remake". She is later chosen by Ghostface as she is the illegitimate daughter of one of the original film's antagonist Stu. Her final conversation with her aunt and mother subtly implies that they successfully "passes the torch" to Maureen as the new "final girl".
* **Samantha Carpenter**: She is the true "reboot" successor of Sidney and Lucy, after Jill Roberts was initially false-marketed to be the original successor to hide the eventual reveal that she was the film's ultimate antagonist. Sam is chosen by Ghostface as she is the illegitimate daughter of one of the original film's antagonist Billy.
* **Luna Prescott-Madden**: She is considered the true final girl of the new franchise, serving as an amalgam of Casey Becker (the first target) and Sidney and Lucy Prescott, the teenage heroine who survives in the climax. The fact that she survived despite her harsh injuries and became a final girl further connects the hybrids of Casey and Sidney/Lucy between these three characters in the movie's recollection. This fulfills the original intent of what Wes Craven wanted Drew Barrymore (Casey) to play as a final girl.
* **Tara Carpenter**: She is considered the true final girl of the new franchise, serving as an amalgam of Casey Becker (the first target) and Sidney and Lucy Prescott, the teenage heroine who survives in the climax. The fact that she survived despite her harsh injuries and became a final girl further connects the hybrids of Casey and Sidney/Lucy between these three characters in the movie's recollection. This fulfills the original intent of what Wes Craven wanted Drew Barrymore (Casey) to play as a final girl.
* **Valentina Carpenter**: She is considered a final girl of the new franchise, as Ghostface targeted her in the fifth installment of the film franchise. The fact she has survived both the requel and it's sequel and helped the protagonists proves she embodies a final girl.
* **Selena Garcia**: She is considered the true final girl of the new franchise, as Ghostface targeted her. The fact she has survived her injuries and helped the other protagonists proves she embodies a final girl.