The Final Girl theory

In a Slasher film, a common trope is when there is a 'final girl' who survives, ostensibly the one left to tell the story.

The critical theorist, Carol J. Clover, suggested that the final girl is androgynous in some way - she'll have a unisex name and is not sexually active. Sometimes, the final girl will have a shared history with the killer.

Meanwhile, young women who smoke, drink, party and are promiscuous in slasher films are often killed off quite early. Clover argues they are being punished.

Clover states that in order for horror to be successful - a female has to be terrorised rather than a male be terrorised. It is interesting, in a genre popular with males, that there is almost always a female lead. However, Clover argues she is masculinised through 'phallic appropriation' as she kills the villain with a knife, chainsaw or gun. She is no longer the 'damsel in distress,' - thus causing the audience identification to become unstable.

A well known 'final girl' is Sidney Prescott from the Scream franchise.

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