Favorite Final Girl Movies
breaking and sad news:
We lost one of our final girls, Hayden Panettiere - our beloved Sam from the Until Dawn video game- has passed away at 36.
If you played that game even once, you know the chaos: running the same scene over and over to get Ashley down to her underwear, replaying every branching path trying to save that entire group of lovable idiots.
Hayden’s legacy is bigger than any single role. She carried that unmistakable cheerleader charm - the kind everyone fell a little in love with - and she left behind a warmth that made every character she touched feel unforgettable.
My definition:
A final girl movie is one where a tough female lead (or co-lead) learns fast and kicks ass to become one of the last people standing (does not need to live).
Alien
Aliens
Terminator
Terminator 2
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Romulus
Resident Evil (2002)
The Ring
Halloween (1978)
The Crazies (2010)
Barbarian
Resident Evil 2
Dawn of The Dead (2004)
Prometheus
Kill Bill Vol 1 and Vol 2
Silent Hill
Wrong Turn
The Hunt
AVP
Mindhunters (2004)
Ghost Ship
Colony
Planet Terror
The Grudge
Ready or Not
Evil Dead (2013)
Heretic
Anaconda
Pulse
The Silence of the Lambs
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Buddy
Doctor Sleep
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2000)
Leatherface (2017)
Bring Her Back
Drag Me to Hell
Annihilation
The Descent
Prey
Black Christmas
Pan’s Labyrinth
Happy Death Day
Becky
Wrath of Becky
The Witch
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Tucker and Dale vs Evil
Cabin in the Woods
You’re Next
Psycho
Friday the 13th
Maxxxine
The Nun
Final Destination 2
Final Destination 3
Scream
Hellraiser
The Green Inferno
Descent 2
X
Sorority Row
The Hunger Games
Longlegs
Pandemic
Quarantine/[REC]*
The Evil Dead Rises
The Invasion
The Village
It Follows
Carrie
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
Ginger Snaps
Coraline
Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark
There’s Someone Inside Your House
No One Will Save You
Mama
The Birds
In A Violent Nature
Scary Movie 3
Ouija: Origin of Evil
Companion
Final Destination: Bloodlines
Candyman (1992)
When a Stranger Calls
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
Untraceable
The Visit
Gothika
Underwater
Don’t Breathe
Don’t Breathe 2
Hush
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
Malevolent
Truth or Dare
Willy’s Wonderland
Happy Death Day 2 U
Countdown
Halloween (2018)
Megan
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Apex
notes
*Quarantine is the American remake of [REC], while [REC] is the original Spanish film. The two movies are very similar, since Quarantine closely follows the plot and structure of [REC]. I enjoy both very much!
-Madeline
Last updated: Oct 18, 2026
