"Finals girls" in the horror genre are defined as the last girl standing after the slasher does all their killing, but is, traditionally, unable to beat that one last girl. Final girls date at least all the way back to 1970s horror films and continue to this day, whether it's with new girls coming out on top or OGs taking that final victory over their stalker.
No matter their age, their weapons, their decade, or the legacy of the slasher they faced, some final girls will never be forgotten for being the bravest badasses in horror movies.
Em Haywood ('Nope')
Em Haywood is one of the latest final girlsl to survive her horror movie, in 2022's Nope. Em achieved her final girl status by not only surviving the murderous alien-like creature, but managing to save the day in the end.
But Em's final girl title sets her apart from others in the horror genre for not being the typical, white, female survivor, but a queer, Black female survivor, two traits of which are usually the first to go in horror films.
Sue Snell ('Carrie')
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Despite Carrie White being the main protagonist/antihero of Stephen King's Carrie, it's Sue Snell who becomes the final girl in the film. While Sue starts out as one of Carrie's bullies, she quickly has a change of heart and tries to make amends with the telekinetic teen.
But when Prom Night goes awry and Carrie uses her powers to retaliate against the students for the infamous prom prank, Sue escapes with her life. While she lived to tell the tale, this final girl remains haunted by nightmares of her victim, Carrie.
Tree Gelbman ('Happy Death Day')
In Happy Death Day, Tree Gelbman becomes the victim of a murderous cycle when she's forced to relive the day she dies - which also happens to be her birthday - while trying to fight off her killer in a babyface mask.
Tree Gelbman acts as a unique final girl for being the only one who dies not just once, but several times throughout her film, despite coming out on top in the end and surviving the killer's last attempt at her life.
Jamie Lloyd ('Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers')
Jamie Lloyd was the main victim of Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, the orphaned daughter of Laurie Strode and niece of serial killer Michael Myers. One, fateful Halloween, Jamie's visions of Michael become more than just visions when he returns home with his sights set on Jamie.
Despite running for her life through the dark streets of Haddonfield, climbing across a roof, and hiding from the boogeyman in her school, Jamie survives her horror film debut just in time to follow in her uncle's shoes and stab her mother to death while wearing a clown costume.
Sally Hardesty ('The Texas Chainsaw Massacre')
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre followed a group of teens who are captured and killed one by one by a group of murderers, leaving Sally Hardesty as the film's final girl, who battles the infamous Leatherface.
A bloody and injured Sally is the only one of her friends who escapes the group of cannibals, fleeing from their house and finding refuge in the back of a pick-up truck while Leatherface waves his chainsaw in defeat as she drives away.
Julie James ('I Know What You Did Last Summer')
I Know What You Did Last Summer's memorable cast of characters all came down to Jennifer Love Hewitt's Julie James, who, along with her boyfriend Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.) survived the stalkerish retaliation for the man she and her friends ran down with their car that fateful summer.
As the one who receives the cryptic notes, it's only right Julie is among the last of her deceased friends to face off with the killer, and despite the classic cliffhanger ending in the 1997 slasher, she still remains the film's final girl.
Alice Hardy ('Friday The 13th')
The Friday the 13th franchise is known for its final girls, but the most remembered of them all is Alice Hardy from the original film. Despite being the first victim of Friday the 13th Part 2, Alice remains one of the first-ever final girls for her survival in the first film.
While Jason Voorhees wasn't Alice's initial stalker, it was his mother Pamela Voorhees who she beat out, being the only of her friends to leave the film with her life after beheading Pamela with her own machete.
Nancy Thompson ('A Nightmare On Elm Street')
Freddy Krueger leaves Elm Street with a razor-hand full of victims in A Nightmare on Elm Street, but Nancy Thompson refuses to be beaten by the dream catcher, even surviving Freddy's hand coming up through her bubble bath to pull her in.
Nancy's final encounter with her killer in the original film involved her pulling Freddy out of her dream into the real world, setting him on fire and becoming privy to his mind games, managing to escape with her life as the film's ultimate final girl.
Sidney Prescott ('Scream')
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Sidney Prescott was the endgame for Ghostface in 1996's Scream after the killer - who turned out to be killers - slashed a slew of teens from their high school with plans of finishing off with Sidney, only to be beaten by the teen, leaving her the final girl next to Gail Weathers.
Sidney survived the next four films battling new slashers in the Ghostface costume, most recently returning to the terror 25 years later in 2022's Scream when a brand new villain arrived in Woodsboro to follow in Billy Loomis' footsteps.
Laurie Strode ('Halloween,' 'Halloween Ends')
While she may not be the original final girl, Laurie Strode is the ultimate heroine of the Halloween franchise. Laurie's first brush with the boogeyman came in 1978 when Michael Myers killed all her friends before coming for her, only to be beaten by the young woman with a knitting needle.
Fast forward 40 years later and Laurie remains the final girl of the saga when she had her very last battle with Michael Myers in Halloween Ends, whacking out her famous knitting needles before finally ending Michael's reign of terror by throwing his body in a metal shredder.