10 Most Badass Final Girls in Horror, Ranked

Horror is one of the most engaging genres of media. It activates the senses, raises heart rates, and makes the palms sweaty. What makes horror movies especially entertaining is their structure; many horror movies incorporate a mix of genre conventions and tropes in unique and meaningful ways. From silent classics like Nosferatu all the way to The Babadook and other elevated horror offerings of today, the genre is quite versatile.

One of the most common tropes found in horror movies is “The Final Girl.” This trope refers to the sole survivor (often a woman) of a group that has been sequentially killed off. In the climax of a horror movie, it is often the final girl left to face off with the killer(s), and they must use their wits to survive or escape. Although she started as an unassuming and often virginal victim, the final girl has evolved into a proper cinematic icon capable of kicking as much ass as the killer pursuing her. These are the most badass final girls that horror movies have produced, timeless icons that rank among the genre’s best characters.

10 Jess Bradford (Olivia Hussey)

‘Black Christmas’ (1974)

In the winter of 1974, a house of sorority girls is celebrating the Christmas season. Tensions arise when disturbing phone calls from an unknown source continuously harass the girls of the house. When one of the girls goes missing, they soon begin to realize that a threat looms closer than any of them could’ve imagined.

While deciding which movie earns the title of the first slasher movie is not a simple affair, Black Christmas is a movie that can’t be left out of the conversation. It establishes tropes and horror filmmaking techniques that inspired countless movies following it. Genre significance aside, Black Christmas features Oliva Hussey’s Jess as the final girl in a time before it was even a trope. She’s capable and courageous and even manages to off the apparent killer despite her inexperience and relative frailty.

9 Sally (Marilyn Burns)

‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’ (1974)

Five friends navigate the backroads of rural Texas on their journey to visit a gravesite. After running out of gas, the group stumbles upon a dilapidated house that a family of cannibals calls home. One of the family members, the now-iconic Leatherface, dons a mask made of human skin and has an affinity for chainsaws.

The setting of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre has to be one of the most hostile and revolting for a horror movie. Indeed, the film was banned in 14 countries due to its shocking nature at the time. While watching, it’s difficult to imagine any of its characters making it out alive, but the mild-mannered Sally does. When the opportunity presents itself, Sally doesn’t hesitate to leap out of a window and hitch a ride to freedom. Considering what she had to endure, Sally is a badass just for escaping, proving that courage takes many forms, especially in such a grim circumstance.

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8 Sarah (Shauna Macdonald)

‘The Descent’ (2005)

A year after a tragedy that destroyed her family, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) joins her friends on their annual caving expedition in remote North Carolina. Claustrophobia turns to terror when the girls realize that they are not alone in the caves. Hopelessly lost miles below ground and hunted by ravenous monsters, Sarah must pull the group together and lead them to the surface.

The Descent is an incredibly intense and visceral horror movie that utilizes a compelling twist on the final girl trope. After the creatures have killed the entire group except for Sarah and her former friend Juno (Natalie Mendoza), Sarah incapacitates Juno and leaves her for dead. It’s heavily implied that Juno was having an affair with Sarah’s late husband, thus the shocking sabotage. The Descent is a true nightmare of personal horror, and the ending is just as bleak and horrifying, thanks to the ruthless final girl at the center of it all.

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7 Mia (Jane Levy)

‘Evil Dead’ (2013)

Five friends head to a remote cabin in the hopes of rehabilitating their friend Mia’s (Jane Levy) opium addiction. Shortly after arriving, they discover a Book of the Dead. Within its pages is an incantation that summons evil, and after this incantation is accidentally spoken, demons arise and demand souls.

Mia’s character arc in Evil Dead is wild, to say the least. After being the first to succumb to an evil spirit’s possession, Mia is buried alive before literally rising from the dead. She then loses her arm in the climactic final battle, yet still manages to split a demon in half with a chainsaw in what might be the most metal ending to a horror movie ever. While she did terrorize and maim her friends when she was possessed, Mia more than redeems herself as a truly badass final girl.

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6 Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp)

First appearance in ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ (1984)

A Nightmare on Elm Street follows Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) and her friends in a quiet Ohio town. Things get freaky when a serial killer armed with a glove of razors begins terrorizing their dreams. As it turns out, if he kills you in your dreams, you die in real life. Nancy must uncover the killer’s secret and stay awake — her life depends on it.

For a group of teenagers, not being able to sleep is a nightmare scenario, and it’s possibly the scariest aspect of the movie. When Nancy becomes the last of her friends alive, she prepares for a final confrontation with the sadistic killer, Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund), and sets a series of traps. Nancy ultimately defeats the sadistic in a moment of extreme courage; she no longer fears Freddy, so he disappears. Even while sleep-deprived and vastly outgunned, Nancy banished the incredibly powerful Freddy Krueger by embracing her fear and thus finding her courage.

5 Grace (Samara Weaving)

‘Ready or Not’ (2019)

After a beautiful wedding ceremony at her new in-laws’ lush estate, new bride Grace (Samara Weaving) is invited to participate in a peculiar family tradition: hide and seek. Grace will soon find out that if found, she will be killed. Her new extended family is armed to the teeth and on the hunt as she is forced into a deadly fight for survival.

Samara Weaving as Grace is the strongest aspect of Ready or Not. She plays the role of an innocent newlywed brilliantly, but when she’s backed into a corner, she kicks some serious ass. Grace’s look is iconic, donning an ammo belt over her soon-to-be-red wedding dress, and even without combat experience, she is utterly convincing when it comes to blasting away sadistic demon worshippers. Ready or Not‘s now-iconic ending is the cherry on top of a blood-soaked cake, ably supported on Weaving’s capable shoulders.

4 Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell)

First appearance in ‘Scream’ (1996)

Following the brutal killing of a teenage girl, the once-peaceful town of Woodsboro, California, becomes the center of a media frenzy as a serial killer runs loose. Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) and her friends believe themselves to be the killer’s next targets. Sidney must rally the help of an inexperienced deputy and a morally questionable tabloid reporter to stop the rampage.

Scream is one of the most widely referenced and influential horror movies ever made. In terms of movies that utilize meta-commentary and playful self-awareness, Scream was way ahead of its time. Campbell’s Sidney Prescott gave horror fans a new icon — she’s capable, intelligent, and courageous, not only in the first movie but across the entire Scream franchise. Sidney’s knowledge of horror movie tropes also gives her a distinct leg-up on those who come for her.

3 Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver)

First appearance in ‘Alien’ (1979)

The crew of the space freighter Nostromo is on their long voyage back home to Earth when they receive a distress signal from a distant moon. Obligated to investigate, the crew soon find themselves at the mercy of a stowaway aboard their ship, an incredibly hostile and virtually unkillable alien creature that stalks the endless dark corridors of the ship.

It’s in the back half of Alien where Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) emerges as the protagonist and driving force. As her crew is slowly being picked off by the alien, Ripley remains collected, taking the role of a commanding voice of reason and authority. Even when she becomes the last surviving crew member, Ripley holds her own against the creature, not only escaping but blasting the alien into the void of space. Ripley is a badass final girl and one of the most iconic movie heroines ever, cementing Sigourney Weaver’s legacy for years to come.

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2 Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis)

First appearance in ‘Halloween’ (1978)

Eight-year-old Michael Myers murders his teenage sister with a kitchen knife. Fifteen years later, Myers escapes from a mental institution and begins a murderous rampage that will turn the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois, on its head. Babysitter Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) finds herself directly in the path of the merciless killer.

Laurie Strode is one of the earliest and most prominent final girls, and Jamie Lee Curtis is the definitive scream queen. While she certainly held her own in the earlier entries of the franchise, Strode came into her own as a true badass in David Gordon Green‘s reboot trilogy. Even as a grandmother, Strode is eager and equipped to kill Michael Myers when the opportunity presents itself. As formidable of a force as he is, Strode gives him a run for his money and ultimately has the last laugh.

1 Erin (Sharni Vinson)

‘You’re Next’ (2011)

Erin (Sharni Vinson) is accompanying her new boyfriend to his parents’ wedding anniversary and family reunion. As toxic and strained as the familial relationship is, things take a turn for the worse when a gang of masked killers close in. Unfortunately for them, Erin, an Australian survivalist expert, has a propensity for fighting back.

You’re Next is a slick, wickedly enjoyable and subversive slasher that is a must-watch for genre fans. Vinson is, hands down, the most badass and underrated final girl the horror genre has ever seen. Her role in the movie can best be described as a slasher of slasher villains: Erin knows how to inflict some serious pain and is the best possible combination of John Rambo and Kevin McCallister from Home Alone. Erin is endlessly resourceful, highly knowledgeable and unafraid to wail on a body until she knows the threat is eliminated.

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