Ah, the “final girl.” She’s the last woman alive in a horror movie who fights the killer until the credits roll. We love her perseverance, strength, and ingenuity. This extremely capable character also has some of the best lines in the movie. We rounded up a few favorites that perfectly describe each final girl and the theme of the movie in just a few words. Share your favorite final girls and their best quotes on Twitter and Facebook.
Ripley/Aliens
“Get away from her, you bitch!”
Ripley summons her maternal (human) instincts to fight the mother of all aliens and save a little girl from certain death.
Laurie Strode/Halloween
“It was the boogeyman.”
Laurie spends the film denying the existence of monsters, but later realizes that she’s being stalked by one.
Nancy Thompson/A Nightmare on Elm Street
“I take back every bit of energy I ever gave you. You’re nothing. You’re shit.”
Nancy discovers the way out of a hellish dreamscape (or so we think) and takes back her power by the movie’s end.
Kirsty Cotton/Hellraiser
“You want it? Fucking have it!”
Kirsty quickly realizes the seductive power of Hellraiser‘s puzzle box and uses it to escape the sadistic Cenobites and her killer family.
Sidney Prescott/Scream
“Why can’t I be in a Meg Ryan movie? Or even a good porno?”
Scream‘s self-aware twist on horror tropes is reflected in the film’s script, resulting in gems like this one from the film’s heroine.
Julie James/I Know What You Did Last Summer
“Guys… Hi… I’m on sexist overload as it is, kill the commentary.”
Ain’t nobody got time for that gender-conventions-in-horror-cinema BS.
Erin/You’re Next
“I stuck a blender in his head and killed him.”
Unsuspecting Erin (Sharni Vinson) kicks all the ass in this film.
Lila Crane/Psycho
“I can handle a sick old woman!”
Psycho‘s Lila Crane is sometimes viewed as the original final girl — or final girl template, since she does have a male character’s help. But she is the last woman alive.
Max Cartwright/The Final Girls
“You just fucked with the wrong virgin!”
More self-referential horror, using the lame nerdy/virgin stereotype for giggles.
Tuffy/Feast
“Trust me, I plan on having a full breakdown when this is over, but for now, we all have to be strong, right?”
Tuffy is vulnerable, but lives up to her name in order to get the hell out of a dive bar under attack.