It’s October, which means we’re celebrating all things horror in preparation for Halloween. Recently, we’ve been thinking about iconic horror movie girls who deserved to survive.
Sure, there are plenty of iconic final girls, from Scream‘s Sidney Prescott to Halloween‘s Laurie Strode, but we can’t help but feel for all the iconic horror victims we lost along the way.
Where the final girl is usually strong, sensible, a real girl-next-door type, the non-final girl is usually… dare we say it… a bit more iconic? Now, don’t get us wrong, of course we love our finals girls. They follow the rules, they get the job done, they’re the ones we’re rooting for to save the day and take down the bad guy. But the non-final girl? She’s an icon, she’s a legend, and she is the moment!
In celebration of Spooky Season 2022, here are six gone-too-soon, non-final girls who we think deserved to survive.
Related: “Every Day Was Like a Dream”: Maria Bakalova on Filming ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’
Related: ‘Smile’ Director Parker Finn on Creating Jumpscares and Exploring Trauma
Rose McGowan as Tatum Riley in Scream
Look, yes, Sidney Prescott is forever an icon and they should’ve paid Neve Campbell what she’s worth to get her back for Scream 6, obviously. But hear us out: Tatum Riley is that girl and she deserved to live!
Not only does she have the majority of the film’s most quotable lines, she’s a feminist icon, a fan favourite, and she taught an entire generation about the Richard Gere gerbil story. What more could you want?
Watch Scream on BINGE
Elise Neal as Hallie in Scream 2
Poor Hallie. She survives one of Scream 2‘s most suspenseful scenes, pleads with Sidney to be a smart person and run away, only to be slaughtered at the last second because Sidney refuses to listen to reason. Justice for Hallie! She deserved better.
Watch Scream 2 on BINGE
Sarah Michelle Gellar as Helen Shivers in I Know What You Did Last Summer
Helen Shivers is an icon, and boy, did she put up a fight. Sarah Michelle Gellar does a stellar job of portraying the small town beauty queen who’s been knocked down a few pegs by life after high school, and Helen’s character arc makes us root for her during the film’s most intense chase scene. If only she’d kept running.
Rent I Know What You Did Last Summer on Apple TV
Tara Reid as Sasha Thomas in Urban Legend
Sasha’s chase scene in Urban Legend is an underrated scene in an underrated late ’90s slasher, and Tara Reid is so likeable in the role that it’s a devastating kill for viewers.
Rent Urban Legend on Apple TV
Jennifer Lin as Kana in Hostel
The mid 2000s said goodbye to slashers and hello to torture porn, and Hostel was one of the more brutal examples. After surviving a blow torch to the eye, Kana actually manages to escape, only to die by suicide when confronted with her own reflection. It’s a devastating moment, and one that really drives home the level of pain and trauma she’s endured.
Rent Hostel on Apple TV
Rachel Sennott as Alice in Bodies Bodies Bodies
Is Alice a menace? Yes. Is she an icon? Also yes. Alice just wanted to work on her podcast, introduce her new boyfriend (he’s a Libra moon, that says a lot!) to her friends, and have a good time. Instead, she found out that her bestie hate-listened to her podcast and got shot. Twice! RIP girlie.
Rent Bodies Bodies Bodies on Apple TV
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