For women, there is a science and an art to surviving horror films (Carol J. Clover’s 1992 Men, Women, and Chainsaws can be your textbook). One must be curious and observant — you heed the subtle whiff of danger when others don’t notice the stench. One must also be intelligent, resourceful, and scrappy regardless of stature. It definitely helps to be sexually reserved and to have a gender-neutral name. If you can successfully embody all of these qualities, you might stand a chance at facing the chainsaw and becoming the Final Girl.
During these last, chilly October nights when the wind is howling and witches are brewing and viruses are — well, fear abounds, so study up on these classic Final Girls from horror cinema as ranked by Flavorwire:
10. Alice from Friday the 13th
9. Marie from High Tension
8. Kristy from Hellraiser
7. Sidney from Scream
6. Suzy from Suspiria
5. Jess from Black Christmas
4. Sally from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
3. Nancy from A Nightmare on Elm Street
2. Ripley from Alien
1. Laurie from Halloween
Images via Flavorwire
