Final Girls

Which is scarier: The Creeper, or Justin Long’s early 2000s tribal rose tattoo? This week we’re covering a highly requested Final Girl, Trish from Jeepers Creepers (2001). Trish is road tripping it home from college with her kid brother, Derry, and his garbage bags of laundry when they encounter a creepy truck and its creepier driver. And instead of minding their business, Derry forces them to investigate, which sets off a chain of events that puts one of the coolest, scariest horror villains on their tails. Is Trish the ultimate Final Girl because of her boldness and bravery?***CONTENT NOTE*** We understand that this may be an episode some listeners will want to skip because of the horrific crimes of the filmmaker. We completely understand and support you passing this week, if that’s you. We do not discuss him or his crimes in the episode; we focus entirely on Trish’s journey. Like many podcasters who cover entertainment, we are always trying our best to ethically navigate an industry full of predatory male executives while still giving props to badass femme characters, as well as the hundreds of people involved in production who pour their hearts into the art form we all love.Check us out on Sean’s Horror Corner, covering all four of the Jeepers Creepers movies:Jeepers CreepersJeepers Creepers 2Jeepers Creepers 3Jeepers Creepers RebornJeepers Creepers Franchise Review LIVEJoin our Patreon! For only $5/month, get TWO extra podcast episodes – including Final Daddies, Final Cats, Final-ish Girls, discussions, panels, and more! But don't think of it that way. Think of it as a tip, like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

Natalie from Urban Legend (1998) hits all the Final Girl marks: she’s not believed when she figures out the killer’s pattern, she does Final Girl Research in a library, she has past trauma that is slowly uncovered, and she survives some brutal attacks from The Killer. She also navigates an environment with terrible sex advice and a roommate who constantly sexiles her, and we consider that final girl energy too. This movie is a solid, cozy entry in the suite of meta 90s teen slashers, and we especially love the stacked cast and want to take Robert Englund’s urban legends class very badly. Tell us - what’s your favorite urban legend?Join our Patreon! For only $5/month, get TWO extra podcast episodes – including Final Daddies, Final Cats, Final-ish Girls, discussions, panels, and more! But don't think of it that way. Think of it as a tip, like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

Tell everyone! And carry an EpiPen! This week we’re examining the artful world of Brianna from Candyman (2021) and her journey to figuring out who the Candyman is and what his relationship is to her boyfriend Anthony. This movie is heavy-handed about police brutality, racism, gentrification, and more, but in our opinion, there are a LOT of people who need to hear these messages so we support the ultra clear delivery completely. We also discuss if Bri would really own a branded merchandise pen from a laundromat (honestly, probably not, she’s too chic for that) and how visually gorgeous this movie is.Please check out the film’s supplemental social impact content at candymanmovie.com/impactFind us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

When we were watching The Ruins again, we both had the same thought: maybe DON’T be one of THOSE tourists who takes photos of locals like they’re props and then proceeds to visit an unmapped area that those same locals told you not to visit (in flip flops, too, by the way.) This week we’re covering our Final Girl Amy’s vacation from hell, cursed ruins, spooky vines, having a med school boyfriend, crude leg amputations, and why you also shouldn’t wear your favorite earrings to lounge by the pool unless it’s for a specific party aesthetic. (Obviously, we learn a lot about what NOT to do from this one.)Listen to our Tucker and Dale vs. Evil episode on Students of Horror!Buy Sarah’s witchy baby books!Visit her website!Join our Patreon! For only $5/month, get TWO extra podcast episodes – including Final Daddies, Final Cats, Final-ish Girls, discussions, panels, and more! But don't think of it that way. Think of it as a tip, like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

This week our friends from Chopping It Up are joining us to break down John Carpenter’s 1980 spooky cult classic, The Fog! Get ready to learn A LOT about this movie and its two Final Girls, Elizabeth (Jamie Lee Curtis) and Stevie (Adrienne Barbeau.) We go into how much we love the idea of being a radio DJ in a lighthouse, the way Carpenter decided to make a ghost story about fog, how to get unstuck from the mud in your car, the tea behind Barbeau and Carpenter themselves, and the coziness of Northern California coastal towns. We also decide that we all would happily hitchhike with Kurt Russell. Check out Chopping It Up! IG: @choppingituphorrorpod Bluesky: @choppingitupJoin our Patreon! For only $5/month, get TWO extra podcast episodes – including Final Daddies, Final Cats, Final-ish Girls, discussions, panels, and more! But don't think of it that way. Think of it as a tip, like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

If you knew you had seven days to live, would you spend them chasing LEAD after LEAD like our Final Girl Rachel in The Ring (2002) and Kellie? Or would you be like Sarah and say eff it, and catch a plane to Bali for your remaining days? This week we’re tracking Rachel’s grim, wet, blue/green journey through Seattle, in a movie that could literally just be titled “Final Girl Research: The Movie.” Also: did you recognize the guy who plays Noah from Britney Spears’ Toxic music video?Join our Patreon! For only $5/month, get TWO extra podcast episodes – including Final Daddies, Final Cats, Final-ish Girls, discussions, panels, and more! But don't think of it that way. Think of it as a tip, like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

“Pacts with the devil - real or bullsh*t?” That is the question on everyone’s mind in Ready or Not (2019) and especially for our ICONIC Final Girl Grace. Grace sets the FG standard - she’s got moxie, resourcefulness, and commitment (our top three ingredients) on LOCK. We dedicate this episode to all of the badass listeners who have requested a Grace episode over the past year and a half!Join our Patreon! For only $5/month, get TWO extra podcast episodes – including Final Daddies, Final Cats, Final-ish Girls, discussions, panels, and more! But don't think of it that way. Think of it as a tip, like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

I’m Chucky!!! Wanna play? No? Actually, we totally get it, because otherwise you might get stuck like our Final Girl Karen saving grown-ass men from a killer doll in Child’s Play (1988). Karen shows us lots of things about how to be a Final Girl, like you should definitely keep a first aid kit handy and sometimes, you need to take matters into your own hands, especially when there’s a manbaby detective assigned to your case.Listen to Kellie’s Movie Postmortem episode on the Sam Raimi Spiderman movies!Listen to Kellie’s Halloween is Forever episode on Child’s Play!We changed our Patreon! We now only have ONE level for $5. This level has TWO extra podcast episodes per month. But don't think of it that way. Think of it as a tip, like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

Angsty goth girls unite! Stokely is our Final Girl in 1998’s teen horror cult classic The Faculty, and this week we’re chasing her story like the queen alien who chases Frodo through the gymnasium. This movie has one of the most STACKED casts of all time, including YOUNG JON STEWART WITH A GOATEE??? We also cover whether Planet Hollywood is still a thing and the Cabin in the Woods/the Faculty easter egg fan theory. Go Hornets!We changed our Patreon! We now only have ONE level for $5. This level has TWO extra podcast episodes per month. But don't think of it that way. Think of it as a tip, like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

Carrie White is Burning in Hell! This week, we unpack the telekinetic Final Girl victim/villain arc of Carrie White from the 1976 film Carrie. This movie is a hard watch because really, who hasn’t been relentlessly bullied at some point in their life? We also cover the religious psychosis that conditioned her to be scared of her body and whether or not we should consider getting Carrie insurance on our houses. Remember: the greatest revenge on a bully isn’t trapping them in a gym, but a life well lived.We changed our Patreon! We now only have ONE level for $5. This level has TWO extra podcast episodes per month. But don't think of it that way. Think of it as a tip, like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

We’re back from our travels and PUMPED to talk about one of our favorite performances in a horror movie of all time - Toni Collette as Lynn in The Sixth Sense (1999). This was one of the most grounded, realistic portrayals of a mother’s fear and exhaustion we’ve ever seen. Even if she’s not a Typical Final Girl™, we think she’s deserving of the title because she shows that bravery is doing the thing despite the fear, and strength and courage look different for every single person. Also, Bruce Willis is Bruce Willis-ing hard in this movie and we’re here for it. Except for his sexy dance.We changed our Patreon! We now only have ONE level for $5. This level has TWO extra podcast episodes per month. But don't think of it that way. Think of it as a tip, like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

This episode is a love letter to nostalgic millennials who saved up their chore money for the Scholastic Book Fair. This week, we’re covering Deena from Fear Street 1994 (2021), a charming trilogy based on the Fear Street novels by R.L. Stine. Deena’s an angsty feminist punk Final Girl whose story isn’t just about surviving a killer curse, but also aggressively defending her culturally unaccepted relationship with the girl she loves. Will she save her girlfriend and beat the curse of Sarah Fier? Is Shadyside vs. Sunnyvale the same as Pawnee vs. Eagleton? Will we see a Babysitters Club revival? What are Sarah and Kellie’s old AIM screen names? Listen to find out!We changed our Patreon! We now only have ONE level for $5. This level has TWO extra podcast episodes per month. But don't think of it that way. Think of it as a tip, like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

Double Trouble! This week we’re teaming up with Maggie and Kassie from Skip or Scream Podcast to dive into the Final Girl journey of Maddie from Hush (2016). In this film, our Final Girl lives by herself in the middle of the forest, you know, like you do. Because of her hearing impairment, she has to fight like a Final Girl in some alternative ways, and some very classic ways, and we think she’s a badass all around for it.Check out Skip or Scream:InstagramPatreonSpotifyApple PodcastsOur episode on Totally Killer on Skip or ScreamWe changed our Patreon! We now only have ONE level for $5. This level has TWO extra podcast episodes per month. But don't think of it that way. Think of it as a tip, like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

You’re invited to our Slumber Party! Just please don’t bring strawberry daiquaris, because who drinks those with pizza, honestly (other than Trish and her friends). This week we’re covering Trish and Valerie, the two Final Girls from the 1982 slasher cult classic The Slumber Party Massacre. This one follows all of the sleazy slasher beats, but it was written and directed by women, and we have quite a bit to say about it (namely, how doofy and loser-y the guys are all in it). But our First Amendment Rights™ will not be violated like Diane’s, you can count on that. We changed our Patreon! We now only have ONE level for $5. This level has TWO extra podcast episodes per month. But don't think of it that way. Think of it as a tip, like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

CODE DILL! Kara joined us for Sarah’s bday episode to cast some cute dark magic and dive into the coven from Forbidden Fruits. This movie is Mean Girls meets Heathers meets The Craft meets a tiny bit of Clueless, and two of the three of us are here for it. Goat's milk, thigh gaps, rose petals, bone casts, truffle oil, bitch slap, blood clots, juice press. Bee emoji, Couple emoji, Red heart emoji, Red question mark emoji.PLEASE LEAVE US A RATING AND REVIEW! 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon

This week, we're analyzing the Final Girl journey of Skye from Smile 2 (2024), an overworked and lonely NYC pop star fighting multiple demons - but only one of them is supernatural! This is a very rewatchable movie in a franchise we hope will only get better and better. But how does her Final Girl story measure up?We changed our Patreon! We now only have ONE level for $5. Our Patreons get TWO extra podcast episodes per month. But don't think of it that way. Think of this as a tip, or like getting us a Diet Coke (for Sarah) or coffee (for Kellie). 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon. Please leave us a rating or review! :)

They Will Kill You (2026) is part Quentin Tarantino, part Sam Raimi, part Wes Anderson, and we're here for all of it. This week we’re continuing our month of listener requests with a VERY recent Final Girl -- Asia, a bona fide badass who has come to save her sister from a satanic cult in a creepy art deco hotel in NYC, only to discover they are a far more difficult villain to vanquish than she imagined. Spoilers ahead!PLEASE LEAVE US A RATING AND REVIEW! 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon!

Who are we, you ask? Demons to some, angels to others 😈This week, we’re analyzing Kirsty’s Final Girl credentials in one of the most iconic franchises in horrorstory, Hellraiser (1987). She’s the trifecta of Final Girl resourcefulness with a perfect blend of physical strength, intellectual capability, and emotional awareness. We just wish she had a lot more screen time in this one.Listen to (or watch) Sarah’s guest appearance on Getting Offed, in which we talk about the Hellraiser theme song!Listen to Sarah and Kellie’s guest appearance last year on Blood in the Cornfields, in which we discuss Kirsty in Hellraiser 1 and 2!PLEASE LEAVE US A RATING AND REVIEW! 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon!

Come get some!!! This week we’re talking about Beth, the feral Final Girl from Evil Dead Rise (2023) and soon-to-be mom. Beth learns very quickly how to engage those mama bear instincts and protect her nieces and nephew from Deadites taking over the building, but how does she measure up to Ash’s legacy, or the legacy of her more recent predecessor, Mia? How is she with a chainsaw? Only you can decide, although we have some opinions if you wanna hear them. Happy Mother’s Day!PLEASE LEAVE US A RATING AND REVIEW! 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon!

Tales from the Crypt’s Demon Knight (1995) is one of the ZANIEST (see what we did there?) movies with a great Final Girl, and we love that about it. Jeryline is a gruff take-no-sh*t hotel employee on work release, played by Jada Pinkett in a very Ripley-esque performance. With practical effects and a wildly solid soundtrack, this is a don’t-miss movie that is guaranteed a good time.Check out Kellie’s Final Girl Playlist!PLEASE LEAVE US A RATING AND REVIEW! 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon!

NEVER mistake a woman's kindness for weakness!This week we dissect Linda from Sam Raimi’s Send Help (2026), played brilliantly by Rachel McAdams, who has quickly become one of our all-time favorite Final Girls. In this empowering survival-and-revenge story, Linda’s superior skills and competence replace professional humiliation after she and her misogynistic boss become stranded on a desert island. And she even battles a DEMON PIG! As Linda tells us, no help is coming, so you'd better start saving yourself!PLEASE LEAVE US A RATING AND REVIEW! 💕Find us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon!

As usual, marijuana saves another disastrous day! If Idle Hands (1999) are the devil’s playground, it makes sense that a demonic entity would look for the laziest stoner to inhabit for its evil deeds. This is where our Final Dude Anton (Devon Sawa) comes in, along with our two Co-Final Girls Debi (Vivica A. Fox) and Molly (Jessica Alba), who battle the possessed appendage as it rips (lol) its way through town. This is our 4/20 episode, and of course we had to call in Eric to help us cover this one.Put some pants on and join us, baby snakes!PLEASE LEAVE US A RATING AND REVIEW! 💕Find Eric at theheshfiles.comFind us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon!

Witches! Dancers! Bright colors! Creepy music! Killer dogs! What more could we ask for? Suspiria (1977) is a horror classic, and Suzy is a classic Final Girl. But is she an “outrun the killer” girlie or “stab the killer’s sparkly ghost outline with broken crystal plumage” girlie? This week we’re covering this Argento classic and its dreamlike vibes, whether the witchcraft was legit or not, the lack of plot, and everything in between.Spoilers ahead!PLEASE LEAVE US A RATING AND REVIEW! 💕Visit us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon!

Hot zombie survival tip: blend in by making your face vacant with a hint of sadness like a drunk who lost a bet. This week we’re covering the Final Girl adventure of Liz from Shaun of the Dead (2004). She’s sick of her boyfriend’s sh*t and his inability to act like an adult. And what woman hasn’t been there, so we don’t blame her - but can a zombie apocalypse save her relationship? Let’s find out.Warning, spoilers ahead!PLEASE LEAVE US A RATING AND REVIEW!Visit us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon!

Au revoir poor Johnny! Pearl is the brutal and delirious Final Girl Villain of Ti West's 2022 Pearl, part of the X trilogy. With so many unsettling scenes and so many genuine WTF moments, this film is bound to be a cult classic and we can't decide if we're here for it or not. Also, did anyone else catch the parallels to The Wizard of Oz? Just us?PLEASE LEAVE A RATING AND REVIEW!Visit us at final-girls.comCheck out our Patreon!

PUMP IT UP! This week, we’re not holding back while we dissect the heavy-handed messages in The Substance (2024) about aging, body dysmorphia, and the general f*ckery of being a woman who happens to get older. Elisabeth and Sue share the title of Final Girl in this one, because they both find themselves up against a sinister antagonist threatening their sense of worth: The Patriarchy (particularly The Hollywood Patriarchy.) Is this one of the few movies you can leave and then feel BETTER about yourself? We think so…Warning, spoilers ahead!PLEASE LEAVE US A RATING AND/OR REVIEW! Visit us at final-girls.comCheck out our Patreon

It Follows (2014) has become a modern classic, and Jay has become a modern classic Final Girl. Haunted by trauma and a shapeshifting entity, Jay is not a typical Final Girl because she doesn’t get to toughen up or confront her villain. Instead, she must navigate the horrors reactively and depend on her friends to get through it. We love this movie, although it’s very somber and full of dread, because it truly leaves you guessing in every scene - is something following? And does anyone know where Sarah can get one of those clamshell e-readers?Spoilers ahead!PLEASE LEAVE US A RATING AND REVIEW!Visit us at final-girls.comCheck out our Patreon

In this highly requested episode, we analyze Jawbreaker’s (1999) Fern Mayo/Vylette’s Final-ish Girl and her journey from invisible quiet nerd to Angelyne-coded bombshell. We cover if Julie is the TRUE Final Girl (probably) and the iconic Courtney (Satan in Heels) and the movie’s nasty candy namesake. She’s so evil, and she’s only in high school!Beware, spoilers ahead!PLEASE LEAVE US A RATING AND REVIEW! 💕Visit us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon!

Wizard of Wiggle! Writer dreams and professional f*ckery! Wearing rings on top of gloves! This week, we're breaking down the Final Girl story of Ariel from Opus (2025), the A24 cult movie about a writer who finds herself in a slobbery, bloody situation at the compound of an aging pop star in the middle of nowhere, Utah. Will she escape before the Kool-Aid? Will she get a book deal or a byline by the time she's 35, which is basically 40? Time will tell!PLEASE GIVE US A RATING AND REVIEW! We promise it's not a cult!Visit our website at final-girls.comCheck out our Patreon

Good evening, Clarice! This week, we're covering the Final Girl story of Clarice Starling from The Silence of the Lambs (1991), one of our most competent Final Girls so far. Portrayed brilliantly by Jodie Foster, Clarice ABSOLUTELY is a Final Girl because she is vulnerable, strong, thoughtful, intentional, and just an overall badass. She feels like she has a lot to prove as a cadet in the FBI academy surrounded by a bunch of dudes who hit on her, and she does it all in spades. Warning, there are spoilers ahead!Note: we use he/him pronouns for Buffalo Bill in this episode, as the character has been universally accepted as identifying as male.Please leave us a rating and review!Visit us at final-girls.com and check out our Patreon!

Happy Valentine's Day! Heart Eyes (2025) was a fan favorite last year, so we couldn't let this romantic holiday pass without covering Ally, its Final Girl who is afraid of blood and cynical about true love. And luckily, to celebrate the day of love, we have our podcast besties Matt and Katie from Getting Offed to help us break down the whole thing - from the 50/50 split of rom-com and horror to suction cup dildo weapons to red night vision masks and Detective Devon Sawa. Listen now before the Heart Eyes Killer comes to YOUR town! (Warning: spoilers!)PLEASE BE OUR VALENTINE AND LEAVE US A RATING AND REVIEW!Find Matt and Katie here: Getting Offed - LinkTree and YouTubeSheLite Showcase - LinkTreeVisit us at final-girls.com and subscribe to our Patreon!

It might be a stretch to call Maud from Saint Maud (2019) a Final Girl, because there’s no slasher, no chase sequence, no one coming to save her — not even God. Her horror is internal, spiritual, and exquisitely lonely. This episode explores Maud as a woman desperate for meaning in a world that offers her none, and how that desperation turns her inward, toward Heaven, and then outward with devastating consequences.Spoiler Warning: This episode spoils everything and if you’ve seen it, yes – including the part you’re thinking about.PLEASE LEAVE US A RATING AND REVIEW! It will get you into Heaven!Visit us at final-girls.comOur Patreon is live!

This week, we cotton-candy-cocoon our way into the colorful, twisted world of Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988), discussing the film’s creative visual effects, memorable kills, and the unique quirks of our Final Girl, Debbie Stone. We also explore the movie’s cultural impact, comparing the dreaded clowns to modern horror icons and reflecting on Debbie's assertive, fearless nature. Join us for a hilarious and nostalgic breakdown of this iconic horror film! And make sure not to get popcorn in your bra. So uncomfortable.Visit us at final-girls.comOur Patreon is alive!

Put on your brightest 80s gear, listeners, for this week's discussion about Lisa from Diablo Cody and Zelda Williams' 2024 technicolor fever dream, Lisa Frankenstein! High school can be hell, but bringing a hottie gentile man from a different time period back to life can certainly help. In this episode, we breakdown Lisa's story and what we learned from it - like never chug a mystery concoction in a red solo cup at a party, and never use a tanning bed. But wait, there's more! Listen now!Visit us at final-girls.comOur Patreon is alive!

Beware of The Beast! To celebrate one year of Final Girls Podcast, we have our friend Reggie from Movie Postmortem Podcast helping us break down the Final Girl journey of Casey from M. Night Shyamalan's 2016 thriller Split. Is Casey the only Final Girl in this movie? We're pretty sure there are multiple with FG energy, but Casey is a great one all the same. Listen now and remember: always be aware of your surroundings in a parking lot!Spoiler Warning: This movie spoils plot points in Unbreakable, Split, and Glass. Proceed with caution!Find us at final-girls.com and join our Patreon!Find Reggie and Movie Postmortem on Bluesky and all of the streaming platforms!

Let's all just agree now that we should not take shots of snake venom, even if Channing Tatum is giving it to you. K? This week, we're discussing the 2024 thriller-horror film Blink Twice and its Final Girl, Frida (played by Naomi Ackie), who finds herself on a billionaire's private island with a bunch of people she doesn't know. The island looks beautiful and colorful and fun, but is it... really? And is this movie's message that rich white guys get away with literally anything? Maybe. Listen to find out.Spoiler Warning: We're spilling all the tea on this one. Enter if you dare!Content Warning: The film and this episode alike discuss SA. If that is something you are sensitive to, please skip this week.Visit us at final-girls.comPatreon here!

Is the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre one of the best remakes ever, and is Erin one of the best homages to one of the most classic Final Girls? Half endurance runner, half feral fighter, Erin (played by Jessica Biel) is one for the books. This week, we explore the remake that kicked off a decade-plus of remakes, the elements it added and freshened up (the hitchiker!), and the things it sadly missed (no astrology?!) and why Erin deserves her spot in the canon all the same. Do not listen or watch while you're eating. Don't say we didn't warn you.Spoiler warning: Spoilers for both the original 1974 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the 2003 remake ahead!Theme by Max Ansonwww.final-girls.comPatreon https://www.patreon.com/cw/FinalGirlsThePodcast

The call is coming from inside the house! This week, we’re getting festive while diving into one of the most seminal Final Girl stories of all time, Jess from 1974’s Black Christmas. This movie has so much to say about bodily autonomy and 1970s telephone infrastructure, and we get into it all with our friend Brucker Nourse from Autopsy of a Horror Movie podcast!Find Brucker: Instagram Threads BlueskyOur episode on Autopsy of a Horror MovieSpoiler Warning: This episode reveals all the twists and plot points. THE MOAN-AH!www.final-girls.comCheck out our Patreon!

The Final Girl who inspired it all (and by all, we mean, this podcast!) Art the Clown is back, the violence is somehow even more unhinged, and once again, Sienna Shaw refuses to go quietly. In this episode of Final Girls, we dig into Sienna’s evolution in Terrifier 3 from traumatized survivor to fully weaponized Final Girl. We love Sienna because she survives through rage and resilience and an almost mythic (or biblical) refusal to break. And whether you love or loathe the Terrifier films, there’s no denying that Sienna is one of the most extreme Final Girls of the modern era.Spoiler warning: FULL Terrifier 1- 3 spoilers here.Theme by Max Ansonwww.final-girls.comPatreon https://www.patreon.com/cw/FinalGirlsThePodcast

Tess from Barbarian (2022) is a Final Girl who deserves her flowers (and a hot shower.) She doesn’t make all the right calls, but she has empathy and grit and makes it out alive, despite the odds stacked against her. This week we’re unpacking all of the gendered horror of this modern classic, including a whole first act written to be the screenplay version of Gavin de Becker’s Gift of Fear as well as three loose stages of male predator explored in this film.Spoilers for Barbarian throughout!Find us at final-girls.com and join our Patreon here.

Final Girl meets haunted Chuck E. Cheese! In a world of killer animatronics Abby might be the smallest Final Girl we’ve covered, but she’s also one of the fiercest. This week, we dive into Five Nights at Freddy’s and its pint-sized protagonist who manages to survive a gauntlet of ghost kids and malfunctioning mascots with her uncanny ability to communicate with the dead.Spoiler warning: This episode contains major plot points from Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023).More at final-girls.com, and join our Patreon!

FREE PATREON PREVIEW - SHE'S ALIVE! Our Patreon, that is. This is a FREE preview of our Patreon-only Final Daddies series, in which we break down the Final Daddy journey of Jacob Elordi's Creature from Guillmero del Toro's 2025 Frankenstein remake. We cover the design, the gorgeousness, the tenderness, the tragedy, the male loneliness epidemic, the queer codes, and whether this version of the Monster is a certified Final Daddy or not. SIGN UP FOR OUR PATREON HERE!www.final-girls.com

This year, there will be no leftovers! Let’s carve into the surprisingly sharp Thanksgiving (2023) and shine the carving knife spotlight on Jessica, our privileged but persistent Final Girl with a… locket (?) We talk all about Black Friday madness and the camp vibes of this Eli Roth holiday slasher. We also dig into the film’s commentary on consumerism and the absurdity of American traditions. Spoiler warning: We talk plot twists and dinner-table deaths and everything in between.www.final-girls.comPatreon https://www.patreon.com/cw/FinalGirlsThePodcast

Join us this week to revisit the gloriously grotesque 2005 cult favorite House of Wax, and our Final Girl Carly, played by the scream-worthy Elisha Cuthbert. We dig into Carly’s transformation from fashion intern and Waffle House waitress to one of the grimiest, grittiest Final Girls of the 2000s. We also unpack the heavy 2000s vibes and how the marketing made Paris Hilton the real horror bait.Spoiler warning: We reveal it all! www.final-girls.com

Listener request! This week we are discussing Night of the Reaper (2025), a love letter to 80s slasher classics with a modern twist. Our Final Girl is Deena, a criminology major home from college for what should’ve been a cozy fall break. Instead, she finds herself at the center of a violent, terrifying mystery… and face to face with a masked killer who is dragging the past to the surface.Find our recent guest appearances hereSpoiler warning: If you haven’t watched Night of the Reaper, now’s your chance to press play before the body count rises.Theme by Max AnsonVisit us at www.final-girls.com

Glass slippers and fairy-tale trauma abound in The Ugly Stepsister (2025), and this week we want to talk about it. This gruesome, pink cottagecore fever dream reimagines the story of Cinderella from the perspective of Elvira, the not-so-fair stepsister in a kingdom obsessed with perfection. In a world where beauty is currency, Elvira’s transformation arc is a brutal reminder of how far women are expected to go to be “enough.”Spoiler warning: We’re spilling all the tea!BUY SARAH'S BABY BOOKS!Visit us at www.final-girls.com

How's your head? Well, I haven't had any complaints so far! This week, let's worship at the altar of cleavage and camp with Elvira: Mistress of the Dark! Elvira may not be your traditional Final Girl, but make no mistake, she is horror’s ultimate Final Baddie. Armed with quick wit and zero tolerance for puritanical nonsense, she battles small-town hypocrisy and misogyny and slays while she does.Elvira's Cookbook from HellListen to The Hesh Files (Eric's podcast)Listen to Dead Man's Mic podcast (about Halloween Horror Nights)Spoiler warning: We’re opening the spellbook and the movie vault. You’ve been warned.Theme by Max AnsonVisit us at www.final-girls.com

We’re entering the twisted trap of Heretic (2024), a psychological survival thriller that pits two Mormon missionaries against a villain who tests their belief in God and themselves. We dig into what makes Sister Barnes and Sister Paxton unlikely Final Girls: their young and indoctrinated moral rigidity and eventual transformation from passive believers into active resistors. Plus: we unpack the film’s commentary on obedience and the dangers of not asking questions. Spoiler warning: We’re going full Book of Revelations on this one: expect plot details.Kellie’s 31 Days of Shudder Originals minisodeThe Gift of Fear by Gavin de BeckerVisit us at www.final-girls.com

Let's go allllll the way back to where the slashing started (Haddonfield, 1978) to honor the OG Final Girl, Laurie Strode. Played with brilliance by Jamie Lee Curtis, Laurie is smart and responsible… and unknowingly marked. As her friends get picked off one by one, Laurie arms herself with knitting needles and sheer willpower to face down the Boogeyman.We dig into the birth of the Final Girl and why her survival still resonates nearly 50 years later.Spoiler warning: We’re talking all things Halloween — expect major plot details!Theme by Max AnsonVisit us at www.final-girls.com

It's the Season of the Witch! For this minisode, Sarah is diving into her favorite fictional witches, both from horror and non-horror TV and film. Witches are far more than just magical beings who cast spells; they fight the patriarchy together and work tirelessly to create a better, more just world for all. Because if she's not using magic for the greater good, is she even a witch?So grab your favorite magical potion or drink and get comfy, because we're about to summon some feminine power together!Keep an eye out - Season Two starts very soon!Visit us at final-girls.com