Final girls who should return for a sequel
By Mack Veltman
The recent releases of Halloween, Scream and Texas Chainsaw Massacre ushered in the re-emergence of iconic final girls like Laurie Strode, Sydney Prescott, Gale Weathers, and Sally Hardesty. Their respective returns to the silver screen simultaneously served as a continuation of their stories and a passing-of-the-torch to the next generation of horror movie survivors. With Halloween Ends right around the corner, which will see Laurie face off against Michael Myers one last time (until the next remake or revival), I thought it would be a great time to reflect on other final girls who should return for a sequel.
A duo of Final Girls: Julie James and Karla Wilson- I Know What You Did Last Summer
The I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise briefly returned after 15-year hiatus with the critically panned Amazon Prime original series, which came and went without much fanfare in the wake of several other successful horror remakes. It’s a shame because the first two films in the series are generally well-received, and starred several recognizable 90s faces such as Jennifer Love Hewitt, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Sarah Michelle Gellar.
The first film presents a classic slasher story: a group of teens accidentally run over and kill a pedestrian, cover up the crime, and then are stalked and murdered by a fish-hook-wielding killer who knows about the crime. The sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, follows final girl Julie James (Hewitt) as she and her friends including Karla Wilson (played by R&B sensation Brandy) vacation in the Bahamas where the fish-hook-wielding killer stalks them. Julie and Karla survive the second run-in with the killer, meaning both final girls could easily return for a sequel.
The whodunnit nature of the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise lends itself well to a continuation of the original two films and the story of Julie and Karla. Another film or even a series could see the two leading ladies pulled into a gruesome murder spree carried out by a killer with secrets tied to the past. Jennifer Love Hewitt is no stranger to horror, having starred in five seasons of Ghost Whisperer, and it would be great to see Brandy involved in the horror genre again.
One of the Friday the 13th franchise final girls, Ginny Field, almost returned for a sequel, but plans for the film were scrapped.
Ginny Field- Friday the 13th
Out of all of the Friday the 13th final girls, Ginny Field (Amy Steel) is one with most fans. She’s intelligent, quick-witted, and deeply empathetic. She used her brains to escape Jason Voorhees after surviving his massacre of her fellow camp counselors in Friday the 13th Part 2 by disguising herself as his mother. Jason nearly succeeded in killing her, but Ginny never stopped fighting. She’s briefly seen in Friday the 13th: Part 3 as she’s lifted into an ambulance while wondering about the fate of her lover Paul. In interviews featured in the documentary Camp Crystal Lake Memories, Steel revealed Ginny was supposed to be the leading final girl of the third film, which would have seen Jason stalking her in a psychiatric hospital.
A Friday the 13th sequel with Ginny in the lead role doesn’t necessarily have to take place in a psychiatric hospital. Maybe Ginny is haunted by the events of Part 2 and still doesn’t know if Paul survived. She returns to Crystal Lake to uncover answers, only to find a vicious Jason Voorhees murdering the next generation of summer camp counselors.
Cut down too soon: Jamie Lloyd- Halloween
Sadly, Jamie Lloyd–the daughter of Halloween’s final girl Laurie Strode–has been retconned out of existence by Halloween‘s various timelines. Even more tragic, despite surviving two previous run-ins with her uncle, Michael Myers, Jamie dies in the opening scenes of Halloween VI: The Curse of Michael Myers. Jamie’s entire life was full of tragedy; she supposedly lost her mother in a car accident–although Laurie merely faked her death. After awaking from a coma, Michael kills Jamie’s foster family and torments her again. Jamie also has a telepathic connection with Michael, making it easy for him to track and influence her.
I can’t help but think the decision to write Jamie out of the franchise was a mistake, especially because scream queen Danielle Harris played the character in her first two appearances. I’d love to see her reuniting with Laurie and finding a way to move past the tragedy that defined her early life. Given how fast and loose the Halloween franchise is with its own timeline, I could see another film in the series ignoring the events of Curse of Michael Myers and focusing on Jamie as she tries to locate her mother, all while escaping the wrath of the Boogeyman of Haddonfield.
A comedic legend: Reese Wilson- Urban Legend
There’s no security guard in horror like Reese Wilson. She’s one of the unconventional final girls but she’s the horror heroine we all need. Loretta Devine shines as the college campus security guard who wields a gold trim gun in honor of Pam Grier and busts murderers with gusto. Reese knows how to play the game of surviving a horror movie; she’s faced off against two killers and lived to tell the tale. Security guards in horror movies aren’t exactly known for their intelligence, but Reese is the exception and she’s proud of it. She’s careful, carries a loaded gun, and seems to have luck on her side.
A television series following the character as she investigates slasher-inspired murders on college campuses is well overdue, and Lorretta Devine has the acting chops and horror movie experience to pull it off. She’d fit perfectly in an Urban Legend-style television series.
The badass DJ and the lone survivor: Veronica Stretch Williams and Lila- Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The chances of Veronica “Stretch” Williams (Caroline Williams) returning to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise are pretty slim, especially in the wake of the 2022 film, which served as a direct sequel to the original, and ignores all the other films in the franchise. Stretch is a radio DJ and main character in the 1986 sequel Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. After hearing Leatherface and his family murder two teens over the airways, Stretch begins an investigation that draws the attention of the cannibalistic clan. Stretch survives her encounter with Leatherface and his brood and even wields a chainsaw in the final fight.
Even though Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2022 ignored all the other films, maybe a version of the character could return to the next Texas Chainsaw Massacre outing. She could help the final girl and survivor of the 2022 film, Lila, as she recuperates from her encounter with Leatherface and mourns the death of her sister. Lila could use some assistance in facing off against Leatherface once again, and maybe Stretch would be a useful ally. There are a few ways Stretch could be re-incorporated into the franchise so let’s cross our fingers we may see this DJ again someday soon.
Next. Five victims who were almost the Final Girl. dark
Which final girls would you like to see return for a sequel? Let us know in the comments!