More Final Girls who should return for a sequel

Four months ago I wrote a post titled: Final girls who should return for a sequel. True to the nature of the horror genre and the current renaissance of horror remakes and sequels, I thought it was time to give a sequel of sorts to that post and share my thoughts on five more final girls who should return for another film.

With upcoming films like Halloween Ends and Scream 6, the horror genre and the final girls who inhabit it are more popular than ever. The current mainstream attention directed at the horror genre makes it a great time to reflect on the final girls who should get another go.

Alexa Woods

Thanks to the massively positive response to Prey, the latest entry in the Predator franchise, fans are voicing their ideas for the next installment in the Predator’s gruesome journey for domination. With an Alien television series currently in development, it would be a great time to capitalize on the success and popularity of both franchises by pitting the two extraterrestrial threats against one another, Godzilla vs. Kong style. The Xenomorphs and the Predators already faced off in two films, but due to the negative reception of the second movie, a third Alien vs. Predator entry was scrapped. I say: give the two sci-fi titans their due and let’s see them duke it out again, with returning final girl Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan) as the surrogate for the human audience.

Alexa Woods is a badass heroine and central protagonist of the first Alien vs. Predator film. When a giant pyramid is uncovered beneath the ice in the Artic, Weyland Industries hires Alexa to lead the expedition. Despite her reservations about the mission, Alexa leads with strength and diligence, constantly adapting to the increasingly violent situation as two alien species battle with the humans stuck in the middle.

Alexa impresses even the Predator, who joins forces with her to escape the death-trapped pyramid and battle the Xenomorph Queen. It’s time for Alexa to return to the franchise and kick alien butt for another film.

Sally Hardesty- one of the original Final Girls.

Sally Hardesty is was played by Marilyn Burns in the 1976 classic slasher film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Along with characters like Laurie Strode and Alice Hardy, Sally was one of the first final girls who made the trope popular and inspired plenty of academic conversations looking at the role of women in horror.

The impact Sally made on the horror genre did little to spare her from an unwarranted demise, however. The latest entry in the franchise about cannibalistic families and chainsaw murderers, simply titled Texas Chainsaw Massacre, brought Sally back to the big screen, this time played by Olwen Fouéré, who did great in the role but wasn’t given enough to do. Along with being underutilized, Sally was brutally killed off and then literally thrown into the trash to die.

It was a horrible end for the character, but the good news for Sally is that the Texas Chainsaw Massacre timeline and canon are all over the place. Films regularly ignore previous entries and wipe the slate clean. I can only hope that means we’ll see another version of Sally in the future, a version of the character who is treated with respect and given a plot worthy of a survivor looking for justice and trying to move forward.

Taylor Gentry

Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals) appeared in the meta mockumentary slasher film, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. In the film, Taylor is a journalist who is documenting serial killer Leslie Vernon’s rise to slasher villain infamy. Taylor struggles with the project and tries to protect the unfortunate group of teenagers Leslie sets his sights on, but she unwittingly becomes the Final Girl of Leslie’s sick games. Taylor goes from observer to final girl and fights to survive, eventually besting Leslie and escaping with her life.

A sequel could follow Taylor as she copes with surviving the massacre and documenting the deeds of Leslie Vernon, who, true to the nature of a slasher villain, returns to give Taylor a starring role in his twisted sequel.

Sidney Prescott

Sidney Prescott is one of the most famous modern final girls of our time. Played to perfection by Neve Campbell, Sidney has been the driving force behind the franchise, always fighting for survival against the various Ghostface Killers who set their murderous sights on her. I’m excited about Scream 6 but I am sad that Sidney won’t appear in the film due to the low pay Campbell was offered to return. Neve Campbell knows her worth and after five films, deserves so much better treatment. I honestly don’t believe Sidney’s run in the franchise is done for good…I’m holding out hope that we will see her again. Sidney is such a brilliant character with a strong arc. She’s bad a** and alongside Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), has proven that she’s no easy prey for the legion of Ghostface killers constantly trying to kill her.

Max Cartwright, Vicki Summers, and Gertie- A trio of final girls who literally get sucked into a slasher film.

Max Cartwright (Taissa Farmiga), Vicki Summers (Nina Dobrev), and Gertie (Alia Shawkat) appeared in the comedy horror film The Final Girls, which follows a group of teenagers transported into a 1986 slasher film starring Max’s mother called Camp Bloodbath. The Final Girls is a fun little romp and love letter to the slasher genre as the teens adjust to life in a slasher film and try to survive against all odds. Max deals with encountering a fictionalized version of her mother, who was murdered in real life. By the end of the film, the central characters find themselves in Camp Bloodbath 2: Cruel Summer. It’s a unique concept that could span several movies as each film explores and parodies what it means to be a slasher sequel.

Which final girls do you want to see return for a sequel? Let us know in the comments.

What final girls do you think deserve a sequel? Nominate your favorites in the comments section.