Slasher Girls & Monster Boys by April Genevieve Tucholke

In the 2010s, “You’re Next,” “Ready or Not,” and “Midsommar” were among a slew of breakup battles as blood-spattered as they were venomously biting. The ’90s were a time of highs and lows for the final girl, with the introduction of all-time scream queen Neve Campbell as Sidney Prescott in “Scream” but also the exhausting soapiness of Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Julie James in “I Know What You Did Last Summer.” (She still made this list, if only because Julie is a camp icon and we give credit where credit is due.) Thanks to the groundbreaking feminism of Bob Clark’s “Black Christmas” in 1974 - it’s a pro-choice movie, people! - and the clever spin of horror comedies such as “The Cabin in the Woods,” the final girl gradually evolved into a kind of pro-woman/pro-underdog warrior for not just slashers but all of horror. Classic examples include Sally Hardesty in “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” and Jamie Lee Curtis’ legendary babysitter from the masterful “Halloween” franchise: widely credited with giving final girls the cunning edge modern movie-goers know and love them for. Clover in her 1992 work “Men, Women, and Chainsaws,” the final girl trope was initially defined as the sole survivor of a slasher who confronted the antagonist in a last-act face-off and who was often ascribed some sort of moral superiority compared to other victims virginity being the de facto example (which, yeah, yawn). In the black-and-white dichotomy of good-versus-evil, these heroes - yes, often leading ladies, but not always! - typically begin as victims in nightmarish scenarios that bloom into epic opportunities for them to best their villains and survive.Ĭoined and carefully considered by professor Carol J.

From bloody horror to supernatural creatures to unsettling, all-too-possible realism, this collection has something for any listener looking for a thrill.From Laurie Strode counting the days until Michael Myers returns in “Halloween” to a betrayed bride fighting off her in-laws with a shotgun in “Ready or Not,” final girls are found at the beating heart of the horror genre. There are no superficial scares here these are stories that will make you think even as they keep you on the edge of your seat. For fans of Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Lois Duncan, and Daphne Du Maurier comes a powerhouse anthology featuring some of the best writers of YA thrillers and horror.Ī host of the smartest young adult authors come together in this collection of scary stories and psychological thrillers curated by Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea's April Genevieve Tucholke.Įach story draws from a classic tale or two - sometimes of the horror genre, sometimes not - to inspire something new and fresh and terrifying.

Slasher Girls & Monster Boys by April Genevieve Tucholke