The Final Girls

The Final Girls

Starring Taissa Farmiga, Malin Akerman, Alexander Ludwig, Nina Dobrev

Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson

The Story:
Amanda (Malin Akerman) was an 80s scream queen, best known for her role in the campy B-rated horror flick "Camp Bloodbath", but she hasn't been able to get much work.  Her daughter, Max (Taissa Farmiga) is always encouraging her and trying to be helpful, but after a sudden car accident claims Amanda's life, Max spirals into a depression that lasts three years later.

On the eve of the anniversary of her death, "Camp Bloodbath" enthusiast Duncan (Thomas Middleditch) is hosting a screening of the film and its sequel at the local theater, and wants Max to appear since she's Amanda's daughter.  She is at first reluctant, but obliges and goes with her best friend (and Duncan's step sister) Gertie (Alia Shawkat), hunky football player Chris (Alexander Ludwig), and Chris's ex-girlfriend, the snooty Vicki (Nina Dobrev).

When a fire breaks out at the theater, the group escapes through the screen and are mysteriously teleported into the film, where they find that in order for them to survive, they have to go through the movie and make it to the end credits.  Max also has a special goal - to try and save her mother, who plays a character in the film who dies.  If she can change the ending, maybe she can get her mother back.

The Synopsis:
Being a true fan and connoisseur of the classic 80s slasher flicks, I was excited to see "The Final Girls" because it was supposed to take all the cliches and tropes of said style slasher flicks and turn them on their head.

Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed.

From start to finish, the movie was a rip-roaring good time, filled with classic humor, no-holds-barred insults, and even a moving story at its heart.  It encompassed everything you would expect from a horror/comedy.

There's no B-rated leads here, as it boasts a very capable cast.  As the lead girl, Taissa Farmiga ("American Horror Story") plays the grounded, virginal Max who is both street smart and book smart, and leads with her heart.  You feel for her from start to finish as she loses her mother, and then gets her hopes up in hopefully being able to bring her back from the movie.  Her mother, Amanda, was brilliantly played by "Rock of Ages" and "The Proposal" star Malin Akerman.  In the movie-within-the-movie, she's supposed to be the typical smart girl with a clipboard and guitar who loses her virginity and dies.  Max desperately wants to prevent that, and goes to great lengths to protect her.

As you watch the movie, you notice that it goes far beyond a simple story.  The characters inside the movie itself are tropes of every classic slasher flick (the jock, the slut, the shy girl, and the final girl).  However, Max and her friends also represent those cliches in horror.  There's the virginal girl (Max), the jock (Chris), the mean girl (Vicki), the best friend (Gertie) and the nerd (Duncan).  I love how the film can make fun of itself while it makes fun of the style of film it represents.

I also enjoyed how they knew their roles, and how it would play out.  Max knew about the Final Girl (the concept of horror flicks where the survivor is always a female - and a virgin), and how there might not be room for two final girls.  In a moving moment, even Vicki came to terms with her eventual death.  "I'm the mean girl in the '80s horror movie and we're past the midpoint so, you know, I'd say that I've overstayed my welcome."

Aside from the comedy, there's some truly terrifying moments as the killer, Billy (a man who, as a young boy, was picked on by counselors and became disfigured) stalks the counselors and does so in true campy fashion, appearing only when someone's about to get naked.  However, the heart of the film centers around Max and Amanda, who plays Nancy in the movie.  Seeing Max react to seeing her mother alive again - even though she doesn't know it - is moving, and both Farmiga and Akerman deliver impeccable performances that really pull at the heart strings.

The Summary:
"The Final Girls" doesn't take itself seriously, and treats the audience to a great comedy that makes fun of itself, as well as 80s slasher films as a whole.

The Score: A