Final Girl Theory

The final girl is a horror film (particularly of slasher film genre) trope that refers to the last woman or girl alive to confront the killer/villian, or in other words, the one left to tell the story. The final girl has been observed in many films, including Halloween, Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Hellraiser, Alien, and The Scream movies.
The term was created by Carol J. Clover in her book Men, Women and Chain Saws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. Clover suggests that 'in these films, the viewer begins by sharing the perspective of the killer, but experiences a shift in identification to the final girl partway through the film.'


According to Clover, the final girl is typically sexually unavailable or virginal, avoiding the vices of the victims (sex, drugs and alcohol usage, etc.) and she sometimes has a unisex name (e.g., Teddy, Billie, Georgie, Sidney). Occasionally the Final Girl will have a shared history with the killer. The final girl is the "investigating consciousness" of the film, moving the narrative forward and as such, she exhibits intelligence and curiosity. 

Laurie-'Halloween'

Clover also investigates the element that during the confrontation with the killer, the final girl becomes masculinized with the use of 'phallic symbols'. E.g. taking a weapon such as a knife or chainsaw against the killer or in a penetrative way. An example of the final girl theory being used in the slasher genre is Laurie as the final girl in Halloween. She is the first to suspect any trace of a killer or evil presence and is the one to confront and 'attempt' to defeat Michael Myers. She uses Phallic appropriation by using weapons such as a clothes hanger and Knife. 


I think that I will follow conventions and use the Final Girl Theory in my horror trailer as I feel that it will create a clearer plot and I feel that both the male and female audience can relate to this character.