Varun Patel
‘Black Christmas’ is a slasher movie that follows a group of sorority girls at Hawthorne college. When the college’s sorority girls start to get murdered by a stalker one after the other, a group decides to fight back and take down the killer.
The movie’s feminist message is a little more mature and nuanced than it sounds. The movie isn’t just about the diluted and reductive concept of women fighting back. Rather, the film attempts to subvert the slasher trope of women being survivors and escaping danger for the entirety of a horror story. “The Final Girl Trope” is the term often used to describe the character of the innocent, often virginal female character who witnesses her loved ones perish and tries to run away from the danger. ‘Black Christmas’ is not the first movie to critique this, however. Check out this list of movies similar to ‘Black Christmas.’
7. The Final Girls (2015)
Although ‘The Final Girls’ aims to slash horror/slasher movie tropes not so subtly (the title itself!), the only reason that this movie begins as the seventh entry of the list is because it is a black comedy slasher with the comedy being a major part. It follows Max and her group of friends who find themselves transported into a horror movie.
The movie is the most celebrated film of Max’s mother who was a scream queen (a famous horror movie actress). The group is forced to unite and fight the psychotic killer. The movie’s treatment of the final girl is unique because Max knows about her place in the story from the very beginning.
6. The Witch (2015)
Although not strictly a slasher film, this supernatural period horror movie features tons of bloodshed and violence that makes it resemble one. The film is set in 17th Century in New England and follows a Puritan family who is ousted from a village due to their beliefs. When the banished family takes residence near a huge uninhabited forest, their baby mysteriously disappears setting off a chain of evil events.
One of the characters that defies horror movie norms is Thomasin, a virginal and intelligent girl who is not reduced to being just a survivor. However, (spoiler alert) she embraces the darkness and becomes a witch herself. The indie movie received widespread critical acclaim for its atmospheric world-building, visually striking cinematography and though-provoking plot.
5. Death Proof (2007)
This 2007 movie is Quentin Tarantino’s attempt at grindhouse cinema. It takes several turns and the narrative changes form persistently from one about surviving a horror-like situation to one about vengeance. The movie follows a stuntman who kills women in a way that it looks like they died by accident. However, a group of girls that he targets decide to fight back with a style that is similar to the sorority girls in ‘Black Christmas.’
4. Evil Dead (2013)
The 2013 supernatural horror movie depicted one of the best character journeys ever. It is the fourth movie of the ‘Evil Dead’ franchise and will make you frustrated at the protagonist’s helplessness at first, but force you to punch the air in delight as she manages to muster up courage. It follows five friends who go to a remote cabin for a weekend and end up summoning an inactive demon, becoming the victims of its evil plans. One of the characters is Mia, a drug addict who seems to be unreliable at first and the group’s weakest link. However, her eventual transformation is worth every penny as she goes to the extent of ripping off her own arm in order to defeat the danger.
3. Scream (1996)
The 1996 cult movie is one of the best slasher movies out there. It successfully subverts many horror tropes in a self-aware manner with the characters discussing clichés in scary movies that the film tries to criticize. ‘Scream’ remains to be the highest-grossing slasher movie of all time if inflation is adjusted for. One of the topmost reasons that the movie worked is because of its explosive heroine, Sidney, played by Neve Campbell. She is a heroine and not the final girl survivor that has become a convention for slasher films. She faces intense torment at first…until she decides to fight back.
2. You’re Next (2013)
‘You’re Next’ is a horror movie that follows an upper-class family, the Davisons. The head couple of the family wish to reunite the estranged members and organize a celebration for their wedding anniversary. They invite four of their children and each of their partners home. However, all hell breaks loose when a group of people wearing animal masks attack the family with crossbows. The Davisons are forced to unite or die. The protagonist of the movie is Erin, the partner of one of the Davison children. Having grown up with a survivalist family, Erin is the kick-ass fighter who significantly changes the narrative with her skills. Sharni Vinson’s performance is simply one of the best fight-backs ever.
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1. The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
‘The Cabin in the Woods’ is a horror comedy that carries out both horror and comedy equally well. It is another movie that seeks to subvert horror movie tropes and follows the conventional premise of a group of friends going to a remote cabin. The friends’ tiny vacation gets ruined when they become the victims of zombies in the woods. However, the story takes a turn when it is revealed that a couple of scientists have been manipulating the evil happenings. Dana, played by Kristen Connolly plays the virginal final girl who manages to realize her role and figures out that she can only survive if all of her friends die. One reason to not miss this movie is that it stars Chris Hemsworth!
Read More: Best Slasher Movies
