I’m sure you’ve heard of The Final Girls by now. It was one of the year’s most anticipated titles and it’s been receiving a lot of rave reviews lately. I wanted to give it a shot myself based on all of the good things I’ve seen about it, but I went into my viewing slightly apprehensive. Navigating the world of horror-comedy is often a slippery slope, one that is extremely hard to master. Did The Final Girls meet my expectations and prove it’s one of the best titles of the year? Read my review to find out.
The Final Girls is written by M.A. Fortin & Joshua John Miller and directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson. Cast members include Taissa Famiga (“American Horror Story”), Malin Akerman (“The Comeback”), Alexander Ludwig (The Hunger Games), Alia Shawkat (“Arrested Development”), Nina Dobrev (“The Vampire Diaries”), Adam DeVine (Pitch Perfect), Thomas Middleditch (“Silicon Valley”), Angela Trimbur (Rob Zombie’s Halloween II), Chloe Bridges (“Pretty Little Liars”), Tory N. Thompson, Dan B. Norris and Eric Michael Carney.
“When Max and her friends reluctantly attend a tribute screening of an infamous ’80s slasher film that starred Max’s late mother, they are accidentally sucked into the silver screen. They soon realize they are trapped inside the cult classic movie and must team up with the fictional and ill-fated “Camp Bloodbath” counselors, including Max’s mom as the shy scream queen, to battle the film’s machete-wielding, masked killer. With the body count rising in scene after iconic scene, who will be THE FINAL GIRLS left standing and live to escape this film?” – Vertical Entertainment
OK, I’m just going to get this out of the way and state the obvious: The Final Girls is one of the best movies I’ve seen all year. I’m shocked because, again, doing genuine horror-comedy is hard and this title had an extra layer of movie-inception going on with a movie taking place inside of a movie. I thought it was going to be confusing or stupid, but you know what? It was fantastic! It was so well written and witty. I think the strongest trait that will reel in horror fans is the “Camp Bloodbath” aspect of the film. The setting and its killer are obviously an homage to Friday the 13th and they are wonderfully developed as more than just a backdrop and a machete wielding psycho. To try to explain my thoughts here. It’s like you’re watching several movies at once: Camp Bloodbath, a movie about kids getting sucked into a movie, and a comedy making fun of horror stereotypes. God damnit, it’s so genius.
What I’m really thrilled about is the fact that the comedy aspect comes from making fun of horror stereotypes instead of the typical nudity, bodily functions and cursing that comes with horror-comedies now a-days like A Haunted House and Scary Movie. The Final Girls definitely has a Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon feel to it, but it’s much funnier due to some much needed tongue in cheek wit, sarcasm and banter. The gore is there, too, but it’s not at the forefront as much as it should be. The action, though, is sky high and fun and the final confrontation scene – while a little hokey – was awesome. Car crashes, explosions, booby traps and a girl stripping out of oven mitts and a life preserver more than make up for a slight lack of gore. I know my words are jumping all over the place here, but I’m trying to make sense of this awesome, awesome movie! Oh, and there’s no nudity! There’s a lot of bras and bikini tops, but there’s no nudity! So The Final Girls is suitable for a family of all ages in all venues!
I don’t want to spend too much time talking about the cast because there’s no words that can describe how well they did here. Excellent, excellent job, guys. The three leads – Famiga, Akerman and Ludwig – stole the show and I felt real chemistry between all of them. I wanted to see a lot more of Paula (played by Chloe Bridges) because she was my type of woman. The Final Girls serves as my introduction to Nina Dobrov, who I’ve heard a lot about due to her work on “The Vampire Diaries,” and I have to say the hype around her is justified. The only one I didn’t like is Adam Devine, who always looks constipated and tries too hard. Please go back to wherever you came from, unfunnier, younger Jack Black. Of course, all of the actors wouldn’t look as pretty and in focus if it wasn’t for the monumentally talented cinematographer Elie Smolkin and production designer Katie Byron. The picture looks sharp, exquisite and it really pops. The acting and the production quality of The Final Girls are top notch and, coupled with an original and atmospheric script and the right amounts of comedy and horror, help make this movie an absolute beast.
I loved it. There’s nothing left to say. An innovative, sparking homage to the slasher genre with romance and action tied into blood splatters and laughs. My favorite film of the year hands down. I streamed it on Amazon Instant Video, but I enjoyed my viewing so much that I’m going to buy it on DVD, too. It has tremendous re-watchability and it’s something you can watch with your friends again and again. FINAL SCORE: 9.5 out of 10.
