4) The Final Girls
Director Todd Strauss-Schulson would argue that The Final Girls isn’t a horror movie, but I’d amend that by saying it isn’t JUST a horror movie. Horror movies are allowed to have a sweet subplot, contextual beauty, and satirical jokes about their own genre idiocy. Hell, I wish we had MORE horror movies like The Final Girls. Strauss-Schulson taps into a tale that’s ripe for emotion, and utilizes a Friday The 13th-esque setting to explore the hard truths about letting go and moving on – basic human elements that are worth more than cheap, silly scares.
Strauss-Schulson doesn’t focus on gore or kills. Those aspects aren’t important here. Audiences sometimes mistake horror for a brainless genre filled with torture-porn bullshit, but The Final Girls is one of those smart, next-level efforts that builds an actual story – and stirs up some feelings that might produce a tear or two. The entire cast here is phenomenal (Taissa Farmiga and Malin Akerman especially), and vibes off the direction that Strauss-Schulson points this elevated genre loveletter.
But in reality, a watch is worth it for Angela Trimbur’s “Cherry Pie” strip tease alone – the rest is just icing on top. Bravo, madame.