The Final Girls

Movie review by Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media
The Final Girls Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 14+

Surprising mix of horror, comedy, and touching moments.

PG-13 2015 88 minutes
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Parents say

age 13+

Based on 3 reviews

Kids say

age 14+

Based on 6 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Final Girls is a comical spoof of horror movies, with modern characters "stuck" inside a slasher movie from the 1980s. Expect a few gory and/or shocking slasher-movie moments, but compared to "pure" slasher movies, it's fairly mild. Characters also fight with machetes, and there are some explosions and a fire. Sexual innuendo is strong, but it's usually intended to be funny. A Playboy magazine is shown, and characters are definitely talking and thinking about sex (including discussion of who is and isn't a virgin). Language isn't especially frequent but does include uses of "s--t" and "bitch." Characters take the drug Adderall, and there's some cigarette smoking and drinking (beer and vodka). The movie is clever and funny, as well as surprisingly touching, as the main character learns to let go of a lost loved one.

Community Reviews

cagey11
cagey11 Adult
October 19, 2020
age 14+

Heads-up: Joke about autism

It should be noted that there is a throwaway joke made about one of the main characters losing her virginity to an autistic guy. Rude, didn't add to the movie AT ALL, and it caused me to drop a star from my rating. Otherwise, it wasn't a bad movie. The script was not strong, but there were several funny moments (brought by Devine, Middleditch, and Trimbur), and the jump scares were fun. It does help if your teen is familiar with the slasher film formula (and the "losing your virginity at camp" cliche). The sexy stuff was a bit much, but goofy and no actual sex. The word "fag" is said once. If you do go ahead and watch the film with your teen(s), I think the ableist joke (as well as the homophobic slur) is worth mentioning and should be included in the "What Families Can Talk About".
1 person found this helpful.
Fernando V.
Fernando V. Adult
October 1, 2018
age 13+

The Final Girls Review

The Final Girls is a hilarious humor mix with horror and has some really effective scenes filled with emotion and depth. I was completely surprised by this film. There is quite a bit of sexual humor mixed with uncompleted and interrupted sexual content. Overall The Final Girs is a perfect horror comedy filled with a surprising amount of emotional depth, which I loved. I'm going to give The Final Girls a 10/10.

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

As a teen, Max (Taissa Farmiga) loses her mother -- an actress in "B" movies (Malin Akerman) -- in a car accident. Three years later, Max is invited to attend a screening of her mother's most famous movie, the slasher film Camp Blood Bath. When a fire erupts in the theater, Max and four friends escape by cutting a hole in the screen and stepping through. Strangely, they wake up inside the movie itself, and, much to her shock and joy, Max is able to interact with her mother's fictional character, Nancy. Unfortunately, even though they know what's going to happen in the movie, the rules keep changing, and they must avoid fictional killer Bill Murphy ... or they could die in real life.

Is It Any Good?

The horror meta-movie has been done before (Scream), but this one edges past mere cleverness with a strangely touching emotional core: What would you do if you met a shadow of your lost mother? THE FINAL GIRLS starts with a genuine affection for the slasher genre, including a fake trailer for Camp Blood Bath that recalls the days of VHS video rentals. One of the characters is an uber-fan of the genre, effectively conveying the adoration that horror hounds have for the rules (and cliches) of their chosen genre.

Some of the movie-within-a-movie characters are silly, but the likable "real life" characters make up for it; naïve comments are trumped by more understanding ones. Director Todd Strauss-Schulson (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) has fun staging and re-imagining horror movie moments, including flashbacks (with raining black-and-white goop washing away the color) and onscreen titles. Yet none of it is condescending. It stays true to the people who love movies and who love life as well.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Final Girls' violence. How much gore is necessary to the story? How does this movie compare to "regular" horror movies? Does the violence impact you differently because of the movie's tone?

  • Is the movie scary? Where does the line between horror and comedy start and stop?

  • Some of the women in the movie seem to have a hard time knowing when it is and isn't OK to have sex. What do you think of the way the movie deals with the topic of sex?

  • What's the appeal of old 1980s horror/slasher movies? Why do people enjoy them?

Movie Details

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