Every Horror Movie With A Final Boy (Not Girl)

Horror movies have several tropes that are common even across sub-genres, but one of the most notable is the final girl, a woman or girl who often must triumph over evil in order to survive. However, what’s much less common is the final boy, often a man or teenage boy who fills the same role, fighting back against the story’s adversaries in order to live.

While there are plenty of final girls and boys of all ages, final girls mostly fall within the same age range of late teens to early adulthood, while final boys seem to get a bit more variety. Examples range from young children like Andy in Child’s Play to teens like Jesse in Nightmare on Elm Street 2, adults like Louis in Pet Sematary, and even middle-aged men like Dr. Verne in Prophecy.

Final boys are an interesting shift from the typical horror focus on women in peril, and offer a variety of unique and valuable perspectives in many different types of horror movies from slashers to creature features to psychological thrillers. As final boys fill an important and under-utilized role worth being examined, here are all of horror’s final boys from 1975 through 2019.

Hooper & Brody in Jaws (1975)

Horror’s first final boys might not be the expected teen boys who have faced off against a serial killer, but final boys they are all the same. Hooper and Brody serve as the only survivors of the infamous shark movie that started the long history of shark attack movies, Steven Spielberg’s Jaws.

Mike in Phantasm (1979)

A more traditional final boy, thirteen-year-old Mike Pearson in Phantasm survives the devilish silver spheres of the mysterious being known as the Tall Man, after he sees the man return a casket to his hearse instead of burying it in the grave.

Dr. Robert Verne in Prophecy (1979)

Another perhaps unexpected final boy is Dr. Robert Verne in the infamous mutant bear movie, Prophecy, from 1979. Dr. Verne and his wife have several close calls with a family of mutated bears, but manage to make it out of the Maine forest alive.

Todd in The Burning (1981)

The first real example of a final boy in the very traditional sense of a slasher movie killing everyone off except the main character, Todd battles the Cropsey killer and lives to tell the tale in the cult classic slasher movie, The Burning.

Ash in The Evil Dead (1981), Evil Dead II (1987), & Army of Darkness (1992)

The sole survivor of the entire Evil Dead series is everyone’s favorite horror king, Ash Williams. Battling the evil spirits lurking in a cabin in the woods from The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II and the hordes of undead when he gets thrown back in time to the Middle Ages in Army of Darkness, Ash always seems to come out on top.

Childs & MacReady in The Thing (1982)

The two survivors of arguably John Carpenter’s greatest movie of all time, The Thing, are MacReady and Childs, the only two remaining members of the research team at Antarctic Outpost 31. While one, both, or neither of them may be infected with the terrifying alien organism that killed their crewmates, both men survive to earn the title as the movie’s final boys.

Tommy Jarvis in Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter (1984), Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985), & Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)

Perhaps Friday the 13th’s most memorable survivor, Tommy Jarvis defeats Jason in Friday the 13th 4, 5, and 6 as a child, a teen, and a young adult (three different actors). Thus, he becomes the franchise’s final boy across three of the series’ installments, even going on to star in the Friday the 13th video game in the same role.

Jesse in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)

Potentially one of horror’s most famous final boys and notable scream king, Jesse takes on Freddy Krueger and lives to tell the tale in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge. Even after Freddy tries to take over his body and make him become a killer himself, he still overcomes.

Charley in Fright Night (1985)

Charley Brewster is another of horror’s final boys, surviving the attacks of his evil vampiric next door neighbor, Jerry Dandrige, in Fright Night. While trying to get everyone around him to believe that Jerry is responsible for killing several local people who have disappeared, Brewster finally triumphs, killing the vampire and surviving along with his girlfriend, Amy.

Jim in The Hitcher (1986)

When Jim Halsey, a young man delivering a car from Chicago to San Diego, spots a man hitchhiking in the West Texas desert he makes the mistake of stopping to give him a ride only to discover the man, John Ryder, is a murderer. Despite being followed and tormented by Ryder killing people and framing him for the murders, Halsey eventually takes control, kills Ryder, and survives.

Sam & Michael in The Lost Boys (1987)

Brothers Sam and Michael face a vampire menace in Santa Carla, California and live to tell the tale, even after Michael is transformed into a vampire himself. After killing the vampire biker gang, the boys are finally saved by their grandpa who kills the head vampire, Max, removing Michael’s vampirism and ending the curse.

Andy in Child’s Play (1988), Child’s Play 2 (1990), Child’s Play 3 (1991)

Despite being tormented by his Good Guy Chucky doll bent on killing him, Andy manages to survive Chucky’s attacks through three movies and undoubtedly a lot of childhood trauma. When serial killer Charles Lee Ray inhabits a Chucky doll through a voodoo curse, he sets his sights on Andy as a new host for his soul, but Andy prevails, becoming Child’s Play’s final boy.

Louis Creed in Pet Sematary (1989)

The tormented final boy of Pet Sematary is doctor, Louis Creed, who sees his entire family killed one by one. Louis, stricken by grief, can’t stop himself from trying to bring them back by burying them in the cursed burial grounds he discovers behind his new home in Ludlow, Maine. However, despite his questionable decisions, Louis remains Pet Sematary’s lone survivor and final boy in the end.

Bill in Society (1989)

Bill Whitney is the final boy of the cult classic ’80s body horror movie, Society. Despite being adopted into a wealthy, high-society family who turn out to actually be members of a murderous society of an alternate species to humans who literally prey on the lifeblood of outsiders, Bill manages to fight them off and escape.

Fool in The People Under the Stairs (1991)

Another very young final boy and an iconic black horror movie character, Poindexter “Fool” Williams is enlisted by his older brother, Leroy, to help break into the home of the family’s landlords, The Robesons, in The People Under the Stairs. Once inside, he discovers that the couple are even more evil than they seem, but manages to escape and even bring The Robesons to justice.

Seth in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

A more action-oriented final boy, Seth is a bank robber on the run from the law who’s forced to battle it out with a strip club full of vampires. But, thanks to his quick wit and a whole lot of firearms, he manages to make it through the night and away to safety.

Kazan in Cube (1997)

An underdog final boy, Kazan from Cube is a neuro-divergent man who can quickly do prime factorizations mentally and has been trapped in the titular giant metal puzzle cube for an unknown amount of time. However, when he’s found by a group of survivors, he helps them progress through the puzzle and manages to make it out of the trap as the only one left alive.

Cooper in Event Horizon (1997)

The lone survivor of the Lovecraftian sci-fi horror movie, Event Horizon, Cooper manages to literally stare directly into hell and come out the other side alive. Saved by the self-sacrifice of Captain Miller, Cooper enters stasis alongside Lieutenant Starck and is found by a rescue party, making them the only survivors of the hellish mission.

Casey in The Faculty (1998)

A final boy made a victim by a whole school full of alien-controlled teachers, Casey manages to survive despite being briefly infected by the alien queen. Despite being a final boy in the traditional sense of being a male protagonist who survives a horror movie, Casey is not the lone survivor, and takes down the alien invasion alongside several of his classmates.

John in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)

The last of the three major slasher franchises, Halloween has its own final boy in Laurie Strode’s son, John, from Halloween H20. When all the students of the private school where Laurie is now the headmistress head away for a field trip, John is left behind and has his own encounter with Michael Myers, but survives.

Steve in Disturbing Behavior (1998)

When a massive conspiracy to reprogram all the children in a Puget Sound high school through brain implants is uncovered, Steve is on the chopping block. Thankfully, with the help of Dorian, the school janitor, and Rachel, a fellow student, most of the reprogrammed students and people involved in the conspiracy are killed and Steve is able to make it out alive as the movie’s final boy.

Carter & Preacher in Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Another pair of final boys who live through a shark attack movie, Carter and Preacher are the only two survivors of a research facility full of genetically engineered sharks who escape their containment units. After flooding most of the facility, the pair are able to escape by blowing up the last remaining shark with an electric charge.

Anton in Idle Hands (1999)

In this black comedy, lazy stoner Anton finds himself with a possessed hand that kills without his knowledge. After chopping off the offending hand, Anton still manages to chase down the hand and survive even after his friends accidentally land him in a full body cast.

Alex in Final Destination (2000)

Perhaps one of the final boys most horror fans would think of first, Alex Browning is the main character and final boy in Final Destination, a movie in which he and several of his classmates cheat death by getting off of a plane before it mysteriously explodes in mid-air. Afterwards, death comes to take the lives that should have been taken in the explosion.

Sean & Nick in The Forsaken (2001)

In this vampire road movie, Sean is an aspiring filmmaker working as a driver where he picks up Nick, a hitchhiker that turns out to be a vampire hunter. After fighting back against the vampire cult and surviving, Sean and Nick ultimately take to the road as a vampire hunting duo.

Jim in 28 Days Later (2002)

When a highly contagious, rage-inducing virus is unleashed in Great Britain, Jim is a bicycle courier who wakes up in a hospital 28 days after the initial outbreak. After being rescued by a pair of survivors, Jim manages to cope with his dying way of life and fend off the infected to become the film’s final boy.

Cooper in Dog Soldiers (2002)

When a group of soldiers come in contact with a pack of werewolves, Cooper is part of a group of survivors holed up in an abandoned house trying to outlast the attack. After discovering that Cooper’s platoon was supposed to be bait for the government to capture a werewolf, he kills off the rest of the creatures and becomes the lone survivor of the movie.

Shaun in Shaun of The Dead (2004)

The titular character in Shaun of the Dead, unrepentant slacker Shaun wakes up one morning hungover to discover that the zombie apocalypse has happened. He quickly amasses a small group of survivors, who head out to take refuge in a local pub. By the end of the movie, Shaun comes into his own and becomes the final boy of his own story.

Eddie in Hellbent (2004)

Hellbent is the originator of the gay slasher movie wave that began in the early 2000s, and follows police technician Eddie who finds himself in the middle of a string of murders on Halloween. When a masked killer begins targeting gay men at a Halloween carnival, Eddie has to take the killer down in order to survive the night.

Paxton in Hostel (2005)

In Eli Roth’s original torture fest, Hostel, college friends Paxton and Josh are traveling across Europe when they find themselves in the middle of an underground trafficking operation. Paxton is the only survivor of the movie, becoming the final boy by not only making it out of the facility and killing his captors, but tracking down the man who killed his friend and killing him as well.

Owen in Cry Wolf (2005)

When a group of teenagers play a game called Cry Wolf, a girl is found dead; rumors begin flying about who could be behind the killing. Unfortunately, though Owen is ultimately the survivor and final boy, he also ends up being framed for the murders and goes to jail, as he is unable to prove his innocence.

Nick in House of Wax (2005)

In a shift from most final boys who survive alongside a female romantic partner, Nick survives the attacks of a demented pair of wax model builders with his twin sister, Carly. Thanks to Nick’s determination and protective nature, the pair are able to make it out alive and avoid being killed and covered with wax like their friends.

Ben in Wolf Creek (2005)

Wolf Creek follows two British tourists, Liz Hunter and Kristy Earl, and their Australian friend, Ben Mitchell, as the trio is backpacking across the country. Finding themselves in the middle of nowhere the group falls victim to a serial killer named Mick Taylor. After his friends are killed, Ben manages to survive, and ends up being rescued and airlifted to a hospital.

Doug in The Hills Have Eyes (2006)

As the Carter family are traveling through the Nevada desert, they’re attacked by a gang of cannibalistic mutants who live in the nearby hills in the 2006 remake of Wes Craven’s The Hills Have Eyes. Doug Bukowski is the son-in-law of the Carter family patriarch, and the main protagonist of the film. He manages to survive the killers along with his brother and sister-in-law and his baby daughter.

Kale in Disturbia (2007)

One of many takes on the classic Rear Window formula, Disturbia follows Kale, a troubled teenager who finds himself under house arrest after attacking a teacher. Soon, though, Kale discovers his neighbor is a killer and has to find a way to alert the authorities without getting himself killed in the process.

Michael in The Stepfather (2009)

In a twist on the 1987 film of the same name, The Stepfather follows Michael Harding, a young man who returns home from military school to find that his mother is engaged to a man who seems off. When it turns out the man is a killer, Michael has to save himself and his mother to become the movie’s final boy.

Brent in The Loved Ones (2009)

In one of the best Australian horror movies of recent years, The Loved Ones, Brent is the truest final boy in the traditional sense, overcoming a female serial killer who abducts and tortures him. Brent only manages to survive through exceptional circumstances and smart thinking, just like more classic examples of horror movie’s final girls are known to do.

Arkin in The Collector (2009)

Former convict Arkin O’Brien works as a handyman, but in order to pay off debts his wife owes to loan sharks, he decides to steal a ruby from his employers’ home. Unfortunately, he’s not the only one breaking into the house, and he and the family have to work together to fight off a crazed serial killer who collects victims from different families.

Bug in My Soul to Take (2010)

One of Wes Craven’s most underrated movies, My Soul to Take follows Bug as one of seven teenagers who were born the same year as the death of a local serial killer, the Riverton Ripper. With many twists and turns, Bug has to survive and keep himself and his friends safe as everyone around him is picked off one by one.

David in The Crazies (2010)

This 2010 remake of George Romero’s 1973 film focuses on an Iowa town afflicted by a biological agent that turns everyone it affects into crazed killers. David, the sheriff of surrounding Pierce County and his wife, Judy, the local doctor, are both caught up in a military quarantine, but eventually escape, and become the movie’s only survivors.

Marty in The Cabin in the Woods (2011)

The stoner archetype character very rarely survives to the end of a slasher movie, but that’s just one of many expectations that The Cabin in the Woods subverts. Marty, the stoner, becomes the final boy of this highly meta horror film, surviving alongside the traditional final girl.

Will in The Invitation (2015)

The Invitation follows Will as he and his girlfriend arrive at his ex-wife’s home for a dinner party, but as the evening wears on, Will becomes increasingly concerned that something is not right. By the end of the night, Will has to save himself and his girlfriend as both the house and city erupts into chaos.

Eric in Circle (2015)

Circle focuses on fifty people who wake up to find themselves in a dark room, not remembering how they got there. Soon they realize that one of them is killed every few minutes or if they attempt to leave, but when they begin to discover they can control who is killed, Eric eventually becomes the last person standing.

Pat in Green Room (2016)

Pat is one member of a punk band who are traveling the Pacific Northwest, but when one of their gigs gets cancelled, they get a new show in a very rural area outside Portland. Unfortunately, the venue is owned by a group of Nazi skinheads and when the band, being punks, voice their displeasure things escalate quickly. Pat barely manages to make it out alive.

Mike in The Belko Experiment (2016)

In office horror movie, The Belko Experiment, employees arriving to work are instructed to kill two of their coworkers or face the consequences. Soon employees break into factions with Mike leading one of them, and things quickly devolve as employees are killed. Quickly, Mike takes out the security guards, the voice over the intercom, and becomes the only survivor.

Luke in The Ritual (2017)

The one screw-up in a group of four friends, Luke joins his college buddies for a hiking trip in the forests of Sweden in memory of their friend who passed away six months before. Unfortunately, the group gets lost in the forest and stumbles upon an ancient evil known as the Jötunn that kills each of them one by one until Luke finally manages to escape.

Chris in Get Out (2017)

When Black photographer Chris meets the family of his white girlfriend for the first time, he begins to notice their increasingly strange behavior. What might initially be dismissed as plain racism is soon revealed to be so much more sinister as Chris learns he is being hunted and must survive. He eventually kills his attackers and escaping as the final boy, clearly subverting a longstanding horror movie trope about Black male protagonists being among the first to die.

Cole in The Babysitter (2017)

In the  horror-comedy The Babysitter, lonely pre-teen Cole has two friends, one of whom is his babysitter, Bee. But, when his only other friend, Melanie, encourages him to see what Bee gets up to when he’s asleep, he discovers she’s the leader of a demonic cult and has to fend off her and the other murderous cultists in order to survive the night.

Tom in Delirium (2018)

After spending twenty years in a mental institution, Tom Walker is released under house arrest, but soon discovers that his father’s old mansion houses more than meets the eye. When he begins experiencing what he assumes to be hallucinations, he finds himself with a very real adversary, having to overcome past trauma to become the final boy in this story.

Ben in Escape Room (2019)

Escape Room follows six participants who are invited to take part in an escape room to win a $10,000 prize. But, they quickly realize that the game they’re in has much higher stakes than they expected. Each participant is killed off one by one until Ben, a stockboy, is the only one left, becoming the final boy in this horror movie.

About The Author