The Final Girls may appear to be another stupid campy horror spoof a la Scary Movie but rest assured, it's not. It's most comparable to The Cabin in the Woods, but while that movie deconstructed horror as a whole, The Final Girls' focus is specifically on slashers. It's about a slasher movie star and her daughter who get into a fatal car accident. The daughter survives and years later, her and her friends go to see the slasher movie her mother starred in, then something happens in the theater and somehow the group ends up in the film they were watching. It may sound dumb but all disbelief can easily be suspended due to the smooth transitions, clever dialogue, great acting, and characters you actually care about.
Once they enter the "movie" world, it's simply a blast to watch. Slasher tropes are pointed out, made fun of, and even implemented well when necessary. The virgin girl is the only one who can kill the killer and it must be with his own machete. Sound familiar? Also, anyone who has sex ends up getting killed. Yeah, it's Friday the 13th all over again, except with a new cast. Every character has a personality and has their place in the movie. There's the jock douche, the slutty space cadet, the innocent shy girl, the hipster, you name it. They all work perfectly together, and it's hard to single out one actor as a highlight because the acting throughout is highly impressive for a horror movie. Mainly the two female leads (Max and her mom) have tangible chemistry and some truly heartfelt moments.
So is The Final Girls scary? Not exactly, but does have some badass shots like the killer jumping out of a window in slo-mo while he and his machete are on fire, and someone actually dies by falling face first into a bear trap. Ouch. More importantly though, The Final Girls is funny without being dumb. It's clever humor, and it works around the plot so you have fun while being totally invested in the story. The most surprising thing about this movie is the amount of heart it has. Rarely do tearful personal conversations work in slashers, but here they make up some of the most powerful scenes.
Simply put, The Final Girls is an adventure, and for any meta-horror comedy fans, it's one you should not miss.
