The Final Girl: genesis NFT collection by Abby

The Final Girl, my genesis NFT collection on Foundation.app, is a synthesis of my love for art and movies. Each will have a title based in film theory. The first three: Anti-Hero, Flashback and Diffusion are pieces I created pre-Top Dog. Each portrait is unique–she is the protagonist–the heart of her own narrative.

What is 'the Final Girl'?

'The Final Girl' is an archetypal character in film theory which came about during the horror/slasher movie boom in 1980s. Halloween (1978), Alien (1979) and Friday the 13th (1980) are just a few examples of movies in which the 'Final Girl' appears. After all her friends get killed off, she is the last one standing, left to confront the villain and tell the story.

But why does she survive? Her character represented the feminine ideal at the time: virtuous, mature and perceptive, sensing something is wrong long before anyone else catches on.

Fear not! The traditional 'Final Girl' archetype has evolved over time. Historically, it was heavy on the moral message: stay away from boys. She was the sole survivor while her more confident and… sexually-experienced… best friend is the first to be killed off. Directors such as Joss Whedon have challenged this and moulded the Final Girl into someone a more modern audience can relate to. His TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997) features a Final Girl (Buffy) who can both kiss boys and kill monsters. Whedon also directs The Cabin in the Woods (2011), in which he makes slasher film theory mind-bogglingly meta.

Slayer, Power Ranger, Warrior Princess

The Pink Ranger (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, 1993), Xena (Xena the Warrior Princess, 1995) and Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 1997) were the shows that made my childhood. The first two I think I watched before I was old enough to even follow the storylines. I just loved watching them use their powers to save the day–these were women no one was going to mess with. Then came Buffy–I spent my teen years saving my money to collect the video box sets.

The Final Girl collection will be released on Foundation on Sat 30th October 2021.