You know who we're talking about. If you've ever seen anything that leans even a little into the horror genre, you've seen her. She's the sweet girl next door , who eschews teenage experimentation - no alcohol, no sex, definitely no drugs - desperately trying to outrun the serial killer at the end of a slasher flick. Her moral superiority might just be the thing that saves her. But she'll suffer first. Oh yes. Sound familiar? There have been lots of deconstructions of this trope and some excellent subversions, but you know how the dragons like to dissect things! This week, Jules and Madeleine take a stroll this this particular trope's path, tracing it from horror to thriller to crime to SFF. Like most tropes, it's not all bad although there's definitely some less savoury aspects to this one. Under the microscope this week - Alien, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and many more. Join us for a look at the gory origins of the Final Girl.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 29: The Frankenstein Complex - Why is 'Fan Fiction' such a dirty word?
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 28: Gobblefunk and Glyphs - creating words in Children's Fantasy
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 27: Harnessing Demons - How Writers use their own faults and insecurities in Writing
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 26: A Touch of Faust - Changing Goals on your Protagonist and when this works
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 25: Death and All His Friends - Themes of Death, Dying and Grief in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 24: Cognoggins and Clockwork - What makes good Steampunk?
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 23: Genius Loci - Writing Real World Places in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 22: Once More Around the Sun - Celebrating Terrible Birthdays in Speculative Fictio
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 21: Down with the Empire - exploring political themes in YA Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 20: Clash of the Titans - Superheroes vs Superheroes
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 19: Was that REALLY necessary? The overuse of Sexual Violence in Speculative Media
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 18: Oh not another Zombie Movie - the Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Living Dead
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 17: Magnus Bane to Jack Harkness - LGBTQA+ Representation and Diversity in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 16: Rattling Bones and Poltergeists - the Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Ghost Stories
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 15: Moustache Twirling 101 - the Mechanics of writing a Villain
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 14: Main Mission - Gaming Narrative, the Future of Storytelling
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 13 - Man-Eating Monster to Flower-Toting Belle - the transition of Fairies in the Victorian Era
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 12: The Gender Bend - Does the Gender make the Story?
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 11: Teams, Trios and Fellowships - the importance of Friendship in Speculative Fiction
Dissecting Dragons: Episode 10: Fight like a Girl - 'Strong' Female Characters in Speculative Fiction
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Voice of Mushfik
Lit Society: Books and Drama
Ex Libris
A Princess of Mars
The Story of Mankind
Fresh Air
Myths and Legends