Mikes Film Talk

The 2015 horror/thriller Final Girl is essentially Abigail Breslin as death in a red dress. The film is odd but it entertains.

Directed  by Tyler Shields (His first film.) Final Girl is based on a screenplay by Adam Prince. This is an odd sort of horror film. Starring Abigail Breslin and Wes Bentley it follows Breslin’s character learning how to kill from an early age. Bentley here is in what can only be described as an extended cameo.

The Story

Final Girl opens with Bentley’s character  William “interviewing” the young Breslin character, Veronica.   Years pass and Veronica is now a young woman that  William uses as a weapon.

There are group of young men who hunt and kill young women for sport. It is this quartet of killers that William aims Veronica at. The story was obviously heavily influenced by real life “woman hunter” Alaskan businessman Robert Hansen.  In the film there are four young men who dress in tuxedos and chase down female victims in the woods.

It is never really explained why William trains Veronica to become a living weapon.   The two have an odd relationship. The man has “raised” and trained her from childhood. Although, at one point, she asks him to “teach her” about sex, first hand. William refuses.

The four men take Veronica out in the woods and she turns the tables on the would-be murderers.

It Works, But.

Final Girl has moments that work extremely well. However, there are just as many that miss the mark. At the start of the film Veronica fights with William and the choreography is way off.  Three clear misses from Breslin’s character still results in her sparring partner going down.

Reviewers have complained that the actress was miscast in the film. However, the very fact that Breslin does not look like a trained killer makes the storyline work.  She looks more victim than saviour and this lends itself to the plot.

Back To The Story

Alexander Ludwig  plays the leader of the group. Logan Huffman, Cameron Bright and Reece Thompson make up the rest of the members of this serial killer club. Francesca Eastwood plays the girlfriend of one of the group.

Final Girl ends just as oddly as it starts.  Shields does a good job putting his cast through their paces. Cinematographer Gregory Middleton does a splendid job shooting the forest scenes. Each of his frames are lit well enough that everything that needs to be seen, is.

The Verdict

While not overly impressive the film features solid performances by all the cast making the movie an entertaining experience.

Final Girl is a 3.5 stars out of 5 and well worth watching. Head on over to Peacock, Plex, Tubi, et al where it is currently streaming.. Check it out and see if you like it.

The Trailer