@mOwOterboat The book and the 2005 remake are called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the 1971 film is called Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Nice! I just stared blankly at the screen until he called me a cupcake lol. Couldn't believe how hard it was to think of one other dude not in the thumbnail!
Omg you guys Ive been searching a horror movie and I don’t know the title I don’t even know if it was parody or not the scenes I can recall are a group of college I assume kids are in this cabin and one by one they get possessed, its a mixture of evil dead and zombie I also remember in the ending stretch the possed girl was like “Help me sad face” to this guy and when we saw them she was eating him it was so cool idk guys help me out here and in the end I think they were being lock up in this science prison, yeah the deaded ones come back to life like a zombie demon idk it was everywhere campy asf If anyone knows the movie help me out
I can't help but feel like Danny Torrance from The Shining deserves the final boy title, even though his mother was the girl. The chase scene in the maze is a prime example of "Final person" activates imo.
ya know…. danny almost made the cut, but wendy just outshines him IMO. if danny had more of a role in “defending” himself instead of just running around & hiding (which is valid, i mean, he’s a child) then he would’ve def been on this list.
@@ZANESJOINT maybe not in the film, but in the book he is very much a final boy! He is separated from Wendy and Hallorann and has to run through the hotel from his possessed father. It's all up to him in the end. -Also he survives the sequel book as well.- Also I can't remember if he was on the thumbnail, but Marty from Silver Bullet
1. Dutch from Predator 2. Andy from Child's Play 3. Martin Brody from Jaws That being said, I'm not sure how many of these count. Probably doesnt help that Martin and Dutch come from all male casts anyways.
I feel like there are way more prevalent final boys in horror games (Leon Kennedy, Isaac Clarke, Ethan Winters, etc) and those characters do actually exhibit the characteristics I look for in male horror protagonists. Being vulnerable
shout out to james sunderland and alan wake as well, especially since they more fit that final girl trope of "they survived but will they ever really recover from this?"
Oh lets not forget the dad from The Mist (he MADE SURE he was gonna be the final boy lmaoo), and more recently, the dad from “When Evil Lurks”. Hated him so bad, but he was a flawed final boy who i felt bad for.
I think Final Boys are more common outside of specifically the slasher subgenre. Off the top of my head I can think of Charley from Fright Night (1985), Oskar from Let The Right One In (2008), and Francis Crozier from season 1 of The Terror (2018). Obviously aside from the ladder, these aren’t really characters surviving an ensemble being picked off, but rather protagonists who happen to be boys, so perhaps that’s why we tend to see a distinction between “final boy” and “male horror protagonist.”
I remember telling my Dad about this and he thought I was messing with him he knew Busta Rhymes was in the movie and that it was garbage but he didn’t know Busta hits Michael with that Kung Fu at the end and just how ridiculous that Film got. Genuinely hilarious how bad it is.
I consider Gale just as much of a final girl as Sidney because Gale is essential for the franchise. There is no Scream without Gale just like there is no Scream without Sidney. Gale embodies what Scream is about: the media's exploitation of tragedy.
1) Devon Sawa in the 1st Final Destination 2) I can't remember the character's name but the black teen in Night of the Demon (Even those he survived along with the final girl in the movie) 3) Techinally John Conner to a certian extent depending on which movie you're watch in the Terminator franchise Bonus: I guess Ice Cube in Anaconda & Brad Pitt in Cutting Class
Are we really calling any Terminator film horror? Maybe the first one could be considered as such but even then that one has Sarah Connor as the final girl.
Andy Barclay is legitimately my favorite horror protagonist. I also would make the argument that the first Childs Play in particular is an allegory for CSA.
@@apinchofdisappointment little dude acted the hell outta that first movie. One of the best child actor performances in a horror movie for me. That first film also spawned one of the longest horror movie franchises that haven’t reset canon or anything. The Chucky show is a direct sequel to all of the Chucky and Child’s Play films that came before (Except for that dumb MGM reboot that we should all forget about, completely separate studio and made against the wishes of the franchise’s creators)
Will Graham is a final boy. Especially in Hannibal (2013). I'd say that show is the perfect example. Especially being unapologetically queer and having a vulnerable final boy make one of the best corruption arcs in television history.
Haven't seen people naming a lot of classic film final boys, so I'm gonna step in and remind everyone of the og's: 1. Ben (Night of the Living Dead- Yes he technically dies at the end but I count him because he is the last surviving member of the group and specifically doesn't get killed by the movie's major horror threat) 2. Robert Neville/Morgan in some adaptations (I am Legend and it's many adaptations, a literal final boy as he is actually the only human left on earth) 3. Peter (The Legend of Hell House- twice a final boy because he's revisiting the place where he was the only survivor. There is also a woman alive at the end of this one, but if MacReady counts while Childs is also debatably still alive then he counts too)
My favourite final boy is Ben from Wolf Creek. The bait and switch was so well done! The attention has been on two women for so long that you forget about Ben, then it switches to his fight for survival. The show takes place nearly ten years after the first movie and Ben is traumatized, can barely talk. I felt so bad for him
The amount of camp that was put into people under the stairs was so surprising to me when I first watched it. My parents r both fans of the movie and was not at all expecting what I got into. Also, the fact that the landlord and his wife... *sister, were husband and wife in twins peak and are such different characters in it is so cool. Great video really underrated subject, would love a video diving into people under the stairs from u
Corey Haim from Silver Bullet. Frog Brothers from The Lost Boys. Andy from Child's play, the new kid from Child's Play tv series. Peter Cushing in most Hammer movies, he's a final MAN, not a boy. Johnny Depp Sleepy Hallow, From Hell, and the 9th gate. Stephen Dorff The Gate. The kid in Jeepers Creepers 1. Arnold in the Predator, Danny Glover in Predator 2, all but one predator movie had final men. The protagonist in Late phases. So many not included in the thumbnail right off the top of my head. Oh the kid in Phantasm. The kid in Fright Night(original was the best). And the list goes on.
Hot take but a lot of action movie characters meet the definition for final boy (I’m thinking movies like Die Hard or Taken) which is why I don’t feel like the term or genre of horror film for final boy ever caught on. Horror is one of the few genres where women get to take center stage.
I think it's interesting how in both the movies you mentioned (and maaany more action/thrillers) the main objective of the male protagonist is to save a woman, wife and daughter in these cases. I think both action and horror movies represent two different male fantasies, understandably so since until recent times they were mainly targeted towards men. Not a critique btw, just an observation
Roger from Night of the Demons is a great example of a Final Guy, glad you brought this subject up, im obsessed with Final Guys and we need waaaay more.
As much as I love your list, I think it’s CRIMINAL you didn’t mention: Dutch from Predator, played by the GOAT Arnie Schwarzenegger, and Herbert West and Dan Cain of Re-Animator, who are very morally grey final boys, which makes them interesting AS final boys imo.
When you said “groovy” as you moved to introduce Ash I grinned from ear to fucking ear. Anyway this was such a solid video!! I’m sending it to like three people.
My answer to the question at the start of the video: 1. John Johnson from Fear Street 2. Michael Schmidt from FNaF 3. Chad Meeks from Scream (2022) and Scream IV
Paused the video upfront and thought for a good while about the question, what I got was- 1) Charley Brewster (Fright Night) 2) Andy Barclay (Child’s Play) 3) Jonathan Shaw (Terrifier 2)
Jonathan Shaw from Terrifier 2! he's definitely outshined by his sister, but he still goes through so much and kicks ass when he needs to. I would've loved to see him come into his own during the third movie, but sadly his presence is very limited. My favorite will always be Dewey though.
Can't wait to watch this video!! Ok now to answer the question: 1. Dr Hoffman from Saw and Eric Matthews from Saw 2 2. Dan Cain from Reanimator (not sure if he counts considering his involvement in the reanimation I guess) 3. Marty from Cabin in the Woods, technically (?) Oh and Paxton from Hostel I guess. It's funny how most of them come with a 'sorta' or 'technically' attached
@irritableizzy ... I did mean to say Daniel, I got their names mixed up 🤦🤦🤦But yeah! I'm surprised the Saw franchise wasn't mentioned in the video since there are a couple of final boys in the franchise
Would add to this list: 1. Bill Pullman in The Serpent and the Rainbow. 2. Kevin Dillon in the Blob. 3. Patrick O'Brian in 976 Evil. 4. Jameson Parker in Prince of darkness.
Your content is incredibly underrated. I love watching analysis and commentary on movies, films, culture, etc. But yours is the only one I genuinely keep track of my notifications for. Thank you for the content. - Nio
echo what @TevinHypolite said, “ghetto home alone” LMFAOOOO the hero & villain roles are reversed, it’s diverse, a stronger message, underrated, more violent (duh) etc etc lmk what you think !
It's great. The lead kid puts on a great performance and it's pretty funny too. The main villains are also Ed and Nadine from Twin Peaks if you've seen that.
Tommy Jarvis should have returned in Freddy vs Jason as the main hero, it would have been great to see him stop Jason one last time to save the people of Springwood and face a new enemy for him like Freddy Krueger.
Ash is my favourite final boy, and I love him in the og Evil Dead so much, along with Sam and Michael and the Frog brothers after him. But I would also make a case for Ben, and Mark from Salem's Lot. Though they're different in the book they do make it to the end, and we're fantastic characters.
Genuinely shocked ppl didn't like Jessie's story in Nightmare on Elm street 😧 its always been one of my favs, because it took such a different approach. Like Jessie seemed to be one of the few characters who is terrified of the demon in his dreams, and he loses! The love interest helping to save him is corny but i just loved how it isnt likke the rest of the movies
THE INVITATION! Fuck man, I forgot about that movie! I seen it like 5-6 years ago. The grief of the protags there was brutal, and THEN shit really gets crazy. I'm so glad you did the deep dive with this video man because I'm about to watch that one again here shortly. Also, if you wanna see a good movie maybe only horrorish or horror-adjacent, Dragged Across Concrete is a great one. Craig Zohler so you know that guy can't make a movie without have some seriously fucked up shit happening. I remember the movie getting hit with some rough reviews when it came out due to some of the racially charged subject matter, but for me the ending says it all. The three main actors are Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn, and Tory Kittles. Two white and one black actors here, so you can guess who ain't gonna make it right? Gotta watch and find out! I fucking LOVE that movie. Glad I found the channel! You really do work here, I really like the interactions with the camera, no one else does cool shit like how you do here. I'm in, and one the ground floor, too! There's no way this channel doesn't blow up, you already seem to know your shit with making good stuff. To call it 'content' does it a disservice due to what that implies here on RUclips. This hour went by far too fast! Appreciate the effort you put in here, it shows!
“the invitation” was shot very well. i first watched it at the beginning of the pandemic & my jaw dropped at the ending, i was like, “welllllll SHIT” i have never heard about this “dragged across concrete” film - but i see it’s 2hr’s & 40mins. you gotta have a lot of balls to make a film that long & not be Tarantino, Scorsese, Coppola etc etc … i’ll have to add it to my Letterboxd. i love Vince Vaughn. [im a “SWINGERS” stan] && thanks for the kind words, homie! the pleasure is all mine. i do hope this channel blows up. this is all a lot of fun for me.
I can’t do horror. I’ve tried. So the little film nerd in me appreciates you laying this out and showing so many examples of this trope. I’ll never watch any of these films, but I’ll have to check out the synopses for them!
In Salem's Lot, I kinda feel like Mark way outshines Ben as the final boy, even though they both live. It just feels like he does a lot more, especially considering his age
I personally consider a final girl/boy a character that survives a horror franchise specifically. Main characters typically have plot armor so I don’t count it if there’s only one installment. Edit: in addition to that, UNLESS it’s a side character that wasn’t supposed to survive. Like Randy if there was only the first Scream
Chucky, Lost Boys and Get Out are the ones I've seen and still remember, so those are the finals I remember. And of the three Lost Boys final boys definitely feel like they made it out on top: not only did the older brother save the girl and cure his vampirism, they also had it confirmed that they have the coolest grandpa alive AND a bunch of vampires with cool fashion sense are now dead and their outfits are free for the plunder! Get Out and Daniel DID get his one and only bro to pull the save of all time, a masterclass in satisfying climaxes, but... he still wen through all of that. And as for Andy in Child's Play, judging from what we saw in those sequels... that poor guy did not get a happy life, always having to deal with Chucky's bullshit. It's admirable to be final boy so many times, but after a while it has to be seriously stressful.
1. Thank you for mentioning Phantasm. That’s my fav horror movie of all time. 2. Wanted to suggest Michael from Brainscan, Dutch from Predator, and McKee and Bassett from Tremors
53:39 I was thinking about Kazan the whole time I was watching this and I squealed with joy to see you cover him! This is my first horror movie and always will have a special place in my heart.
You mentioned how there are hardly any final boys, but after watching this video, I kinda beg to differ. Sure, certainly not many as compared to final girls, but you put so many on here that I forgot about, or wasn't aware of at all. I thought of some, but I'm not sure if they qualify: Tad Trenton from Cujo, Marty Coslaw and Uncle Red from Silver Bullet, Brett Harrison from Bad Moon, Chris Halloran from The Howling, Cooper from Dog Soldiers(funny how a lot of these are werewolf movies), Vincent D'Agosta from The Relic, Luke from The Ritual.
Great job and video! :D instant subscribe as for Final boys not in thumbnail, my first thoughts were Pat from "Green Room" or Charlie in "Fright Night" (either 80's or 2010's), both played by the great Anton Yelchin
my horror game special interest allowed me to name dozens of final boys for that intro part. leon kennedy, james sunderland (depending on the ending lol), isaac clarke, sebastian castellanos, ethan winters, henry townsend, harry mason, to name a few... i love horror game male protagonists/final boys bc they exhibit such depths of suffering
I’m so happy to see Fool mentioned. The People Under The Stairs is so underrated and Fool was a great protagonist Also always happy to see Idle Hands get mentioned lol EDIT: Arkin from The Collector too! Hell yeah
I can name at least two: Jimmy from Harper's Island was the only male survivor, and Blake from Totally Killer. Also, Freddie Prinze Jr.'s character from the first two Last Summer films counts.
If you watch the Chucky series and to a lesser extent the rest of the Child's Play movies you'll find out that Andy did NOT in fact get the therapy he needed. First video of yours I've seen and a definite subscribe.
A few personal fave “final boys” that weren’t mentioned: Marty Coslaw “Silver Bullet,” John Wayne Cleaver “I’m Not a Serial Killer,” Luke “Daniel Isn’t Real,” Will Graham “Manhunter” and “Red Dragon,” Jacob “Jacob’s Ladder,” Cooper “Dog Soldiers,” David Kessler “An American Werewolf in London” and Capt. John Boyd “Ravenous.” Most are “vulnerable” and “flawed” with decent character arcs.
Seth Gecko was the one final boy I thought of that wasn't in the thumbnail! I also thought about Anton from Idle Hands, because I'm a big fan of that movie, so I'm glad we got double Sawa representation on the list. And kudos for the deep cut reference of Shaun, from Shaun of the Dead's full name! You mentioned Duane Jones in Night of the Living Dead, I would also like to mention Ken Foree in Dawn of the Dead from 1978. The Black characters in Romero's original Dead Trilogy end up making it to the end, including Terry Alexander in Day of the Dead.
when it comes to final boys (ones not shown) my mind immediately goes to rodger from "Night of the Demons" who not only breaks the curse/troupe of the black guy dying first, but he Fuckin DESIMATES IT! Like survivor is written into the characters DNA, he not only escaped the demons, but came back escaped again, and came back a third time to be the one to save the final girl and then escaped 3 for 3. he is the equivalent of beating the boss then coming back to do it again just to style on them
Actually I always thought people who only focus on final girls were kind of ignoring the greatness that the other side of the coint has too. But at the same time I thought it was for "satire" purposes, as girls are usually used just to appear sexy or fetishize their suffering and the final girls was a way to claiming them back. anyways...
I thought of 3 easily, and then thought of a few more: Casey (Elijah Wood) and Zeke (Josh Hartnett) "The Faculty", John (coincidentally also Josh Harnett) "Halloween H20", Marty (Frantz Kanz) "Cabin in the Woods", Steve (James Marsden) "Disturbing Behavior", Jim (Cillian Murphy) "28 Days Later", David (Timothy Olyphant) "The Crazies", Cole (Judah Lewis) "The Babysitter", Darry Jenner (Justin Long) "Jeepers Creepers" (even though he technically is killed, he still feels like a final boy to me (that sounds not great)), Bill Denbrough (Jonathan Brandis) "IT", Val (Kevin Bacon) "Tremors" Never realized until now that final boy movies have quite the overlap with some of my favorite movies.
I have to say, you’ve been posting for less than a month and I am so glad I found you! I love the aesthetic of the video and the background music! Everything feels very relaxing and I cannot wait to see more.
One of the best video summaries I've seen, about a genre of movies I love and a subset in this genre that isn't talked about nearly enough. Love the video and can't wait to see what you'll do next. You deserve the subscription, my brother.
boyce in overlord 2018, R from warm bodies idk if he counts, alex in dont breathe, and zeke in spiral book of saw? debatable if they fit exactly but great none the less
what about Marcus from ‘A Quiet Place’? Him and his sister could be considered final siblings! also, just discovered this channel, so so underrated, great work bro!
The kid from Night of the Creeps The middle aged man in Halloween 3 Paul Rudd in Halloween 4 The kid from Critters(He's the red headed guy from The Orville)
someone else brought up my exact thoughts but the final boy trope is far more prevalent in gaming but it’s also a lot different in my opinion. the final boys in gaming tend face a different kind of force, instead of some maniac with a vendetta or someone getting their rocks of slicing up teens they tend to face just insanely overwhelming odds. one of my favorite final boys is leon s. kennedy but realistically i don’t know if the final boy trope even ties itself to something like a full city/village of zombies
Before I even get a minute in to the video the only final boys I can think of without googling are... Mike and Reggie from Phantasm and Jesse from Nightmare on Elm Street 2. Man, I swear I thought I could come up with more than that! 🤦🏽♀️
Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker Re-Animantor Final Destination The Fool from Cabin in the Woods, perhaps. That's a tricky one. Dewey is a big part of the final trio that survives Scream 1, 2, & 3 (scream always has a "final" crowd) I see your point, though. Significantly less iconic, (minus Andy, who I saw in a lot in the comments) and this list took me easily 5-10 minutes.
Yo. The absolute disrespect of Reggie the Reckless in Friday the 13th Part 5 is unreal. Reggie is totally a final boy alongside Tommy Jarvis. Plus, you could've talked about Reggie's brother Demon as played by horror icon Miguel A. Nuñez Jr and his song "Ooh Baby (These Damn Enchiladas) ".
great video, and i love the editing!!! subscribed!! i’m kinda disappointed you didn’t give a mention to Quentin Smith from the Nightmare on Elm Street remake. (i’m one of the like 7 people on the whole planet that doesn’t absolutely hate that movie, sue me) yeah, the movie really isn’t very good, but honestly Kyle Gallner kinda steals the show from Rooney Mara with his acting, the movie itself fumbled the ball handling its more delicate subject matter, but it had some good ideas, like with the ‘microsleep’ thing. Personally, it felt cathartic to me to watch a young guy defeat his abuser, even if they did the classic “the killer comes back for one more scare” thing that kinda ruins the ending for me (even if the whole mirror trick was cool). Quentin’s even got kind of his own fanbase ever since he became a playable character in Dead by Daylight.
Good video. I wanna bring up 2 final boys. One that might not be well known and another who is well known from a great movie. The first not well known final boy is from the movie Deep Murder. The main character/Virgin nerd Hugh. The movie is a good comedy horror movie and it doesn't get enough credit for what it does. The last final boy would be Paul Sheldon from Misery. Dude survived his horror movie with 2 broken ankles.
I grew up on night of the living dead and I the ending always went over my head. But the day I realized why they shot him it stuck with me for weeks. In a movie that old. So much respect! Classic
Honestly surprised to see that this is only your 4th video on your channel! Subbed after that joke about Chucky being bad 😂 great sense of humor, great writing and analysis, I'm excited to see what you put out next!
Andy from childs play, Danny from Ben & Freddie from Halloween resurrection. All final men that are top tier imo in the genre and ones to try to top I have a whole list on letterboxd of my favorites
Feeling absolutely called out for loving the Babysitter movies and Cole being one of the first characters I thought of. The others being Andy and Mike. Edit: btw People Under The Stairs was fire they showed that in my school as a kid
I just found your videos today and am already so excited for more! You’re literally like reading my mind with your taste in films like you get it!!!! Also this is unrelated but your eyes are really pretty
Loved your video man, you got THE VOICE for this youtube stuff and I subbed for those sweet nothings of horror discussion. Your editing is great, on point, and made me chuckle quite a few times. Another Final Boy for you: Tim the brother in Oculus.
Billy from Maximum Overdrive counts in my mind, while yes a whole group survives, only Him, Lisa Simpson, and the kid are notable characters as every other notable character dies in the movie
1. Dan Cain from Re-Animator (considering the original intent in both the og and bride was for herbert to die before the next movies brought him back) 2. Dennis from Christine 3. Bill from Society
Charlie from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
OHHHHH MY GOD LMFAO, no cause i stg i thought about that movie, but i was like no i will save comments (if) i ever rewatch that movie
With a few tweaks, that would have been a classic horror movie lol.
isn't it called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?
@mOwOterboat The book and the 2005 remake are called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the 1971 film is called Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
Best answer 😂
You asked for a final boy not on the thumbnail and instantly I said “Andy Barclay in Child’s Play”
ME TOO
Nice! I just stared blankly at the screen until he called me a cupcake lol. Couldn't believe how hard it was to think of one other dude not in the thumbnail!
I said Busta Rhymes from Halloween Resurrection.
Now, you just need two more😅.
Omg you guys Ive been searching a horror movie and I don’t know the title I don’t even know if it was parody or not the scenes I can recall are a group of college I assume kids are in this cabin and one by one they get possessed, its a mixture of evil dead and zombie I also remember in the ending stretch the possed girl was like “Help me sad face” to this guy and when we saw them she was eating him it was so cool idk guys help me out here and in the end I think they were being lock up in this science prison, yeah the deaded ones come back to life like a zombie demon idk it was everywhere campy asf If anyone knows the movie help me out
I can't help but feel like Danny Torrance from The Shining deserves the final boy title, even though his mother was the girl. The chase scene in the maze is a prime example of "Final person" activates imo.
ya know…. danny almost made the cut, but wendy just outshines him IMO. if danny had more of a role in “defending” himself instead of just running around & hiding (which is valid, i mean, he’s a child) then he would’ve def been on this list.
Would you say he counts now since we see Danny as an older man in Doctor Sleep? @@ZANESJOINT
@@ZANESJOINT he tried to "defend" himself subconsciously by psychically calling out to scatman but it didn’t work:/
@@ZANESJOINT maybe not in the film, but in the book he is very much a final boy! He is separated from Wendy and Hallorann and has to run through the hotel from his possessed father. It's all up to him in the end. -Also he survives the sequel book as well.-
Also I can't remember if he was on the thumbnail, but Marty from Silver Bullet
@@ZANESJOINT It's all good man, He almost gets the title in Dr Sleep.
1. Dutch from Predator
2. Andy from Child's Play
3. Martin Brody from Jaws
That being said, I'm not sure how many of these count. Probably doesnt help that Martin and Dutch come from all male casts anyways.
Wishcraft..2002 slasher...Brett
The guy from misery
And Andy normally get help from a woman who you can say is a final girl
Well The Thing had all male actors too.
Martin wasn’t alone tho
I feel like there are way more prevalent final boys in horror games (Leon Kennedy, Isaac Clarke, Ethan Winters, etc) and those characters do actually exhibit the characteristics I look for in male horror protagonists. Being vulnerable
Shout out to my goat Sebastian Castellanos
shout out to james sunderland and alan wake as well, especially since they more fit that final girl trope of "they survived but will they ever really recover from this?"
🤝@@Warren_The_Warrinator257
Oh lets not forget the dad from The Mist (he MADE SURE he was gonna be the final boy lmaoo), and more recently, the dad from “When Evil Lurks”. Hated him so bad, but he was a flawed final boy who i felt bad for.
The Mist movie was so cool that it had hurt my soul greatly at the end 😢😭😭😭
The Mist's ending ruined me.
LOL
I think Final Boys are more common outside of specifically the slasher subgenre. Off the top of my head I can think of Charley from Fright Night (1985), Oskar from Let The Right One In (2008), and Francis Crozier from season 1 of The Terror (2018). Obviously aside from the ladder, these aren’t really characters surviving an ensemble being picked off, but rather protagonists who happen to be boys, so perhaps that’s why we tend to see a distinction between “final boy” and “male horror protagonist.”
I think Daniel LaRusso is another great example of this, he’s not exactly a final boy but is very female coded esp compared to his antogonists
Fright night was the first to come to mind for me, also the brothers in Lost Boys
For future reference the word you're thinking of is spelled latter not ladder.
Definitely Busta Rhymes from Halloween Ressurection
can’t stand that goddamn movie, but you’re right.
i bet it was in his contract that he couldn’t be killed…
@ horrible movie but Michael dying with a kick to the balls is too good imo better than watching a boring movie at least I can laugh at Resurrection
I remember telling my Dad about this and he thought I was messing with him he knew Busta Rhymes was in the movie and that it was garbage but he didn’t know Busta hits Michael with that Kung Fu at the end and just how ridiculous that Film got. Genuinely hilarious how bad it is.
I consider Gale just as much of a final girl as Sidney because Gale is essential for the franchise. There is no Scream without Gale just like there is no Scream without Sidney. Gale embodies what Scream is about: the media's exploitation of tragedy.
clock it !
1) Devon Sawa in the 1st Final Destination
2) I can't remember the character's name but the black teen in Night of the Demon (Even those he survived along with the final girl in the movie)
3) Techinally John Conner to a certian extent depending on which movie you're watch in the Terminator franchise
Bonus: I guess Ice Cube in Anaconda & Brad Pitt in Cutting Class
I love the black guy from night of the demon love that his instant though was to bail the moment things got a bit strange
Black dude from Night of the Demons name was Roger
Are we really calling any Terminator film horror? Maybe the first one could be considered as such but even then that one has Sarah Connor as the final girl.
How did he just start and is already making absolute bangers
haha thanks bro
1. Jim Halsey from The Hitcher (1986)
2. Kazan from Cube (1997)
3. Thomas Burke from Final Destination 2 (2003)
0:11 Black guy in Night of Demons, Paul Rudd in Halloween 6, and Cemetery Man
Andy Barclay is legitimately my favorite horror protagonist. I also would make the argument that the first Childs Play in particular is an allegory for CSA.
If you don’t mind me asking, why is he your favorite?
@@apinchofdisappointment little dude acted the hell outta that first movie. One of the best child actor performances in a horror movie for me. That first film also spawned one of the longest horror movie franchises that haven’t reset canon or anything. The Chucky show is a direct sequel to all of the Chucky and Child’s Play films that came before
(Except for that dumb MGM reboot that we should all forget about, completely separate studio and made against the wishes of the franchise’s creators)
The third film is really underappreciated for its themes of abuse, trauma & more.
Will Graham is a final boy. Especially in Hannibal (2013). I'd say that show is the perfect example. Especially being unapologetically queer and having a vulnerable final boy make one of the best corruption arcs in television history.
Uh no
Haven't seen people naming a lot of classic film final boys, so I'm gonna step in and remind everyone of the og's:
1. Ben (Night of the Living Dead- Yes he technically dies at the end but I count him because he is the last surviving member of the group and specifically doesn't get killed by the movie's major horror threat)
2. Robert Neville/Morgan in some adaptations (I am Legend and it's many adaptations, a literal final boy as he is actually the only human left on earth)
3. Peter (The Legend of Hell House- twice a final boy because he's revisiting the place where he was the only survivor. There is also a woman alive at the end of this one, but if MacReady counts while Childs is also debatably still alive then he counts too)
My favourite final boy is Ben from Wolf Creek. The bait and switch was so well done! The attention has been on two women for so long that you forget about Ben, then it switches to his fight for survival. The show takes place nearly ten years after the first movie and Ben is traumatized, can barely talk. I felt so bad for him
The amount of camp that was put into people under the stairs was so surprising to me when I first watched it. My parents r both fans of the movie and was not at all expecting what I got into. Also, the fact that the landlord and his wife... *sister, were husband and wife in twins peak and are such different characters in it is so cool. Great video really underrated subject, would love a video diving into people under the stairs from u
thanks homie! it’s so refreshing knowing ppl KNOW that movie exists, because it’s never talked about. i’m def gonna have to put it on the board.
Corey Haim from Silver Bullet. Frog Brothers from The Lost Boys. Andy from Child's play, the new kid from Child's Play tv series. Peter Cushing in most Hammer movies, he's a final MAN, not a boy. Johnny Depp Sleepy Hallow, From Hell, and the 9th gate. Stephen Dorff The Gate. The kid in Jeepers Creepers 1. Arnold in the Predator, Danny Glover in Predator 2, all but one predator movie had final men. The protagonist in Late phases. So many not included in the thumbnail right off the top of my head. Oh the kid in Phantasm. The kid in Fright Night(original was the best). And the list goes on.
Hot take but a lot of action movie characters meet the definition for final boy (I’m thinking movies like Die Hard or Taken) which is why I don’t feel like the term or genre of horror film for final boy ever caught on. Horror is one of the few genres where women get to take center stage.
I think it's interesting how in both the movies you mentioned (and maaany more action/thrillers) the main objective of the male protagonist is to save a woman, wife and daughter in these cases. I think both action and horror movies represent two different male fantasies, understandably so since until recent times they were mainly targeted towards men. Not a critique btw, just an observation
Roger from Night of the Demons is a great example of a Final Guy, glad you brought this subject up, im obsessed with Final Guys and we need waaaay more.
I got to throw out my boys John Trent from in the "mouth of madness". And Tucker and Dale from "Tucker and Dale versus evil"
YES came here to argue for Tucker and Dale
Trey from boyz in the hood 😂😂can’t tell me that ain’t a horror movie 😂😂
dawgggg 😭😭
Well we may might as well add Juice to convo as well🤣🤣🤣
Tupac's character Bishop is terrifying but he's bested by a "final boy"
@@MissAlmostFine facts 😂bishop was definitely a serial killer lol and q was the final boy lol
@ 😂
Let's not forget O'Dog from Menace II Society.
As much as I love your list, I think it’s CRIMINAL you didn’t mention: Dutch from Predator, played by the GOAT Arnie Schwarzenegger, and Herbert West and Dan Cain of Re-Animator, who are very morally grey final boys, which makes them interesting AS final boys imo.
Can Dr West be a final boy AND the villain? What are the rules there?
@ I’d consider Dr. Hill to be the true villain and monster of that movie, while West is a morally grey antihero.
@@bluethelucario6194 I think you're being pretty generous to West, but I may be biased by the other movies.
@@thelastdictator482 In the other movies, yes, I believe he’s definitely more of an actual villain, but I’m more just talking about the first one
When you said “groovy” as you moved to introduce Ash I grinned from ear to fucking ear.
Anyway this was such a solid video!! I’m sending it to like three people.
@@sc6658 thanks homie ! i appreciate that :)
My answer to the question at the start of the video:
1. John Johnson from Fear Street
2. Michael Schmidt from FNaF
3. Chad Meeks from Scream (2022) and Scream IV
mad cheeks??
Paused the video upfront and thought for a good while about the question, what I got was-
1) Charley Brewster (Fright Night)
2) Andy Barclay (Child’s Play)
3) Jonathan Shaw (Terrifier 2)
Jonathan Shaw from Terrifier 2! he's definitely outshined by his sister, but he still goes through so much and kicks ass when he needs to. I would've loved to see him come into his own during the third movie, but sadly his presence is very limited. My favorite will always be Dewey though.
Can't wait to watch this video!! Ok now to answer the question:
1. Dr Hoffman from Saw and Eric Matthews from Saw 2
2. Dan Cain from Reanimator (not sure if he counts considering his involvement in the reanimation I guess)
3. Marty from Cabin in the Woods, technically (?)
Oh and Paxton from Hostel I guess. It's funny how most of them come with a 'sorta' or 'technically' attached
Thank you for bringing up saw 2 - though I’d argue maybe his son Daniel is more fitting of the final boy archetype?
@irritableizzy ... I did mean to say Daniel, I got their names mixed up 🤦🤦🤦But yeah! I'm surprised the Saw franchise wasn't mentioned in the video since there are a couple of final boys in the franchise
Would add to this list:
1. Bill Pullman in The Serpent and the Rainbow.
2. Kevin Dillon in the Blob.
3. Patrick O'Brian in 976 Evil.
4. Jameson Parker in Prince of darkness.
Your content is incredibly underrated. I love watching analysis and commentary on movies, films, culture, etc. But yours is the only one I genuinely keep track of my notifications for. Thank you for the content. - Nio
thank you, nio! seriously, that means a lot. especially with me only having 4 vids up.
3 final boys that come to mind me are Dutch from Predator, Shaun from Shaun of the dead and Valentine from Tremors.
I don't know if Valentine counts, because a few other guys also survive the end of the original "Tremors".
Also Burt from Tremors
Btw, that People Under The Stairs movie sounds peak, im gonna check it out now.
It's kind Of like ghetto home alone with cannibals only the good people break into the antagonist house.
People under the stairs is insane, I watched it for the first time last month very fun watch.
echo what @TevinHypolite said, “ghetto home alone” LMFAOOOO
the hero & villain roles are reversed, it’s diverse, a stronger message, underrated, more violent (duh) etc etc
lmk what you think !
It's great. The lead kid puts on a great performance and it's pretty funny too. The main villains are also Ed and Nadine from Twin Peaks if you've seen that.
this is the first video I watch from you and oh my goodness why is baby you in the intro actually MOGGED me
😭 no stop
Tommy Jarvis should have returned in Freddy vs Jason as the main hero, it would have been great to see him stop Jason one last time to save the people of Springwood and face a new enemy for him like Freddy Krueger.
He did in the comics.
1. Andy from Child’s Play
2. Ben from Night of the living dead
3. Hicks from Aliens
Ash is my favourite final boy, and I love him in the og Evil Dead so much, along with Sam and Michael and the Frog brothers after him. But I would also make a case for Ben, and Mark from Salem's Lot. Though they're different in the book they do make it to the end, and we're fantastic characters.
Genuinely shocked ppl didn't like Jessie's story in Nightmare on Elm street 😧 its always been one of my favs, because it took such a different approach. Like Jessie seemed to be one of the few characters who is terrified of the demon in his dreams, and he loses! The love interest helping to save him is corny but i just loved how it isnt likke the rest of the movies
THE INVITATION! Fuck man, I forgot about that movie! I seen it like 5-6 years ago. The grief of the protags there was brutal, and THEN shit really gets crazy. I'm so glad you did the deep dive with this video man because I'm about to watch that one again here shortly. Also, if you wanna see a good movie maybe only horrorish or horror-adjacent, Dragged Across Concrete is a great one. Craig Zohler so you know that guy can't make a movie without have some seriously fucked up shit happening. I remember the movie getting hit with some rough reviews when it came out due to some of the racially charged subject matter, but for me the ending says it all. The three main actors are Mel Gibson, Vince Vaughn, and Tory Kittles. Two white and one black actors here, so you can guess who ain't gonna make it right? Gotta watch and find out! I fucking LOVE that movie.
Glad I found the channel! You really do work here, I really like the interactions with the camera, no one else does cool shit like how you do here. I'm in, and one the ground floor, too! There's no way this channel doesn't blow up, you already seem to know your shit with making good stuff. To call it 'content' does it a disservice due to what that implies here on RUclips. This hour went by far too fast! Appreciate the effort you put in here, it shows!
“the invitation” was shot very well. i first watched it at the beginning of the pandemic & my jaw dropped at the ending, i was like, “welllllll SHIT”
i have never heard about this “dragged across concrete” film - but i see it’s 2hr’s & 40mins. you gotta have a lot of balls to make a film that long & not be Tarantino, Scorsese, Coppola etc etc … i’ll have to add it to my Letterboxd. i love Vince Vaughn. [im a “SWINGERS” stan]
&& thanks for the kind words, homie! the pleasure is all mine. i do hope this channel blows up. this is all a lot of fun for me.
Dan Cain from Re-Animator! I would say Herbert West is a final boy as well, but it's debatable considering some people view him as a villain
New favorite video essay channel 🤩
I can’t do horror. I’ve tried. So the little film nerd in me appreciates you laying this out and showing so many examples of this trope. I’ll never watch any of these films, but I’ll have to check out the synopses for them!
Danny from The Shinning. He also made it throu, Dr. Sleep.
In Salem's Lot, I kinda feel like Mark way outshines Ben as the final boy, even though they both live. It just feels like he does a lot more, especially considering his age
I personally consider a final girl/boy a character that survives a horror franchise specifically. Main characters typically have plot armor so I don’t count it if there’s only one installment.
Edit: in addition to that, UNLESS it’s a side character that wasn’t supposed to survive. Like Randy if there was only the first Scream
this analysis was much needed. tysm. i hope your channel really blows up, I'm excited to see where we go next.
I appreciate that!
Just here to say I'm watching at 1.81k subs, for when your sub count straight up EXPLODES. Congrats in advance bro 🤜
Nick Cage in Willy's Wonderland
Chucky, Lost Boys and Get Out are the ones I've seen and still remember, so those are the finals I remember. And of the three Lost Boys final boys definitely feel like they made it out on top: not only did the older brother save the girl and cure his vampirism, they also had it confirmed that they have the coolest grandpa alive AND a bunch of vampires with cool fashion sense are now dead and their outfits are free for the plunder!
Get Out and Daniel DID get his one and only bro to pull the save of all time, a masterclass in satisfying climaxes, but... he still wen through all of that.
And as for Andy in Child's Play, judging from what we saw in those sequels... that poor guy did not get a happy life, always having to deal with Chucky's bullshit. It's admirable to be final boy so many times, but after a while it has to be seriously stressful.
1. Thank you for mentioning Phantasm. That’s my fav horror movie of all time.
2. Wanted to suggest Michael from Brainscan, Dutch from Predator, and McKee and Bassett from Tremors
53:39 I was thinking about Kazan the whole time I was watching this and I squealed with joy to see you cover him! This is my first horror movie and always will have a special place in my heart.
You mentioned how there are hardly any final boys, but after watching this video, I kinda beg to differ. Sure, certainly not many as compared to final girls, but you put so many on here that I forgot about, or wasn't aware of at all.
I thought of some, but I'm not sure if they qualify: Tad Trenton from Cujo, Marty Coslaw and Uncle Red from Silver Bullet, Brett Harrison from Bad Moon, Chris Halloran from The Howling, Cooper from Dog Soldiers(funny how a lot of these are werewolf movies), Vincent D'Agosta from The Relic, Luke from The Ritual.
Great job and video! :D instant subscribe
as for Final boys not in thumbnail, my first thoughts were Pat from "Green Room" or Charlie in "Fright Night" (either 80's or 2010's), both played by the great Anton Yelchin
my horror game special interest allowed me to name dozens of final boys for that intro part. leon kennedy, james sunderland (depending on the ending lol), isaac clarke, sebastian castellanos, ethan winters, henry townsend, harry mason, to name a few... i love horror game male protagonists/final boys bc they exhibit such depths of suffering
I’m so happy to see Fool mentioned. The People Under The Stairs is so underrated and Fool was a great protagonist
Also always happy to see Idle Hands get mentioned lol
EDIT: Arkin from The Collector too! Hell yeah
I can name at least two: Jimmy from Harper's Island was the only male survivor, and Blake from Totally Killer. Also, Freddie Prinze Jr.'s character from the first two Last Summer films counts.
If you watch the Chucky series and to a lesser extent the rest of the Child's Play movies you'll find out that Andy did NOT in fact get the therapy he needed. First video of yours I've seen and a definite subscribe.
A few personal fave “final boys” that weren’t mentioned: Marty Coslaw “Silver Bullet,” John Wayne Cleaver “I’m Not a Serial Killer,” Luke “Daniel Isn’t Real,” Will Graham “Manhunter” and “Red Dragon,” Jacob “Jacob’s Ladder,” Cooper “Dog Soldiers,” David Kessler “An American Werewolf in London” and Capt. John Boyd “Ravenous.” Most are “vulnerable” and “flawed” with decent character arcs.
Seth Gecko was the one final boy I thought of that wasn't in the thumbnail! I also thought about Anton from Idle Hands, because I'm a big fan of that movie, so I'm glad we got double Sawa representation on the list. And kudos for the deep cut reference of Shaun, from Shaun of the Dead's full name! You mentioned Duane Jones in Night of the Living Dead, I would also like to mention Ken Foree in Dawn of the Dead from 1978. The Black characters in Romero's original Dead Trilogy end up making it to the end, including Terry Alexander in Day of the Dead.
when it comes to final boys (ones not shown) my mind immediately goes to rodger from "Night of the Demons" who not only breaks the curse/troupe of the black guy dying first, but he Fuckin DESIMATES IT! Like survivor is written into the characters DNA, he not only escaped the demons, but came back escaped again, and came back a third time to be the one to save the final girl and then escaped 3 for 3. he is the equivalent of beating the boss then coming back to do it again just to style on them
Outside of Maximum Overdrive I can't think of any movie that does the Black Guy Dies First
Actually I always thought people who only focus on final girls were kind of ignoring the greatness that the other side of the coint has too.
But at the same time I thought it was for "satire" purposes, as girls are usually used just to appear sexy or fetishize their suffering and the final girls was a way to claiming them back.
anyways...
I thought of 3 easily, and then thought of a few more: Casey (Elijah Wood) and Zeke (Josh Hartnett) "The Faculty", John (coincidentally also Josh Harnett) "Halloween H20", Marty (Frantz Kanz) "Cabin in the Woods", Steve (James Marsden) "Disturbing Behavior", Jim (Cillian Murphy) "28 Days Later", David (Timothy Olyphant) "The Crazies", Cole (Judah Lewis) "The Babysitter", Darry Jenner (Justin Long) "Jeepers Creepers" (even though he technically is killed, he still feels like a final boy to me (that sounds not great)), Bill Denbrough (Jonathan Brandis) "IT", Val (Kevin Bacon) "Tremors" Never realized until now that final boy movies have quite the overlap with some of my favorite movies.
I have to say, you’ve been posting for less than a month and I am so glad I found you! I love the aesthetic of the video and the background music! Everything feels very relaxing and I cannot wait to see more.
the pleasure is all mine, my friend !
i’m so glad i randomly came across this video, subscribed literally before the video even ended - sometimes the YT algorithm gets it perfectly right
One of the best video summaries I've seen, about a genre of movies I love and a subset in this genre that isn't talked about nearly enough. Love the video and can't wait to see what you'll do next. You deserve the subscription, my brother.
thanks homie !
boyce in overlord 2018, R from warm bodies idk if he counts, alex in dont breathe, and zeke in spiral book of saw? debatable if they fit exactly but great none the less
This was 🔥🔥 look forward to seeing more of your takes on horror and camp ✌🏾
thanks big dawg, I’m glad you liked it!
what about Marcus from ‘A Quiet Place’? Him and his sister could be considered final siblings! also, just discovered this channel, so so underrated, great work bro!
The kid from Night of the Creeps
The middle aged man in Halloween 3
Paul Rudd in Halloween 4
The kid from Critters(He's the red headed guy from The Orville)
someone else brought up my exact thoughts but the final boy trope is far more prevalent in gaming but it’s also a lot different in my opinion. the final boys in gaming tend face a different kind of force, instead of some maniac with a vendetta or someone getting their rocks of slicing up teens they tend to face just insanely overwhelming odds. one of my favorite final boys is leon s. kennedy but realistically i don’t know if the final boy trope even ties itself to something like a full city/village of zombies
Before I even get a minute in to the video the only final boys I can think of without googling are...
Mike and Reggie from Phantasm and Jesse from Nightmare on Elm Street 2. Man, I swear I thought I could come up with more than that! 🤦🏽♀️
Dutch from Predator definitely. Does Johnny Rico from Starship Troopers count? Or John McClane from Die Hard?
nightmare on elm atreet two: the gay one lmao
first video ive watched from you 10/10 like i almost forgot what QUALITY content looked like on youtube
i appreciate that, the pleasure is all mine !!
Slightly off topic but everything about this is beautifully put together. I genuinely enjoyed watching 😊
i appreciate that homie !
That's so interesting thinking about who writers and directors envision would like certain genres vs. who the actual audiences (and fans) are.
Great video, man!
I was hoping to see David Drayton (Tom Jane) in The Mist.
That final boy is depressingly final.
Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker
Re-Animantor
Final Destination
The Fool from Cabin in the Woods, perhaps. That's a tricky one. Dewey is a big part of the final trio that survives Scream 1, 2, & 3 (scream always has a "final" crowd)
I see your point, though. Significantly less iconic, (minus Andy, who I saw in a lot in the comments) and this list took me easily 5-10 minutes.
I think a video about family centered horror would be pretty cool, i.e. Amityville.
Brian Flagg may be one of my favs
Found your channel the other day and this video is the end of my BINGE lmao you do great work man!
thanks big dawg!
Yo. The absolute disrespect of Reggie the Reckless in Friday the 13th Part 5 is unreal. Reggie is totally a final boy alongside Tommy Jarvis. Plus, you could've talked about Reggie's brother Demon as played by horror icon Miguel A. Nuñez Jr and his song "Ooh Baby (These Damn Enchiladas) ".
Oh let's fkn goooo, Zane!
*Edit: Not the Lettuce Greens Bacon Tomato community! 😂😂😂
great video, and i love the editing!!! subscribed!!
i’m kinda disappointed you didn’t give a mention to Quentin Smith from the Nightmare on Elm Street remake. (i’m one of the like 7 people on the whole planet that doesn’t absolutely hate that movie, sue me) yeah, the movie really isn’t very good, but honestly Kyle Gallner kinda steals the show from Rooney Mara with his acting, the movie itself fumbled the ball handling its more delicate subject matter, but it had some good ideas, like with the ‘microsleep’ thing.
Personally, it felt cathartic to me to watch a young guy defeat his abuser, even if they did the classic “the killer comes back for one more scare” thing that kinda ruins the ending for me (even if the whole mirror trick was cool).
Quentin’s even got kind of his own fanbase ever since he became a playable character in Dead by Daylight.
35:06 The saxophone over the F word took me out!!!🤣😂🤣😂🤣
That voice and a people under the stairs rec cmon how could I not sub
Two final boys I had hoped that would pop up: John Conner T2 and Lionel Cosgrove from Dead Alive/Brain Dead
Good video. I wanna bring up 2 final boys. One that might not be well known and another who is well known from a great movie.
The first not well known final boy is from the movie Deep Murder. The main character/Virgin nerd Hugh. The movie is a good comedy horror movie and it doesn't get enough credit for what it does.
The last final boy would be Paul Sheldon from Misery. Dude survived his horror movie with 2 broken ankles.
your commentary is great. but the editing of this video really takes it over the edge, got me laughing out loud multiple times
also naked brothers band mentioned
I grew up on night of the living dead and I the ending always went over my head. But the day I realized why they shot him it stuck with me for weeks. In a movie that old. So much respect! Classic
Intro song goes so hard
Straight up the most relaxing 1hr of content I've seen. Subbing brother keep doing you
thanks homie !
Honestly surprised to see that this is only your 4th video on your channel! Subbed after that joke about Chucky being bad 😂 great sense of humor, great writing and analysis, I'm excited to see what you put out next!
thank you :))
Andy from childs play, Danny from Ben & Freddie from Halloween resurrection.
All final men that are top tier imo in the genre and ones to try to top
I have a whole list on letterboxd of my favorites
Feeling absolutely called out for loving the Babysitter movies and Cole being one of the first characters I thought of.
The others being Andy and Mike.
Edit: btw People Under The Stairs was fire they showed that in my school as a kid
I just found your videos today and am already so excited for more! You’re literally like reading my mind with your taste in films like you get it!!!! Also this is unrelated but your eyes are really pretty
thanks homie !
Oh my gwash the editing with the humor 😂😂 the scary movie audio sent me
Loved your video man, you got THE VOICE for this youtube stuff and I subbed for those sweet nothings of horror discussion. Your editing is great, on point, and made me chuckle quite a few times. Another Final Boy for you: Tim the brother in Oculus.
thanks man !
i appreciate it
Billy from Maximum Overdrive counts in my mind, while yes a whole group survives, only Him, Lisa Simpson, and the kid are notable characters as every other notable character dies in the movie
Also Jonathan from Wes Craven's Shocker
The guy from leprechaun in the hood lived right also one of the first black guys to survive before LL took the title was the guy in event horizon
1. Dan Cain from Re-Animator (considering the original intent in both the og and bride was for herbert to die before the next movies brought him back)
2. Dennis from Christine
3. Bill from Society
Amazing vid, I’m glad the algorithm introduced me to your channel.
the pleasure is all mine !