Welcome to the latest edition of Only Murders In The Inbox! If you’re a regular reader, thanks for returning; if you’re new, we’re happy to have you! Every week, OMITI covers murder mysteries in literature and entertainment. We delve into the ways the Mystery genre is significant in pop culture. You’ll also find curated suggestions and lists here so if you’re looking for a particular kind of read, I’ve got you! New subscribers, here’s a good place to start:
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The following essay contains minor spoilers for Blink Twice, a suspenseful feature film in theaters now. Check Doesthedogdie.com for any trigger warnings, noting that the beginning of the film does address some of the violent scenes that could be upsetting for some viewers. Viewer discretion advised.
Crime fiction and mystery, while usually an escape for its reader or viewer, many times works in a multitude of ways to address societal prejudices and deeper issues through character development, storylines, and, indeed, murder. Like all genres, Mystery can be more than merely entertaining. While many stories within the genre are cozy, there are many fictional crime thrillers and even whodunits that address very real fears. That’s what The Final Girl Scenario is all about.
What’s The Final Girl Scenario? The Final Girl Scenario is a popular trope used in thrillers, most often horror, that focuses on the lone woman left at the end of the story, usually the only survivor, who also has the difficult task of revealing and then confronting the killer. Think Scream or Halloween. In horror, she rips off the mask; in a murder mystery, she solves the puzzle.
In crime fiction, The Final Girl untangles the chain of events that lead to the murder or murders and assembles the clues, talking to suspects in order to unlock secrets. She always discovers a crucial piece of evidence at the end of her investigation which then triggers the events leading up to the climax of the story. It’s her epiphany when discovering the final clue that breaks the case.
But there’s a problem.
The murderer is approaching. Maybe the murderer is standing right in front of her. She glances up in a look of sheer terror at the killer, who now knows she’s figured everything out. This is the terrifying moment of the storyline. She might stay and fight. But will she? They might wrestle. She might injure him. But eventually, there’s only one thing left to do.
She needs to run.
Final Girls, Image Courtesy of Groundswell Productions
This harrowing moment in crime fiction is so addicting and climatic, some writers’ careers have been launched and sustained using this formula (looking at you, Ruth Ware). These daring escapes are especially enticing to female audiences. So why is this trope so popular in murder mysteries?
I threw this question out to our OMITI readers.
wrote, “I love murder mysteries because I like a scary element to a story, and I love to try to solve the murder. It always is a win when a female is the protagonist in a murder mystery, when they can solve the crime instead of being a victim. So many early horror films depict women as the easy target, so it’s satisfying when they are the hero.”Artist
agreed, adding that murder mystery escapism offers a certain degree of stress relief. “What draws people to the dark? Sometimes I joke it is so we can live vicariously through the actors and storyline so we are less tempted to go off on our coworkers.”There’s a reason the Man Or Bear conversation struck such a nerve on social media. The hypothetical question posed to women was, Who would you rather be trapped with in the woods, a man or a bear? The majority of women by a staggering amount answered bear, with mixed responses from men about what this says about a woman’s stance on safety.
This undercurrent of growing anxiety in women has seeped into entertainment, whether it’s through a feeling of oppression (Cuckoo) or manipulation (The Girl On The Train). In the case of many popular current murder mystery bestsellers, female protagonists experience gaslighting, triggering a fight or flight response that resonates with many women.
wrote, “So, here’s my theory — (most) women are acutely aware of the danger that (some) men can pose to them, so watching murder mysteries, especially bingeing TV series where there’s a new murder scenario in each episode is kind of like playing Murder: The Video Game. You get to work out tons of different villain / method / setting combinations in your head in a very low-stakes way.”A gripping example of The Final Girl Scenario is in Zoë Kravitz’s directorial debut Blink Twice. In this thriller, Frida is a waitress looking for a break and hoping for a chance encounter with her celebrity crush, tech billionaire Slater King. Frida, expertly played by Naomi Ackie, enlists the help of her friend and roommate, Jess (Alia Shawkat from Search Party) and gets her chance.
Slater King, a riveting Channing Tatum, and his entourage entice the two women into accompanying them on a ridiculously extravagant trip to his private island. Once there, Frida, luxuriating in a lifestyle she can’t afford, becomes curious about strange occurrences, which eventually causes her to question the motive behind King’s invitation.
Blink Twice, Image Courtesy of MGM Studios
Kravitz perfectly melds mystery and horror in this film, with layered nuance and suspenseful tension, enhanced by performances from Adria Arjona, Kyle McLachlan and Geena Davis. In the way Jordan Peele explores racism through horror, Kravitz tackles sexism and classism in this nail-biting thriller. To say this film is entertaining, although it certainly is, would be selling Kravitz’s tale short, because it masterfully explores a modern woman’s fear and rising anxiety about the current political and cultural landscape. The odds have been turning for quite some time, less and less in our favor, in almost a skewed and frightening prequel to Margaret Atwood’s A Handmaid’s Tale, in which women’s rights about their own bodies are being stripped away. That fear of a lack of bodily autonomy and a slow erosion of basic human rights morphs into a realistic fear and threat to our very existence. That fear is then reflected in art, in literature, and in the modern murder mystery. A crime thriller plot with a murder vindicating a woman in addition to freeing her, has increased in popularity for a reason. Art, even murder, is reflective of the times, and these are uncertain ones.
Murder in crime fiction can give an audience satisfaction and closure in a way reality seldom does.
Final Girls, Image Courtesy of Groundswell Productions
If you’re a fan of The Final Girl Scenario, here are several movies, television episodes and novels you’ll enjoy:
Books
The Last Girl Left by A.M. Strong and Sonya Sargent In this psychological thriller, Tessa is the lone survivor of a horrific mass murder that left her devastated and damaged; in order to face her fears, she decides to return to the scene of the crime, only for the nightmare to start all over again.
The Black Girl Survives In This One, edited by Desiree S. Evans and Saraciea J. Fennell The biggest reason I recommend this novel is because the fabulous horror writer Tananarive Due wrote the forward, which is good enough for me. In this anthology comprised of fifteen stories, the female protagonist makes it to the end, surviving killers and a crazy cult among other scary scenarios. This is a great collection if you’re short on time and enjoy genre mashups, because there’s something for everyone in this book. If you like to skip around, try “Harvesters” and “The Brides of Devil’s Bayou” first.
The Girl Who Survived by Lisa Jackson In this suspenseful murder mystery, Kara McIntyre is the lone survivor of a horrible massacre that was blamed on her brother. When he is released from prison, Kara begins receiving cryptic messages and threats, and is contacted by her long-lost older sister. Is her brother innocent? This creepy mystery is a page-turner that will keep you guessing until the very end.
Agatha Raisin, Image Courtesy of Acorn TV
Television
Agatha Raisin - Acorn TV (4 seasons, 90 minutes each, 20 episodes total) This series, based on the books by M.C. Beaton, stars the fabulous Ashley Jensen as Agatha Raisin and is the most fun you can have with murder mysteries set in the Cotswolds — and is the most light-hearted murder mystery fare on this menu. Agatha is always tripping into precarious situations when she exposes the killer; she’s the funniest Final Girl ever. If you love laughs with your mysteries, try this television series and book series, there’s a total of thirty-five novels to choose from!
Copycat, Image Courtesy of Warner Bros.
Film
Copycat, starring Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter Who knew Harry Connick, Jr. could be so creepy? He definitely is in this movie where he’s caught by criminal psychologist and professor Helen Hudson. The consequences of catching him leads to Helen developing agoraphobia, which in turn leaves her vulnerable to a stalker and murderer. Holly Hunter is Detective M.J. Monahan who is trying to stop the killer before he strikes again.
I Know What You Did Last Summer starring Jennifer Love Hewitt This movie is the perfect guilty pleasure for a night in and a horror mystery throwback if you’re feeling nostalgic for Christopher Pike or R.L. Stine. A group of friends hide a terrible secret only for a serial killer to track them down, one by one, for revenge. This is fun in a campy Buffy the Vampire Slayer way (and even has Sarah Michelle Gellar).
The Silence of the Lambs, starring Jodie Foster What kind of list would this be without the classic? Little known fact: Jodie Foster’s character Clarice Starling inspired Chris Carter to create the character of FBI Agent Dana Scully for The X-Files. Anthony Hopkins gives a memorable turn as Hannibal Lector, forever cementing this film as the most famous detective thriller with a Final Girl Scenario.
Song of the Day: “The Dog Days Are Over” by Florence and the Machine
Connick is the son of the former District Attorney of New Orleans, so he learned creepy...
I read a quote somewhere that was something along the lines of, “Men are afraid women are going to say something mean about them. Women are afraid that a man is going to kill them.” Somehow this social commentary seems to fit the last girl scenario.
My favorite (sort of) version of this is the movie Cabin In The Woods. Another more funny take on the whole thing.