It was at the tender age of 12 that my mom showed me her favorite movies, mostly old thrillers. My first was Rear Window, which of course we followed with North by Northwest, Charade, To Catch a Thief, Wait Until Dark, among others. Some were better than others, some aged poorly, but none were as good as Rear Window, which is a favorite to this day.

If I am honest, though, the Golden Age of Hollywood doesn’t do much for me anymore. The women are so pretty, so classically feminine. The men are strong, rough, and indistinguishable from each other. I will always love Rear Window, even as I see how far from Grace Kelly and James Stewart, and realize it doesn’t love me back.

If you have watched any of the classic horror films, such as Halloween, Scream, Friday the 13th, or Nightmare on Elm Street, you will recognise the Final Girl trope. One woman will be the lone survivor of the slasher, beating the killer and becoming the last one standing.

This premise seems progressive, however, the trope was usually that the Final Girl was seen as the most ‘moral’ girl. If you are having sex in a horror film, drinking too much, or doing drugs, you are going to be one of the first to get killed. If you are the more innocent, kind, or virginal girl, you will always be the one who survives. This perspective goes hand in hand with women being objectified in horror films, with their bodies being used for sex and dismemberment, often being found in compromising positions, shown with their breasts exposed, or sexually assaulted on screen.

“And you’re listening to that song, and that drive with the people who you love most in this world. And in this moment, I swear, we are infinite.”

- Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I have always loved that one scene in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. You know, the one with the back of the car, Sam and “Heroes” by David Bowie. Or, if you remember, the one with the back of the car, Charlie and “Heroes” by David Bowie. Actually, I like the second one better, because you know at this point in the movie how much the character has gone through. You know how much he has grown, and that the freedom he feels is hard fought. It’s that one that makes me cry, that gives me hope, that makes me a little sad.