LOS ANGELES, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Madelaine Petsch starred in three The Strangers films but said she felt she only really achieved the status of "final girl" in The Strangers: Chapter 3, in theaters Friday. Her character, Maya, has been pursued by killers in masks for two prior films.
The "final girl" was the name coined by Carol J. Clover in her book Men, Women and Chainsaws to describe the survivor who defeats the killer in slasher movies. In a recent Zoom interview with UPI, Petsch said she felt she earned the title in Chapter 3.
"I actually really only feel like she becomes a 'final girl' in this third film," Petsch said. "The title of 'final girl' comes from taking the power back, resilience and revenge."
In Chapter 1, the killers came after Maya and her fiancé (Froy Gutierrez) at a remote cabin. She survived but they followed her to the hospital where she was recovering in Chapter 2.
At the end of Chapter 2, Maya killed Pin Up (Ema Horvath), the girlfriend of lead killer Scarecrow (Gabriel Basso). Avenging her fiance carries over into Chapter 3.
