Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings. Today’s post is going to be a fun countdown of my current favorite Female Horror Characters. Now, I want to clarify that this is not a list of favorite final girls, as in making the list I was more focused on favorite female characters in horror, and horror-adjacent films, who are willing to do some wicked things by the end of their films! So this is a fun collection of ten very interesting female characters who are either the villain, victim-turned-villains, or simply chaotic figures! Oh, and I should probably also put a brief spoiler alert here for the films listed, as I will be going over some plot points. Without further ado, let’s look at my ten favorite female horror characters!
Number 10: RACHEL LANG from THE RAGE: CARRIE 2 (1999)
~For my number ten spot I have chosen Rachel Lang from The Rage: Carrie 2. I honestly consider this to be an underrated horror film, largely due to its obvious comparison to the original film from the 1970s. While the film is not as iconic as the original, I really do love it for its 1990s-era take on the tale of a telekinetic teen. This one also gets major bonus points from me because it has a romance plot point at the center of the action, which I love. After all, I am both a horror fan and a hopeless romantic! Now, as for the character, Rachel is a teenage girl who is grappling with trauma from her childhood, given that her mother was institutionalized when she was young. She also has to deal with the loss of her best, and only, friend. Rachel is a social outcast, but much more self-assured than Carrie White in the original, making for a nice change of pace. Of course, Rachel is one of the characters who is more of a reluctant villain, or a victim-turned-villain.
Number 9: TIFFANY VALENTINE from BRIDE OF CHUCKY (1998)
~For my number nine spot I have chosen Tiffany Valentine from Bride of Chucky. Now, Tiffany is a character who is most definitely always a villain, as she begins her tenure in the Chucky films by getting her hands on the destroyed killer doll in order to resurrect her old lover back into the toy. Of course, it is not long before Tiffany herself ends up in a doll body too! She is such an iconic and entertaining character who is equal parts sassy violent killer and sweet-speaking caregiver. This makes her a very interesting character, one who is clearly homicidal, but with a nature that is also quite nurturing.
Number 8: CARRIE WHITE from CARRIE (1976)
~For my number eight spot I have chosen Carrie White, the titular character of Carrie from 1976. She is a soft-spoken young girl who is an outsider largely due to her mother’s strict religious convictions. At the beginning of the film, she goes through her first menstrual cycle, finally hitting puberty. This is also the same time frame that her telekinesis really begins to become very powerful. She goes from victim of torment to the villain killing many people at the prom and then her own mother. This is truly a tale where you can easily sympathize with the killer!
Number 7: CARMILLA from THE VAMPIRE LOVERS (1970)
~For my number seven spot I have chosen Carmilla from The Vampire Lovers. This film is based on the book Carmilla and tells the story of a young woman, Laura, who becomes beguiled by a gorgeous female vampire. Carmilla is the vampire who sets out to seduce young Laura. Carmilla is a truly fascinating vampire character who is emotionally complex, leading the audience to question whether she actually loves Laura or not!
Number 6: COLUMBIA from THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975)
~For my number six spot I have chosen Columbia from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Columbia is known as a groupie of Frank-n-Furter’s who remains in his chaotic home because she was lured into a romance with Frank, and later ended up falling for Eddie. When Eddie is killed by Frank, Columbia is highly distraught but does not outwardly seek to make a move against Frank. She is not really a villain at all, however, her complicit nature makes her more of an anti-hero of this chaotic horror musical! As she has long been one of my favorite characters in this movie, I had to include her here.
Number 5: GINGER from GINGER SNAPS (2000)
~For my number five spot I have chosen Ginger, the titular character from Ginger Snaps. Ginger is a young woman just beginning to go through puberty who has a very dark fascination with death and the morbid and macabre. When she gets her first menstrual cycle, she is attacked by a werewolf, slowly going through the transformation herself. She and her sister seek to find a cure, but as the film continues, Ginger begins to relish in her newfound power and allure. She goes from a morbid young girl to a badass female werewolf happily killing, making her a very fascinating character indeed!
Number 4: LISA SWALLOWS from LISA FRANKENSTEIN (2024)
~For my number four spot I have chosen Lisa Swallows from Lisa Frankenstein. Regular readers will know I adored this film when I saw it a few months ago, so it should be of little surprise that Lisa makes an appearance on this list! She is another outcast young woman, who is having issues with trust after her mother’s death (as she was murdered in front of Lisa). Throughout the film, Lisa accidentally resurrects a young man who was buried in her favorite cemetery. The two form a bond, as Lisa uses her sewing skills to attach new body parts that he needs! They end up killing and maiming in order to keep supplying him with needed body parts. She is truly the outcast who is nearly victimized becoming a sort of villain in this bloody good love story!
Number 3: JENNIFER CHECK from JENNIFER’S BODY (2009)
~For my number three spot I have chosen Jennifer Check from Jennifer’s Body. Of course, Jennifer had to rank high, as the iconic succubus who is possessed by a demon due to a botched sacrifice ritual is a character I have adored since first seeing this film. I had adored this film long before it was re-evaluated, as I always knew it was never a film made for frat boys, even if the marketing failed by promoting it as such. Jennifer is a very insecure character wanting nothing more than to become powerful, she feels the only power she has is her beauty and sexuality, which is examined well in the plot of the film. Her victim-turned-villain arch is understandable, and her wit makes her a truly fun character to watch!
Number 2: BABY FIREFLY from HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES (2003), THE DEVIL’S REJECTS (2005), and 3 FROM HELL (2019)
~For my number two spot I have chosen Baby Firefly from Rob Zombie’s Firefly Family Trilogy. She is a killer with a very fun personality! Over the course of the films, the audience easily relates to the killers of this franchise, as Zombie has a great ability to make the victims unlikable and the ‘good guys’ corrupt, making us question who is more evil. Baby is such an outgoing, fun-loving, and free-spirited woman that had she not been raised evil, she would be someone anyone would want to be friends with!
Number 1: HELEN LYLE from CANDYMAN (1992)
~For my number one spot I have chosen Helen Lyle from Candyman. So, let me get this out of the way, as this is sort of a cheat. I actually do consider Helen a final girl, which goes against my reasoning of this not being a final girl list. However, Helen is not the average final girl, as she does in fact die during her film. She is a grad student researching the Candyman urban legend for her thesis project, desiring to prove it false. It is not long before deaths begin occurring around her and she is stalked by Candyman himself, who has both a desire to kill her and to make her his lover. Helen is accused of the murders, but is ultimately shown to have not killed those people when she dies to save a baby! However, her villain arch begins nearly immediately after her death, when she becomes the female version of Candyman. She has truly become Candyman’s ideal victim, and his bride, in that she is now the same type of being as he is. It also allows her to seek vengeance on her asshole husband, finally becoming a killer herself! I love the evolution and emotional complexity of Helen Lyle, meaning no other character could have been ranked above her!
~I hope you have enjoyed this countdown. Who is your favorite female horror villain, or anti-hero? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
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