Final Girl Friday: Long Live the Grinning May Queen of Horror, Florence Pugh

This month, Decider is going to celebrate Halloween by honoring horror movies, and in particular, the characters who manage to outlast, outsmart, and outrun the baddies: the Final Girls. In the past, we’ve highlighted the iconic “Final Girls.” Characters like Laurie Strode and Sidney Prescott; the ones who survived the odds to inspire generations of horror nerds. This time, though, we’re going to look at the modern horror muses who are subverting and reinventing the genre with their performances.

This week’s Final Girl is Florence Pugh.

NOTE: spoilers for the film Midsommar ahead!

THE FINAL GIRL:

Florence Pugh’s Dani, a depressed and grieving young woman who finds herself accidentally tagging along on her boyfriend’s boys trip to a Swedish folk festival in Ari Aster’s Midsommar.

THE KILLER SHE EVADED:

Turns out the folk festival is a cover for a cult’s murder spree! Who could have seen that coming? No, but seriously, while the Hårga’s old time-y folk festival might seem quirky at first, the American and British guests begin to realize something’s amiss when they witness ritualistic death by suicide. Soon, folks begin to disappear. While this is all happening, Dani is not only beginning to chafe at her boyfriend Christian’s (Jack Reynor) inadequacies, but discover comfort in the traditions of the Hårga. Ultimately, they name her their May Queen and it’s up to her to decide to spare Christian’s life or not…

WHY SHE SLAYS:

While most horror is predicated on the notion that, uh, the killers are bad, Midsommar flips the script. From the jump, Dani is a young woman trailed by tragedy. The opening scene features her own sister killing their parents while orchestrating her own death by suicide. Her boyfriend and his friends despise her, but we find that Christian is too chicken to dump her in the midst of her crisis. When Dani tags along on the guys’ trip, she is repeatedly shunted to the side or ignored…

Except by the Hårga. They embrace the girl, body and soul, going so far as to share in her howling grief. As the Hårga target each and every one of the visitors, Dani finds herself more ensnared in their welcoming culture. It all culminates in her becoming their May Queen, realizing the depths of Christian’s betrayal, and willingly cooperating in his murder.

All this works because Florence Pugh plays Dani with such empathy. We feel for her from the start, which means we root for her all the way through. Even when she presides over a murder.

HER BEST MOMENT:

Perhaps the defining moment of the Midsommar is the film’s final moments, where May Queen Dani doesn’t just conquer her grief, but embraces the cathartic blood rituals of the Harga. As her feckless boyfriend Christian burns to death (inside the skin of a slain bear), Dani doesn’t feel guilt over the choice to sacrifice him over a willing Harga. Instead, she finds happiness — nay, glee — for the first time in the whole film.

It’s an eerie sight that solidifies the film’s pull on the audience and Pugh’s place among the great actresses of horror cinema.

Where to stream Midsommar