Probably because it IS trope numero uno. You guys know me. Always loping through the bramble rather than following the path. Paths are for pussies.
ANYWAY, the term "final girl", as much as we'd love for it to have been around forever, was only coined in 1992 by Carol Clover in her book Men, Women and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. In that book, Clover expounds on her theory that the horror film (specifically the slasher, occult/possession and rape revenge sub-genres), mostly, is not strictly about sadism but rather an attempt to get the viewer to engage with the victim/hero.thus dispelling the myth that horror films are inherently misogynistic by displacing the focus from the tormentor male and aiming it toward the tormented female and her rise to power (figuratively speaking).
Basically, she's saying "The girl is going to win despite all of the trials before her and you boys had better figure that shit out right quick."
Looking terrified and vulnerable is how I'll lure you in.
Now, while heroines have been around FOREVER, the Final Girl has a few key characteristics that have to be in place before we can play Name That Trope.
First off, she should be a virgin (there are exceptions, particularly now that sex isn't so much of a big deal in cinema) and she really shouldn't be drinking, doing drugs or swearing. Again, all of these things are changing but the Final Girl doesn't let herself get out of control. Moderation is key. The drug thing is pretty much out, regardless, though. Drugs are bad, kids. Drugs are bad.
And the cherry (HA! Virgins... cherry...) on top is that the FG is usually smarter, more resourceful and more level-headed than any of the other cast members. Because, you guessed it, stupidity furthers the plot. Velma from Scooby-Doo would totally be the final girl.
Granted when all you're given is a truck...
Lastly, the Final Girl will not be rescued by a man. Sisters are doing it for themselves. After a couple of hours being hounded by a maniac in a hockey mask something clicks into place and our girl transforms from meek-and-mild to ACTION LASS and kicks some creepy butt, thus saving herself and showing the audience that she is a strong, independent woman who don't need no man to pay her bills and blowing the notion that the Final Girl is supposed to be the embodiment of what a woman "should be" out of the water. I bet she goes to the nearest dive to pound some brewskis afterward.
I'ma gitchoo, sucka.
Feminist theory attributes the success of this trope to the fact that horror audiences which, let's face it, are predominantly male, are forced to watch a woman triumph. It really doesn't matter that the woman is being tormented by an (again, predominantly male) villain (which is the part that most people attribute to misogyny). The fact that a woman wins is the ultimate feminist statement. That she CAN and WILL survive regardless of how the deck is stacked against her. Another facet of this is the fact that horror films would cease to be horror films if a MAN was the last victim standing. There's just not the same feeling of helplessness and dread. As always, there are exceptions. OK, it's a bad example, but I don't have a lot to work with, here.
And then make stupid faces at it.
In film, this trope started with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Although Sally did not kill Leatherface, she certainly brought him out in the open where the police could capture him so I'm really considering her a proto-trope because she was, for all intents and purposes rescued. She still survived using her wits, though, and that gets her points. And it continued to evolve through films like Suspiria and I Spit on Your Grave but Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween is where most horror fans consider the trope to have taken root . Ripley in Alien also falls directly into this trope but it should be taken into consideration that ALL of the parts in Alien were written to be gender-neutral. Alice in Friday the 13th is next in line but considering the ending she might not be the best example.
And this is why the double-tap was invented.
As with most tropes, the Final Girl is subject to inversion and satire. The Scary Movie series of really bad pseudo-comedies is a perfect example of satire since the Final Girl in those films is always a stupid, boozy, sexually generous pothead. But, even in standard horror, there are exceptions to the rules. Sydney in Scream, for example, has sex. Willingly and blatantly. WITH THE KILLER and survives through three sequels as the final girl (although, she does share the honor with Dewey, Gail and, in Scream 4, Deputy Marley Hicks).
SAY IT ISN'T SO!!!
But it really says something about the longevity of a trope when an entire TV series is built around it.
Does Elvis talk to you? Does he tell you to do things?
Joss Whedon may have wanted to lampoon the idea of the Final Girl in his movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer but the idea had grip so he expanded Buffy's world to include more than just vampires. The series had little to do with the movie and she never went up against what we'd call a "slasher" but the fact that she averted multiple apocalypses (Apocalypsi? Apocalypsis? Apocalyptica, no, wait, that's a Finnish classical/speed metal band.) definitely qualifies her for the role. The fact that it had more than enough self-referential humor to counteract the angst (Fuck You, Joss Whedon! My sinuses STILL haven't recovered from The Body.) is what made the series so successful.
So, sorry to tell you, kids, but this is probably never going to go away. At least until we finally reach gender equality.
Bust through that glass ceiling, girls! If you can take down Jason and Freddy, I KNOW you can take down misogyny! I'll even hold your coat.
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