The late Stan Lee once said, “The success of Blade opened the door for all the Marvel films that followed. It showed Hollywood that our stories could work on the big screen.” Without Blade, there would be no X-Men (2000). No Spider-Man (2002). No Iron Man (2008) and no Avengers (2012). Blade was the spark that lit the fire.

From Laurie Strode’s trembling courage in Halloween (1978) to Sidney Prescott’s fierce self-awareness in Scream, and now to Shanika (The Blackening), Dana (Cabin in the Woods), Selena (28 Days Later), and Michonne (The Walking Dead), the Final Girl has become a reflection of society itself — evolving, expanding, and diversifying across generations. So tonight, we’re turning down the lights, queuing up the VHS tapes, and celebrating the women who ran, fought, and won — the Fin