Why Zoe Davis in ‘Escape Room’ on Netflix is the Best Final Girl in Years
I’m not really a fan of saying something—especially movies—was better than it had any “right” to be. Is there some unknown judicial panel that preordains movies with a right, or lack thereof, to be good? I understand the sentiment, at least, even if I’m not thrilled with the semantics. Largely, they’re movies that you go into with the lowest of expectations, either on account of concept or the team behind them. Remember the early 2000s when every movie proudly displayed “From a Producer of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” in their trailer? What does that even mean?
Tarot comes to mind, and I even penned an editorial on just how good that movie ended up being. Ouija: Origin of Evil exceeded expectations, all the more so when accounting for how poorly-received the first movie was. This year, I’m sure we were all stunned to see Final Destination return with such exhilarating results after a 14-year hiatus. In the past decade or so, however, I think few movies exceeded expectations quite as much as Escape Room. Zoey Davis (Taylor Russell) is the best final girl in years, and now, the first Escape Room is streaming on Netflix. Learn more below:
Per Netflix: Six strangers must use their wits to survive a series of deadly mystery rooms that cater to their worst fears in this horror drama.
My Escape Room expectations were constrained by two variables. It was PG-13, and dumped in theaters the first week of January. That’s never a positive sign. I’m a real one, though, and like this year’s The Damned, I love starting my year with a new horror movie. And wouldn’t you know? Escape Room was pretty danged good, eschewing the Saw origins for a tense, puzzling mystery full of characters you actively, earnestly care about. So much so, they returned for a sequel that’s even better than the first. Which, speaking of… where’s my third entry?
Russell’s Zoey Davis is a huge reason the films work as well as they do. In an editorial on the series from last year, I wrote, “In terms of gateway horror, the Escape Room series is one of the best in recent memory. And with Taylor Russell in the lead, it’s refreshingly, enthrallingly unique.” Davis exhibits remarkable growth over the two films, and it’s one of my favorite final girl performances since Sharni Vinson in You’re Next. It’s that good. Whether you’ve seen Escape Room or not, give it another shot on Netflix and you might be pleasantly surprised.
What do you think? Any plans to check out Escape Room on Netflix? Thoughts on Zoey Davis as a final girl? Let me know over on Twitter @Chadiscollins.
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