9 Best "Good For Her" Horror Movies

Published Sep 27, 2026, 11:55 AM EDT

Richard Craig is a Senior Author at Screen Rant covering film and TV. Richard has also written extensively about horror and film soundtracks, contributing a chapter to the first major academic collection on the folk horror genre, The Routledge Companion to Folk Horror. Richard is also a performing musician and holds an MA in Music and Sound Art.

A highly compelling modern horror genre has emerged, one which is defined by how much it makes the audiences cheer “good for her” by the movie’s conclusion. For decades, horror movies have ended with a woman escaping the monster or killing the villain. However, several movies have made this lead character so empowered, that she seeks revenge, finds solace in the carnage, or simply washes her hands of the situation. Often, the only reasonable response to this is, “good for her.”

The phrase has become a popular shorthand for a particular kind of horror story, although its origins are considerably sillier than the films now associated with it. It is generally traced back to Lucille Bluth's sarcastic “good for her” response in Arrested Development, but horror fans have transformed the phrase into a useful description of stories in which women endure oppression, manipulation, abuse, betrayal, or outright supernatural torment before reclaiming control of their lives.

The important distinction is that “good for her” horror is not simply a synonym for the final girl or the tasteless revenge-in-her-underwear subgenre. These are movies where women are empowered, not exploited for the male gaze. The best examples make the audience cheer because the protagonist's final act represents a reclamation of agency.

The violence can be extreme, but it should mean something. These women are escaping systems, relationships, families, or expectations that have trapped them. Regardless of how deplorable they might become in the final act, it’s impossible not to root for them.

Midsommar (2019)

Midsommar might feature one of horror's most infuriating boyfriends. After Dani suffers an unimaginable tragedy when her entire family dies, Christian (played by James Bond potential Jack Reynor) responds with emotional distance, passive aggression, and barely concealed resentment. Dani is repeatedly made to feel like an inconvenience during what should be the worst period of her life.

The Harga commune is undeniably disturbing, yet it offers Dani something nobody else in the film does: empathy. The scene where the women mirror her grief transforms what could have been simple cult manipulation into something emotionally complicated. For the first time, someone shares her pain rather than dismissing it.

Midsommar's final image of Dani smiling is both tragic and triumphant. Dani has escaped an unsupportive world and found a community that seemingly values her. The cost is horrifying, but the emotional release is undeniable.

The Witch (2015)

The Witch spends nearly two hours showing Thomasin being blamed for things she didn't do. Living within an isolated Puritan family, she becomes a convenient scapegoat for every misfortune that befalls them. Even before supernatural forces enter the story, her future appears grim.

Thomasin is expected to submit to a rigid social structure that views her as inherently sinful and perpetually suspect. That context transforms the famous finale. When Black Phillip asks whether she would like to "live deliciously," the moment becomes liberation rather than corruption. Thomasin isn't simply choosing witchcraft.

Thomasin is choosing to have pleasure for the first time in her life. The Witch has one of the most memorable endings in modern horror because it completely recontextualizes everything that came before. Thomasin's ascension isn't framed as a fall. It's framed as an escape.

You're Next (2011)

Most home-invasion movies revolve around ordinary people trying to survive masked killers. You're Next becomes something special because Erin turns out to be far from ordinary. Erin boasts impeccable surviving skills and starts assessing threats, securing rooms, and creating weapons.

Director Adam Wingard cleverly uses audience expectations against them. Erin initially appears to be another horror-movie girlfriend, only to reveal herself as the most capable person in the house. You’re Next becomes increasingly satisfying as the masked attackers realize they've targeted someone far more dangerous than anticipated.

It's revealed that Erin is actually an unwitting witness in her partner’s inheritance scheme, but she refuses to let him get away with it. Unlike many horror protagonists, Erin survives because she's better prepared than everyone around her. You’re Next celebrates her capability from beginning to end.

Carrie (1976)

Brian De Palma's adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie remains one of horror's most devastating emotional experiences because it spends so much time making viewers root for Carrie White. Carrie is bullied at school, emotionally abused at home, and treated as a social outcast by almost everyone she encounters.

Sissy Spacek's performance emphasizes her vulnerability, making every small victory feel significant. That's why the prom sequence initially feels so uplifting. For the first time, Carrie experiences genuine happiness. Then everything collapses.

Carrie is a foundational "good for her" horror movie because the audience feels just as devastated as she does, fully understanding why she snaps. The cruelty inflicted upon her is so relentless that viewers find themselves emotionally aligned with her rage, even as the destruction escalates beyond reason.

Revenge (2017)

Revenge deliberately begins like an exploitation movie before systematically dismantling the assumptions associated with that genre. Its opening imagery appears designed to evoke classic rape-revenge films, only for the narrative to shift into a sharp critique of the perspective those movies often embrace.

Matilda Lutz delivers a remarkable physical performance as Jen, whose transformation from perceived victim to relentless force of nature drives the film. Revenge never allows the audience to forget the violence committed against her, but she also refuses to define Jen solely through suffering.

Instead, Revenge becomes about reclaiming agency. Every stylistic choice emphasizes Jen's determination rather than her victimization. Revenge works because it examines the genre through a modern lens and exposes its contradictions. It's brutal, bloody, and surprisingly thoughtful, proving that empowerment and horror can coexist without feeling exploitative.

Ready Or Not (2019)

Grace begins Ready or Not believing she's joining a wealthy family. Instead, she discovers she's become prey in a ritualistic game of survival. Ready or Not’s biggest asset is Samara Weaving's performance. Grace isn't a superhero – she's terrified, exhausted, injured, and frequently adapting to increasingly absurd circumstances.

The Le Domas family embodies inherited privilege taken to grotesque extremes. They view Grace as disposable because preserving their wealth matters more than her life. Watching her dismantle that system is immensely satisfying.

Ready or Not also understands that the true betrayal comes from her husband. Alex spends much of the story presenting himself as different from the rest of his family before ultimately revealing where his loyalties lie. Grace's refusal to forgive him is a truly thrilling give the finger finale.

Companion (2025)

Drew Hancock's Companion is one of the strongest modern entries in the "good for her" canon. The film cleverly combines horror, science fiction, and dark comedy while exploring themes of autonomy and control. It follows Iris, who, after a traumatic encounter, is revealed to be a companion robot.

The female autonomy theme is particularly strong throughout Companion, with Iris’s boyfriend/owner Josh literally able to control her intelligence through an app. Iris begins to try and claim control over her own life, while Josh transforms into a particularly modern type of horror villain.

Josh is manipulative, entitled, and convinced that his actions are justified. Companion skewers this worldview with ruthless efficiency. As Iris becomes more aware of her situation, she transforms from someone constrained by other people's expectations into someone determined to define herself.

Hostel: Part II (2007)

Hostel: Part II is one of the most surprising examples of "good for her" horror because it completely subverts expectations established by the first film. Beth initially appears trapped in the same nightmare that consumed previous victims. Like them, she's targeted by wealthy elites who torture and kill humans for fun.

When Beth realizes the nature of the organization hunting her, she adapts. Rather than trying to escape or destroy the system, she uses its own rules against it. She buys her way into the club, and when informed that she cannot leave the compound without killing, she kills her male attacker in a particularly grisly way – literally emasculating him.

Hostel: Part II has one of the boldest endings in Eli Roth's filmography and an unexpectedly empowering conclusion to an otherwise brutal horror film.

Margot enters The Menu as an outsider. Unlike the wealthy food critics, celebrities, investors, and socialites surrounding her, she doesn't belong in Chef Slowik's exclusive culinary experience. She has no pretensions and, more importantly, has not committed a misdeed severe enough to warrant a seat in the deadly food-based performance art.

Throughout The Menu, Margot shatters everybody’s insincere effort to look more cultured than they really are. This quickly aligns her with the audience. It's compounded when it’s revealed she was taken there by somebody who knew the meal would be a deadly spectacle.

The most satisfying moment arrives when Margot dismantles Slowik's performance by asking for something simple: a cheeseburger. In doing so, she reminds him why he loved cooking in the first place and secures her freedom. Margot leaves and casually watches the restaurant burn down while she finishes her burger, quite rightly deciding that none of this horror is her problem. Good for her.