FINAL GIRL explores the slasher flicks of the '70s and '80s...and all the other horror movies I feel like talking about, too. This is life on the EDGE, so beware yon spoilers!

Jun 11, 2015

Happy Birthday to Me

Kids, guess what! Today marks some kind of "Holy shit, everyone is old" milestone in the annals of Final Girl, for she is now ten years old. Ten! Years! A decade! Baby's growing up so fast, the next thing you know she'll be taking murderous revenge on all the people who made fun of the limp she had in 6th grade.

(In the interests of history and also for the record, I did not have a limp in 6th grade. But that was the year I got glasses, braces, and chicken pox all within about two days of each other, so trust: a limp would have been vastly preferred. Although I have to say no one made fun of any of it, so I'll have to take murderous revenge for some other reason, I suppose. Hooray?)


Oh man, ten years and I still can't catch a break from that guy!

For real though–yes, for REAL–a decade is a long time to have a horror blog, so I'm sure that says something about something. Do people still have blogs? Does anyone read them now that Facebook...is? Or does everyone just "jack in" to some kind of "cyber reality" and "hack the mainframe"?

In the ten years since I started Final Girl on a whim and a prayer (to Satan), oh how the world has changed. Remember when remakes were just starting to be a thing and we were all simultaneously stunned and outraged? Remember the Asian horror invasion (come back, Tartan Asia Extreme, I miss you so much)? Remember the days before Blu-ray, when rare horror movies were only available on, like, shitty bootleg CD-Rs of VHS copies? Remember the time we had that gum? Remember when you could sit outside and not worry about the mosquitos and the killers? We've been through so much, what a ride, does this look infected to you, etc etc. We've loved and lost, and loved again and lost again, and loved again and lost again, and I guess you could say we've sort of alternated on those.





You know, I'd never written anything for public consumption before I started Final Girl. I'd never considered writing at all, it was never my thing. I didn't keep a journal or write stories or any of that, outside of whatever I had to do for school. It's because of this dumb horror blog that I've discovered one of the greatest loves of my life, and one of the reason I kept this dumb horror blog going is the readers. I mean, I write to write, not because people sometimes say nice things (though that always brings about good feelings) or because sometimes people say mean things (though that always brings about a laugh). "Visitor stats" and numbers don't mean anything, but a reader leaving a recommendation in the comments, or the discussions that get going, the writers I've been introduced to...those mean something. Y'all give Final Girl life!

So whether you've been coming here for ten years or for ten seconds, thanks for reading. I can't tell you how great it feels. (It's a secret.)

26 comments:

Kensington said...

Happy anniversary!

I wish you would write more often because you're so talented and clever. I discovered many terrific horror movies because of this blog, including that obscure one where the woman gets attacked by zombies in the grocery store while the other woman gets attached by zombies in the movie theater. You know the one.

And I shudder to think of all the other horror movies I haven't discovered because you haven't yet unearthed them.

That goes double for the videogame blog, too! :)

Stacie Ponder said...

MESSIAH OF EVIL!!! Gahd I love that movie so much, I just watched it recently and it's still so great. And see, I was introduced to it through some comments here. This place is the best!

And thanks very much for the kind words. :) You are totally right, I *should* be writing here more (and that goes TRIPLE for the game blog)...but (whispers conspiratorially) I am writing horror-related stuff, I just can't reveal it yet. DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN

Colleen said...

I heart you Final Girl; I've hearted you for years and I'll keep on hearting you.

And it's a book isn't it? You're writing a book?

Stacie Ponder said...

Aw thanks! (Although maybe NOT thanks, since now "Keep on Hearting You" is stuck in my head to the tune of REO Speedwagon's "Keep on Loving You" and I can't stand that song.)

A BOOK, WHO ME?

Ah maaaybe, but WHAT IS THE BOOK AND IS THERE MORE THAN ONE 'tis a mystery!

originalslugboy said...

You are the best, FG. Don't ever change unless you were serious about that revenge on all of us thing.

You provide so many great lessons that I can pass on to my dog (no kids), from perseverance to weapon choice to how to really get your money's worth out of a stock photo.

Marvin the Macabre said...

Congrats Stacie!

And thank you for keeping Final Girl going as all the other horror blogs I grew up with (okay grew into middle age with) closed up shop. Final Girl was my number one inspiration for starting my own horror blog, so many gracious thanksies for your existence.

As the proud owner of both Ludlow and Horror 101, I can't wait to see what you do next.

Bonus recommendation: Have you seen Left Bank? You'd dig it the most.

Stacie Ponder said...

Oh, that's awesome, thank you so much! That makes me happy.

You know, I've had a copy of Left Bank sitting here for *years*...but it's a festival screener, so the disc is in a plain envelope and just says "Left Bank" on it. So I always put off watching it because (this will probably sound dopey) I don't really know what it's about...I choose the movies where I know what I'm getting into. But thanks, now I'm just gonna LIVE ON THE EDGE and give it a go.

Jason Adams said...

Happy bloggaversary, Stacie! Bloggerversary? I don't know how that word should be spelled. Blogga Who Blogga Wha? Sorry it's the time of day when I start going wacky don't mind me. POINT BEING good goddamn I love this place so much and whenever I'm down I scan back thru the archives because there is somehow stuff I still haven't read and wonders that await me. The news that you might be [writing a book] or [whatever] makes all of my hairs stand on end with anticipation; I'm straight up doing the Briefcase Lady at my desk. And when I say I am "doing" her I don't mean none of that funny business, although now that I've contextualized her in a sexual manner I am noticing that Briefcase Lady has really skinny legs, and she's wearing some high, like Brian DePalma high, heels. Am I still typing?

Stacie Ponder said...

You are so nice! Thank you, you know I think you're the knees.

Briefcase Lady is such an enigma, isn't she? You're right, those HEELS. And she's wearing, like, the Ladies' Business version of that David Byrne suit. YOU KNOW THE ONE

Michelle said...

Happy, happy! I always love reading!

Stacie Ponder said...

Internet hi-five!!

Anonymous said...

Happy anniversary, Stacie!

Final Girl has and continues to be my number one go to blog schmog.
Keep up the radness!

Stacie Ponder said...

Thanks, man!! I definitely aspire to maintain any radness and nourish its growth!

Elwood Jones said...

Congratulations on 10 kickass years let alone still maintaining your place on top of the horror blogger pile.

Hopefully we will get you on the podcast soon!!

Jay Clarke said...

Happy anniversary, Stacie! Wow, ten years...

Finding your blog about eight years ago was kind of an epiphany and I've always felt like we are often on the same wavelength. You were one of the inspirations behind me starting my own blog. Thanks for all the great reviews, features and funny Photoshops over the years, and here's to many more!

J.

CashBailey said...

Happy belated berfday, Final Girl!

Yummy Pizza said...

Your blog and your writing is just the best. I re-read your reviews all the time, and if I happen to read a new one in a public place I have to hide my face so I don't look like a grinning idiot. I'm happy to hear you're working on something, I've been wondering what you've been up to!? Can't WAIT to read whatever it is. I got my copy of Slasher 101 proudly displayed centre stage in my bookcase. I should take a picture of that but have no idea how one can include an image in the comment section (I'm not savvy like the kids). And one day I hope I can buy the full RPG in bookform off of ya!

I've been reading you for about 4-5 years (commented some but not a lot, different username(s) so now I gotta go back to the beginning cuz I'm sure there are lots of posts I haven't read. Thank you for all of the joy! Hail Satan!

Yummy Pizza said...

I don't know how interesting this is for you but thought it might be nice to see where your work has ended up, all the way over in Sweden!
https://flic.kr/p/uAWrZL

Anonymous said...

Happy blogversary! Final Girl has been one of my favorite horror blogs since 2009. This blog has saved me from the real life horror of actually getting work done many a time.

(apologies if this is a duplicate comment, I had trouble logging into wordpress)

Stacie Ponder said...

YOU GUYS. Seriously, thank you so much. My heart has grown like ten sizes this day.

matango said...

I love your blog, Stacie. It's still the best horror thing on the intertubes.

Stacie Ponder said...

INTERNET HI-FIVE!

Carrie said...

I am late on this, as usual, but HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Final Girl rekindled my love of horror movies. Who could ask for more?

William Quiterio said...

Happy anniversary! Also, I don't want to drag this happy occasion into the sad, but I was wondering if you had any thoughts on the recent passings of both Betsy Palmer and Christopher Lee? It seems those deaths coincided with busy and/or sabbatical periods for the half-dozen or so horror blogs I frequent, so I did not end up reading much by the way of tributes or retrospectives. For me, both have this weirdly mythical end-of-an-era vibe...

Anyway, congrats on staying awesome for ten full years!

Marc said...

Happy Birthday FG! I have insisted my friends (most of whom aren't even that into horror - hmm, maybe they're NOT my friends) check out your site, and they do and they love it too - all cause of ya'll. Your writing, crazy pics and (let's not forget) your rad illustrations are what they check it out for, and it's what I keep coming back for to see what's new, or to just dip into the review archive and read some of the best reviews on the interwebs, or ANYWHERE.

Congrats on the milestone, and can't wait to see what you might be working on next! xx

Stacie Ponder said...

GUYS I CAN'T TAKE THE NICENESS THANK YOU