As we brace ourselves for the buzzy terrors of the latest Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a new “final girl” is born. Netflix’s direct sequel to the 1974 classic of the same name follows a group of teen influencers who head to the ghost town of Harlow, Texas, in hopes of turning it into a social media haven. Little do they know that the long dormant Leatherface has other plans for them. 

Among the pack is our protagonist, Lila, portrayed by Elsie Fisher who struck mainstream success with 2018’s Eighth Grade. But in TCM, Fisher is taking on a deeply personal (and obviously horrifying) story, turning it on its head and subverting age-old genre tropes. In conversation with Tudum, Fisher discusses their history with the horror genre, the concept of the “final girl,” and considers the film’s most shocking moments. Spoilers ahead — so beware.

First of all, we need to know: Are you a longtime horror fan or is this all very new to you?I've always watched horror movies. I have vivid memories of watching the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre when I was twelve years old. It totally changed the trajectory of my life. Nowadays, I watch horror and enjoy it. I have fun with it. I think it's more fun to be in it, though.

Is that what drew you to the role of Lila? The, uh, “fun” of it all?Honestly, no. When I eventually read the script, I was like, “Oh, wow, this is scary! This is a Texas Chainsaw!” So, it was fun to be able to do the mix [of “fun” drama and horror]. I also really just like Lila as a standalone character. I think her story is interesting because, as a survivor of trauma, to put her into a horror world, it's very interesting to tackle. But I don't want to let her be defined by the bad things that have already happened to her.

Lila is definitely a very different kind of “final girl” than horror fans are used to. Usually in slasher movies, the final girl escapes at the end. But Lila experiences another traumatic event at the end with [spoiler alert] the death of her sister. Do you think she'll be able to overcome the traumas she experienced in the film or do you think it's just cycles of repeats?There's a connection between Lila and Sally [from the original TCM]. They are both the survivors. Sally, in some ways, makes the wrong choice and isn't able to come out the other side. Spiritually, for me, when Lila puts on the cowboy hat at the end, she's making the wrong choice. She's keeping everything with her, and maybe some karmic powers decided to take Melody away. I hope she's fine after all this. I hope she's able to get into therapy or something, but who knows?

Do you think Texas Chainsaw Massacre embraces or subverts the final girl trope that we so often see in slasher movies? A little bit of both. honestly. A lot of people would kind of expect Melody to be the final girl. It maybe could have gone either way. I felt like a lot of this was Melody’s story, and Lila was just along for the ride — willing or not willing. 

Are you a fan of movies where the final girl trope exists? Or is, perhaps, remixed? Yeah, and tropes totally exist for a reason: Because they work. Especially if done correctly, it's perfect. I love to see what people do with these preexisting ideas. It's always fun to see some new inventions.

Do you have any favorite final girls from horror movies?  Charlie from Hereditary as a final girl is very interesting to me. It's another one of those situations where it is and isn't part of that trope. Her ghost goes into [Peter’s] body, so she kind of survives and she kind of doesn't, and it's very eerie. No one really got a happy ending — that's pretty terrifying. And I love it.

Well, now we have to ask: Do you think this is the last we've seen of Lila? I can't say for certain, of course. My hope is that we get a sequel in 50 years, and Lila is 75 years old. Like, just crocheting and really happy. Maybe in therapy, maybe has a family and just doing really [well]. And then, 60 minutes in, Leatherface just busts through [her] home like zzzzz [insert chainsaw rev sound].

So, you'd be on board with doing a sequel 50 years from now? Yeah, something like that.