Natalie Simon appears as the main protagonist and Final Girl in the 1998 slasher film Urban Legend. She is portrayed by American actress Alicia Witt.
Biography[]
Natalie Simon is a red-haired 20 year-old student at Pendleton University in New England. She is good friends with Brenda Bates, Sasha Thomas, Parker Riley, Damon Brooks, and Paul Gardner. In high school, Natalie was once a cheerleader and best friends with Michelle Mancini. Her roommate at Pendleton is Tosh Guarini.
Natalie finds herself at the center of a series of deaths at Pendleton University that she comes to believe are modeled after urban legends. Working alongside school journalist Paul, they work to uncover the truth about the university's dark history and piece together the motive for the murders.
Throughout the film, she is the prime witness of several of her friend's deaths. At the film's climax, it's uncovered that her best friend Brenda is taking revenge against her for a prank gone wrong a year earlier. She survives the film after being saved by campus security Reese and Paul.
Story[]
Natalie is first seen at the campus's main coffee lounge with Brenda and Parker listening to Sasha's radio show. Once Sasha signs off, Parker tells the girls the story of the Stanley Hall Massacre, carried out by one of the professors 25 years earlier. Paul eavesdrops nearby and corrects Parker on a few of the minor details of the story. Parker is annoyed further because Paul also debunks the whole story as an urban legend. When Paul leaves, Brenda admits to Natalie that she has a crush on him.
Natalie and Brenda listen to Parker tell his story of the Stanley Hall massacre
Later that evening Natalie and Brenda visit the abandoned Stanley Hall. They debate whether the massacre actually happened, with Brenda admitting that the story behind the massacre being one of the main reasons she chose to attend Pendleton. Natalie is apprehensive about the story and the building. Outside the building they run into Damon, who scares them with a prank.
Natalie attends Professor Wexler's folklore class alongside Brenda, Parker, and Damon.
Natalie watches in horror as Damon pranks the folklore class
When Natalie explains Damon's death to Parker, Sasha and Brenda, she's crestfallen when Parker immediately shuts down her claims. Parker explains that Damon is the best practical joker on campus and his death was an elaborate prank based on their lessons from Wexler's Folklore class. At first sympathetic to Natalie's worries, Sasha and Brenda both quickly side with Parker's story when they realize where Damon got the idea.
Convinced that what she'd witnessed was real and related to an urban legend, Natalie heads to the library to find out more. She finds an encyclopedia of urban legends and runs into Sasha, who is worried that Natalie still thinks Damon was murdered. They look through the book together, pausing on a few legends they recognize. When Sasha leaves, Natalie notices that Damon had checked out the book earlier in the year.
Natalie and Sasha look through the Encyclopaedia of Urban Legends
When Natalie arrives at the party the first thing she sees is Parker's dog, Hootie, running around with a beer bong in its mouth. Brenda greets her and runs off to grab them some beers. Paul arrives soon after and shows Natalie the evidence that Wexler was the sole survivor of the Stanley Hall massacre. They theorize that Wexler is responsible for the recent killings, having snapped due to the anniversary of the traumatic event. Natalie breaks down into tears and Paul consoles her with a kiss. Brenda interrupts them angrily and storms off crying.
Now convinced that Natalie is telling the truth, Paul suggests that Parker ends the party. Natalie watches in dismay as Parker decides to humiliate Paul rather than take his advice. Parker keeps the party going, and Paul decides to leave to find help. Natalie watches Sasha leave as well.
Now all alone at the party, Natalie sits and listens to Sasha's radio show while she waits for Paul to return. When Sasha suddenly begins to scream and cry for help, Natalie is certain that she's in danger. Other party-goers are hesitant to help, but Natalie leaves the party and runs off to the radio station. Upon entering the radio station, Natalie hears Sasha calling out her name and spots her through a window high above. A disheveled and terrified Sasha hysterically pounds on the glass before sinking to the floor. Behind her, Natalie sees the killer approach, axe in hand. Horrified, Natalie cries out and watches as the killer hacks Sasha apart. After the final and lethal swipe, the killer looks down at Natalie and mockingly waves at her. Natalie leaves the radio station in tears.
Natalie arrives at the radio station as Sasha calls out for help from the third floor
Natalie arrives at Paul's dorm and pounds on his door. Then he arrives from outside and they enter his room together. Natalie tells him that Sasha's dead and she saw the killer. The mentions that he's been running all over campus trying to find help. He picks up the phone and says the lines are dead. Natalie begins to suspect him, and she picks up the phone to make sure he's telling the truth. He promises her that he's on her side. They leave his dorm and immediately run into Brenda. Brenda mentions hearing Sasha on the radio and Natalie tells her that Sasha's dead. They all get into Paul's Jeep and leave campus.
Natalie wakes up tied to the bed and duct tape over her mouth. A hooded figure enters the room, and leans over Natalie. It's Brenda. Natalie's eyes go wide with disbelief and horror. Brenda's demeanor has changed completely. She's no longer the bubbly friend she thought she knew, she's a vengeful and psychopathic young woman. Natalie tries to scream, but the duct tape prevents her from doing so. Brenda laughs at Natalie's predicament, and asks her to promise not to scream if she removes the tape, having heard enough screaming from when she killed Sasha.
Brenda laughs at how loudly and frequently Sasha screamed before killing her
Natalie's gag is removed and she tries to reason with Brenda, but Brenda's vengeance is all-consuming. She reveals to Natalie that she had been engaged, and that he was the young man who died as a result of Natalie and Michelle's prank. Natalie is horrified and tells Brenda she's sorry. Brenda doesn't want to hear it. She tells Natalie that she's saved her favorite urban legend for last: the kidney heist.
Natalie, tied to a bed, tries to reason with a psychotic Brenda
Brenda starts to slice into Natalie's abdomen, but then Reese arrives, gun pointed at Brenda. Reese unties Natalie, but she's attacked by Brenda and is shot in the ensuing struggle. Brenda, now armed with a gun, points it at Natalie. She's upset that her kidney heist plans have been ruined. Then Paul appears.
Behind the Scenes[]
- Natalie Simon also elaborates in Paul's car to him that their ordeal will become a legend too and that it will be slightly altered over time.
- She speculates that Brenda will become a man, Paul will be a cop and she will end in an mental institution.
- At the end, she is right about it becoming a legend as a new batch of students at the fictional Ashton College divulge this story, including Natalie's part.