10 Horror Movie Characters That Single-Handedly Ruined Recent Movies

In recent times, no iconic horror movie character has been assassinated with quite such misguided vigour as Sally Hardesty in last year's Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequel.

Sally was of course the protagonist of the series' original film, and though recasting the role here with Olwen Fouéré following Marilyn Burns' death wasn't a problem at all, the ultimate direction for her character tanked the whole damn movie.

Basically, this picture tried to follow in the footsteps of 2018's Halloween "requel" by bringing its original heroine back into the fold for one last clash with its statuesque slasher.

Much like Halloween's Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), Sally is now an aged, hardened survivalist who has been waiting literally decades for a final showdown with her tormentor, Leatherface (Mark Burnham). And so, in the third act Sally finally gets her wish, yet picks up the idiot ball with an enthusiasm bordering on suicidal.

Despite having had almost an entire half-century to prep for this fight, Sally waits far too long to strike, instead holding Leatherface at gunpoint when she could be killing him. Even when she does shoot, her aim sucks, before she ends up being run through by Leatherface's chainsaw, dying shortly thereafter.

This movie took a character who was smart, resourceful, and easy to root for in her youth and turned her into a doddering fool, in turn putting a giant dampener on the entire experience.

Given how aggressively last year's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ruined the franchise's original heroine, it was tough to enjoy the carnage even as basic meat-and-potatoes schlock.