10 Horror Movies That Gave Fans EXACTLY What They Wanted (And They Hated It)

5. Texas Chainsaw Massacre Brings Back Sally, Just To Kill Her Off

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Lke so many horror franchises, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre one is a truly mixed bag. For every great or half-decent film, there's three or four absolute stinkers.

Of course, the prize jewel in the TCM crown is Tobe Hooper's 1974 original. On the protagonist front, the star character of the series is that movie's Sally Hardesty. Played by Marilyn Burns, Sally is a pivotal character in the broader world of horror, with her often cited as popularising the notion of the 'final girl' who somehow makes it out of their respective picture.

Whereas the likes of Halloween and Scream are prime examples of franchises that brought back their survivor(s) for one more round with Michael Myers and Ghostface, Sally was conspicuous from her absence in the TCM series.

After The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, all fans got in regards to Sally was fleeting mentions in the following two films and an uncredited, non-speaking cameo from Burns at the end of Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation.

Finally, this heroine - now played by Olwen Fouéré following the passing of Marilyn Burns in 2014 - returned to the franchise in a significant way in this year's Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Hunting down Leatherface, fans were left angry that the character was brought back to be slaughtered by the franchise's hulking villain... all whilst having some ham-fisted message about facing your demons rather than running from them.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.