5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - Sally's Escape
The quintessential gory slasher,
Texas Chainsaw Massacre was draped in as much as controversy on its release as could be - it was brutal, it was bloody, it was a dark, harrowing look at senseless murder of innocent, if naughty, teens. It was also a stark and bold introduction to the modern slasher flick. At the end of
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, final girl Sally has lost her friends, her brother and has endured everything that could be thrown at her - and it's her sprinting, racing escape from the clutches of the cannibalistic family. She runs, she reaches salvation which Sally obtains through pain and sacrifice - while most people consider the final moments of Leatherface angrily doing a 'chainsaw dance' as he watches Sally escape the best, it's Sally's grin and hysterical laughter that will stand out for me. She survives and endures and in doing so creates a template and the archetype of the 'final girl', the virginal heroine who survives and overcomes the tremendous evils that consume her friends. Stretch in the sequel is just as heroic - and even kills her pursuers - but you just can't beat the original.