20 Horror Movies So Good You Overlook Huge Flaws
5. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre - Amazing Villains, Terrible Heroes
Ingeniously directed and harrowingly intense, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of the most terrifying horror films ever made, and it's one of those mostly-perfect movies with just one huge, glaring flaw. You're likely to love everything about it... except the main characters, who are as bland as tap water.
Sure, one could fairly argue that the focus was more on the scares and antagonists, but even so, it's hard not to feel that these characters could've been better. Well, Final Girl Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) is more fondly remembered, but that's mainly because of Marilyn Burns' stellar performance in the role. On paper, there's virtually nothing to Sally, and her wheelchair-bound brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain) is one of the most irritating horror movie victims ever.
As for the other three travelling with them, many would struggle to even picture them, let alone name them. The only memorable things about them are the ways in which they die. In stark contrast, the villainous characters are fabulous. Leatherface (Gunnar Hanson) is iconic, and he's backed up by a stellar villainous ensemble who are like a grotesque, darkly comedic parody of an American sitcom family. Those guys rock, and they deserved to face off against some better characters.
In a particular example of irony, the 2003 remake actually had better characters; it fixed the biggest issue with the original while being inferior in every other way.