January 13, 2016

Sometimes, there are characters in genre pictures that are so darned righteous, you can’t stop thinking about them or their amazing feats long after the movie is over. This column is dedicated to those cinematic bad-asses that keep us coming back for more. And one of the greatest characters to ever face the perils of true evil and survive has to be Sally Hardesty from the original TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE as portrayed by the late, great Marilyn Burns.

Tobe Hooper’s 1974 classic movie THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE is a masterpiece and has been for the last 40 years since it first shocked an unsuspecting audience of movie-goers upon its initial release. When you really break it down, there are several reasons for this. It’s truly an amalgamation of all the hard work put into it to capture lightning in a bottle from the horror Gods. Everything from the amazing and realistic production design by Robert Burns, especially when we first enter the home of the Sawyers; to the minimalist score and sound design composed by Wayne Bell with Hooper. The performances from the “family” are all wilder than anything that could ever be imagined. From Jim Siedow’s “father figure” role and somewhat comical take on the cook to Edwin Neal’s bonkers and off the wall performance as the twisted Hitchhiker, to the terrifying and yet strangely intriguing character that Gunnar Hansen brought to Leatherface.

But then there are your main group of kids. With Sally (Marilyn Burns), her invalid brother Franklin (Paul Partain), Jerry (Allen Danziger), Kirk (William Vail) and Pam (Teri McMinn), we followed a group of friends that were a lot like the group of friends we carry on with in our regular lives. They were real kids that stumbled upon an unfortunate bad-luck situation. They fell into the hornet’s nest and it became immediately impossible for them to get out. And yet, Sally somehow managed to survive the whole ordeal. Sure, when you break it down, a lot of it comes down to pure luck. But I like to think Sally’s will to live transcended all the horrible things she was forced to experience.

One of the most important things that makes CHAIN SAW an absolute masterpiece is that as you’re watching it, it all feels totally real. You can smell that awful dinner sequence. You can feel the sweat and imagine the Texas heat. And when Sally is being taunted by the family, you can feel every single bit of pain she’s enduring through every single scream and shriek. I definitely attribute that to the amazing work on display by Marilyn Burns, which quite frankly has never been matched or topped in any other genre movie. Burns passed away unexpectedly at age 65 back in August of 2014, and although she was appreciated by the horror fans that were enthusiastically present for the various CHAIN SAW reunions over the years at local conventions, I feel like she never got enough credit for what she did with that performance.

Sally wasn’t a “final girl.” She wasn’t a “scream queen.” She was a character that faced the most difficult of challenges and through pure sheer will somehow managed to survive the most horrific ordeal anyone should ever have to face.

She’s a survivor. She survived. And for that, she deserves this hashtag.

#RESPECT