Marilyn Burns has passed away.

[herbsmall]

Ms. Burns was Sally, the main character who survives, in the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre . She only made a handful of movies, but, since that one was so memorable, her place in film history may be assured. Plus, Ms. Burns could really let loose with some blood-curdling shrieks.

[PM2K]

I heard about that. Pity...

Funny thing is, considering its reputation, the original Chainsaw Massacre is pretty tame on the gore side of things compared to the torture porn of today. But it is still a chilling film.

[herbsmall]

Actually, I watch a lot of 70s horror and, gore wise, Texas Chainsaw was even tame for its day. I've seen lots of 70s movies that showed more blood. I don't know if it is true, but I read that director Tobe Hooper was actually trying to get a PG rating. Of course, the movie was so low budget, I don't think they would have had the money for extensive gore effects.

You are right, though. TCM was a very skillfully made film and is very chilling and effective. A large part of that was due to Ms. Burns performance. I would have thought she would have become a much bigger star.