The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Both Versions)
While it may be a bit of a cheat to include both Tobe Hooper’s and Marcus Nispel’s versions here, it doesn’t mean that the ending of each film is unsatisfying. First, finally seeing Sally (Marilyn Burns) escape the clutches of Leatherface after what seems like hours running away from him (well, it was hours for her, but just about 45 minutes for the audience). After making it to the street she jumps in the back of a pickup truck, just barely escaping Leatherface.
The remake, on the other hand, sees Sally’s counterpart Erin (Jessica Biel), hiding from Leatherface in the locker of a slaughterhouse, chopping off his arm and then running over Sheriff Hoyt (R. Lee Ermey), who emerged as the true villain of the film. It’s no secret that I adore this remake, as it was one of the first R-rated movies I was able to see in a theater with my father, so I’m a little biased, but this is still an incredibly satisfying ending to this film. At least they opted to delete the bookend scenes with an elderly Erin in a mental asylum.
