Scream Queen Legend
Fifteen acting credits are all that horror legend Marilyn Burns ever received. In all honesty, she only needed one. After appearances in Brewster McCloud (1970) and Lovin’ Molly (1974), Ms. Burns won the role of Sally Hardesty in the iconic, groundbreaking, cannibal horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974). She is considered by many to be the first true “final girl” and also responsible for giving one of the best performances by an actress in a horror film. The film predates all of the major slasher franchises including Halloween, Friday The 13th, and A Nightmare On Elm Street. It is also considered to be one of the most influential horror films of all time.
Of course, Chainsaw would be just another horror film if it weren’t in part for the brilliant performance of Marilyn Burns. Burns screamed, cried, crawled, ran, and begged her way through the film in a performance that left myself and many others very uncomfortable during and after the film. The believability of her performance and of the rest of the cast along with the direction of Tobe Hooper made for the perfect storm.
After making The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Burns continued working off and on in film and television. She appeared primarily in horror films but also appeared in the real life mini-series based on the Manson Murders Trial, Helter Skelter (1976) as Linda Kasabian. She returned to the role of Sally Hardesty in 1995 for a cameo in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1995) and portrayed another character, Verna, in 2013’s Texas Chainsaw. Outside of that, Burns had a few roles here and there over the years in one off horror films like Eaten Alive (1976), Future-Kill (1985), and Butcher Boys (2012).
Burns chose to live a quiet life and only made occasional appearances at events celebrating Chainsaw or at pop culture and horror conventions. She acted when she felt like it and stayed out of the limelight. Sadly, Ms. Burns was found dead by family members in her home in 2014. While no official cause of death has been given, family members claimed that she had a heart attack.
Marilyn Burns is a legend and an icon. Thankfully her performance will continue to be seen by fans new and old alike. Thanks for checking out my post about this iconic Scream Queen. See you again, tomorrow!
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