A while ago, Netflix brought Leatherface fans a new installment in the Texas Chain Saw Massacre franchise. It left fans completely divided, however, it seems everyone (myself included) was disappointed with Sally Hardesty’s story. I noticed that after the return of the Halloween franchise and famous final girl Laurie Strode, Sally’s return wasn’t that different. This could very well be an attempt to ride the reboot fame that the new Halloween films brought. However, for fun I created a hypothetical that could explain why these final girls are so similar. (MAJOR SPOILERS!!!)

Instead of the TCM writers being inspired by Laurie Strode, what if Sally Hardesty herself was inspired by Laurie? Let’s say the Halloween films are in the Texas Chainsaw universe, maybe even loosely based on what Sally and her friends went through. Now, Sally never seemed like the type to watch horror movies so she could’ve avoided Halloween for years, especially if it hit too close to home for her.

Fast forward to the Halloween 2018 reboot – the popularity of the return of Michael Myers was too big to ignore and Sally’s curiosity finally convinced her to watch it. As she watched it, it’s possible that she found herself in Laurie and she realized that if Laurie was capable of facing her monster, maybe Sally could face hers.

In this film, it’s said that she became a ranger and was trying to find Leatherface for 50 years. Now, I question how hard she was actually looking for Leatherface. Herb the Proprietor said that it’s hard to find someone if you don’t know what they look like (speaking mostly about Leatherface wearing a mask). While that’s true, Leatherface was very different from everyone else, both mentally and physically. Plus, tracking down people associated with the Sawyer family might not have been too difficult. Also, you’re telling me no one noticed Leatherface joining the orphanage after the massacre in 1974 occurred? I think for a long time, Sally didn’t want to find and face Leatherface. She probably told people she was looking to avoid the reality that she was scared. However, once she saw Laurie and Laurie’s family take down Michael, Sally found new courage and waited patiently for the opportunity to redeem herself.

Herb believed she was always on this manhunt and he took it to heart, so when he heard that the group that arrived in Harlow was in trouble, Sally was the one he called. Fast forward to Sally’s arrival in Harlow. She expected to face off her killer the way Laurie faced Michael in 2018. However, she doesn’t get the same results as she realized Leatherface didn’t even remember her. He walked past her like she was nothing. She was discouraged in that moment but came to her senses and reminded him of who she was. She thought she had it in her to face the man who terrorized her and killed her friends, but unfortunately, she ended up getting herself killed because she needed more from her revenge than just shooting Leatherface and ending the terror once and for all.