4 horror heroines (and 1 villain) who deserve more love

While many iconic and beloved horror characters are women, there are some who, for one reason or another, remain unsung, heroines and villains alike. Some of them face a lot more backlash than others and some are just often overlooked in favor of others, going unappreciated compared to some. Here are five who fit the bill.

1. Wendy Torrance (The Shining)

Wendy is far from a helpless victim type of character that many categorize her as purely because she cries and screams in a situation where crying and screaming are both reasonable reactions. Wendy has a ton of internal strength. She doesn't give up, even being in that nightmare scenario she finds is her new reality.

She hits and subdues Jack, locks him up, is protective of her son Danny, and gets him out of the room Jack is axing his way into; in the final act, she runs through a hellish maze to find her son. Prior to that, she'd been taking care of the hotel's upkeep, contacting people via the radio, taking care of Danny, and managing herself around Jack's increasingly volatile moods. She does all this while staying positive and determined; even when terrified, she soldiers on.

2. Sally Hardesty (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre)

She's often on lists of weakest final girls, but those lists always seem to overlook her resilience and how strong her will to live is even after being chased by Leatherface in a nightmarish sequence, after watching him slaughter her brother and knowing her friends and boyfriend are dead. Even weaponless, with the antagonists having the upper hand for basically the entire time, she still fights so hard for her life.

Sally does the only thing she can while being physically held down, and it being three against one, she fights and struggles, managing to break free and run for her life to the road where passersby come to her aid. The fact that people help and rescue her does not diminish her role as a final girl. Teamwork in horror is what usually wins the day, after all, the Scream franchise is a great example of that

3. Vanita "Stretch" Brock (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2)

Stretch so often takes a backseat to other final girls and is criminally overlooked. Smart, sassy, and brave, she's determined to help bring terrifying killers to justice with the aid of Lefty, the uncle of Sally and Franklin from the first movie.

Stretch herself is quick-thinking (using the fact that Leatherface is attracted to aid her) and quick-acting when she finally gets the upper hand and defeats Chop Top Sawyer. The iconic final shot of her waving around Leatherface's chainsaw, which she turned on Chop Top, parallels Leatherface's dance at the end of the first movie and is a seriously badass final girl moment.

4. Erin (You're Next)

Raised by doomsday preppers to be ready for the worst, Erin calls upon all of those skills to make sure she survives the events of the movie. She is indeed prepared for anything, much to the dismay of the killers that she cleverly, calmly, and methodically dispatches.

Erin is not only shown to be physically strong though, her mental resilience when facing not only a home invasion but also a terrible betrayal at the hands of someone who claimed to love her, is shown in spades with how she deals with everything that happens to her and is the last one standing at the end.

5. Brenda Bates (Urban Legend)

Brenda Bates stands out as an unforgettable slasher villain who is also somewhat sympathetic, considering her motive and what she lost due to a reckless prank played by others. Brenda is unhinged with grief and cares about one thing only: making those who were responsible for her fiance's death pay. She is machine-like in her determination and physical strength; there are no lengths she won't go to to get her way, and she almost succeeds, too, coming closer than other various slashers.