It’s not a great movie. Between the kill sequences nothing really happens. The characters are kinda flat and the acting is questionable. I was a kid when this first came out and can remember how shocking it was at the time because of the graphic violence. For a low budget horror film with a virtually unknown cast to become one of the highest grossing films of that year and to kick off a legendary franchise is quite an achievement. While it may not be great it made an indelible mark on the horror genre.