In that respect I would consider them about equal, quality-wise. The first film, as you said, is fairly uneventful up until the hitchhiker and the family dinner (of which dragged), but it clearly has an eye-opening sort of impact as to how to film something realistically. Either way, underwhelming.
The second film was appreciable in the sense you're a fool if you take it seriously, but I counted over 5 times where Leatherface was just standing there going RAWWR while the girl was just standing there going RAWWR and I was just standing there going RAWWR?!?!
That said, the remake is about the same quality because it's only element I really enjoyed was the re-casting and portrayal of family, which I found far more effective, but other than that did little else to make me care about the victims outside everyone who thinks Jessica Biel is hot
The second film was appreciable in the sense you're a fool if you take it seriously, but I counted over 5 times where Leatherface was just standing there going RAWWR while the girl was just standing there going RAWWR and I was just standing there going RAWWR?!?!
That said, the remake is about the same quality because it's only element I really enjoyed was the re-casting and portrayal of family, which I found far more effective, but other than that did little else to make me care about the victims outside everyone who thinks Jessica Biel is hot