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Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The (1974)
Rated: R | Review date: 22-Nov-2009
Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is synonymous with the horror genre. Many hold it solely responsible for reinventing the genre as a whole, just as Hitchcock’s Psycho did in the decade prior. Thirty-five years later the film’s reputation still precedes it, and few films have come close to achieving its level of notoriety. Being so unfortunate as to not have grown up during such a profound era for such raw and innovative film-making, I’m sure my experience could never measure up to viewing this piece at its initial release. Even so, after watching this film I was blown away by not only a fabulous horror picture, but also a truly remarkably made low-budget film.
Anyone who’s not familiar with the plot by now, it should sound familiar to anyone who’s seen a modern horror film that involves a road trip. It follows a group of young people, two of which are siblings (with the brother being a wheelchair), driving through rural Texas. The group end up having to stay the night in an old run down abandoned house owned by the family of the siblings. The depressing, desolate, and decrepit atmosphere set the stage for a terrifying night in the backwoods of bucolic America.
Soon enough the group splits apart and we have our confrontation with one of the most brutal and disturbing villains in cinema history: Leatherface (played by Gunnar Hansen). When Leatherface slams shut the metal sliding door to his mad laboratory to go to work on his first victim, we know this will be a real teeth clincher. But the terror doesn’t stop with Leatherface, though he is the chainsaw wielding butcher behind the film’s namesake. It just so happens that there is a family of these cannibalistic and demented individuals who will stop at nothing to torture and mutilate their victims while amusing themselves in the process.
As utterly disgusting and ferocious as the killings sound, the film displays little graphic bloodshed and gore (at least by today’s standards). Hooper instead turns the focus of the film’s terror to the psychological and sheer terrifying nature of the violent acts. Not only are the kill scenes disturbing to the senses, but all of the surroundings just add to the overall pandemonium. The sets are simply brilliant, from the spiders crawling from the ceiling scene to the completely bizarre residence of the killers full of body parts and other oddities, everything was purely creepy and effective. The strange sound effects combined with the elusive imagery made every scene chilling and suspenseful. The actors’ performances were equally intense, especially with star Marilyn Burns, making every blood curdling scream eerily realistic.
Not only is The Texas Chain Saw Massacre an effective and innovative horror film, but it is also an excellent example of well-made cinema in general. For such a small budget film, it makes the best out of excellent angles, dreary lighting, and great tracking shots. One of my favorite scenes of the film, and perhaps the most brilliant, was at the end of the film when Leatherface is dancing around waving his chainsaw in the air amidst the beautiful sunrise. Aside from the cinematography, the film has some real substance, especially with Leatherface. In a few scenes we see evidence of a disturbed and scared little child inside of a deformed and tormented man. The film is an excellent depiction of human existence in its most darkest form.
This movie has spawned several sequels and remakes and has equally inspired many horror films since; a true testament to its importance. While many of its successors may have been good films (I personally very much enjoyed the 2003 rendition), they just can’t compare to this original. Not only would the later films not have such a disturbing story to work from, but they can never really match the visionary style of the film that was originally banned in several countries. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a true original that brought new life into horror films and set the bar for independent films to come. I only wish I could have experienced the film at its original release to have a true appreciation for its inventiveness.
