The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

***Despite what the posters and movie covers say, this movie title was originally written as “Chain Saw” not “Chainsaw”. Take that home…chew it…it’s deliscious.***

Director: Tobe Hooper

Writer: Tobe Hooper, Kim Henkel

Tagline: Nothing Cuts Like the Original!

Actors: Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain, William Vail, Teri McMinn, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, Gunnar Hansen, John Dugan

Runtime: 1h 23m

Category: Slasher, Torture

Synopsis: A group of five friends are on a road trip to visit Sally and Franklin’s parent’s old farmhouse. They stop at the local gas station only to find out that they are out of gas. Back on the road, they pick up an interesting looking hitchhiker who ends up getting thrown out a while down the road. Now at the old farmhouse, Pam and her boyfriend Kirk go looking for the swimming hole. What they find is an old house that may have some gasoline. Kirk goes into the house to see if anyone’s home and from then on the five are attacked and killed one by one by a large, grotesque-looking man with a chainsaw.

Review: I didn’t want to give a lot away in the synopsis so I tried to keep it short and simple. Much, much more goes on in this movie than I have led you to believe; but I won’t spoil it for you. From its inception, this movie has been banned in at least five countries (not permanently) and considered one of the most influential horror films of all time. I agree.

The story is said to have been based off of actual events, although this is not true. The character of Leatherface is derived from the real-life serial killer Ed Gein; in that he wore the actual faces of his victims as masks, and that his house was filled with furniture made of bones. Other than that, the rest of the story is made up…yes, even the infamous chainsaw. I was not expecting anything in the way of actual real-life recap, giving me the freedom to believe whatever I wanted. The story was scary as hell! Only an hour and twenty-some-odd minutes long, this movie grabs you by your nads, or whatever subsequent part women are grabbed by, and never lets go. This movie paved the way for many more movies of this genre; including Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses (2003). Admitted by him directly, the dinner scene in his movie was supposed to pay homage to this movie’s dinner scene. There will never be another like this…ever.

The acting is something that is lacking in a lot of blockbusters today. Lately I have been noticing a lack of overall passion for the character and the script, but in this movie you can feel the passion. The acting was so bullseyed that it actually scared me, and still does. It takes a lot out of a person screaming like that through almost forty minutes of a movie. Upon viewing the supplemental features on the special edition DVD, I understand that there were times where they were supposed to stop the scene but let it continue, causing an actual severe panic attack in Marilyn Burns (Sally), giving the scene more of a realistic feel. I don’t condone that kind of behavior at all…but what a trick! I have not seen commitment to a character like Marilyn Burns’ in a very long time. Paul A. Partain (Franklin) and Edwin Neal (the hitchhiker) also did a fantastic job. Both of these men captured their characters to a tee.

This movie was not exactly gory…at all really. It was the immense sense of terror and fear that really made this movie scary. Now I’m not saying that directors and producers now-a-days don’t know how to project terror and fear, I’m saying that the times are a changin’. What scared people back then, might not scare people now. So now we use blood and gore to shock and appall our audiences. That is not bad by any means…but there is just something about old school terror…

Rating: 25. There was absolutely no question in my mind about the rating for this movie. It was always an automatic 25. I have hesitated on reviewing this movie for a few different reasons; one being the fact that I had not seen it in a while and I needed a refresher. Two being that I wanted to do this one right, considering that this movie is one of my personal favs. Three…I’m just a lazy mashuga. Either way, this movie is a groundbreaking masterpiece that belongs in some Hall of Fame somewhere. If you haven’t seen this movie you cannot call your self a horror fan. That’s the rule…my rule…OBEY! (25of25).