| The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) | |
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Rating: 7.4/10 (182,576 votes) Director: Tobe Hooper Writer: Kim Henkel, Tobe Hooper Stars: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger Runtime: 83 min Rated: R Genre: Horror Released: 11 Oct 1974 |
| Plot: Five friends head out to rural Texas to visit the grave of a grandfather. On the way they stumble across what appears to be a deserted house, only to discover something sinister within. Something armed with a chainsaw. | |
The film is inspired by the real life murderer Ed Gein, although the story told within is entirely fictional. The fact that the opening of the film claims it is a true story is just a gimmick, used to sell the idea to the public in the same way many films have followed suit with over the years (Blair Witch Project and Fargo to name the two most memorable). It follows a group of friends – Sally and Franklin Hardesty, Jerry, Kirk and Pam – journeying to visit the grave of the grandfather of two of the group after reports of vandalism in the area. Along the way they encounter a hitch-hiker, who during the course of their brief encounter regales them with tales of his life working in the old slaughterhouse, before cutting himself with a knife, and attacking one of the group. After kicking him back to the roadside, they continue on their way, wanting to put the events behind them. When a few of the group head off to find a nearby swimming-hole, Kirk and Pam come across an old house. Seeking any gas to fuel their van, Kirk enters the house and is killed by Leatherface. So begins a terrifying ordeal for the group as Leatherface and his family hunt them down, and torture a few of them.
As with many of the films of the 70s, Texas Chainsaw Massacre sets down roots that influence decades of films to come, and it is no surprise that it is a series regularly revisited – although recent adaptations have failed to realise why the film had such an impact. You see, pretty much everyone remembers this film for the gory moments when the killings take place, chainsaws biting at flesh, and dismemberments and disfigurements throughout… despite none of this actually taking place! Tobe Hooper’s low budget horror does what all the best horror films do and cleverly cuts away from graphic violence, letting the audience’s minds fill in the gaps. Skilful direction ensures that anything that would have been overly graphic is cleverly obscured, or simply not present. Yes, there are a lot of horrific images in the film, but the gore is absent. That is where modern remakes of the film have failed, they linger on the bloodshed, a sign of the post-Saw times we live in today where true horror seems lost on audiences.
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The start of the film, introducing the group, is a little awkward. The group aren’t the strongest of actors, with the exception of Marilyn Burns as Sally, but once Edwin Neal arrives as the twisted hitch-hiker, the film quickly shifts to the unnerving, ensuring that from that point onward you are desperately watching each scene for anything unusual, ready to not be caught off guard… only to then be caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Leatherface. Again, another area modern films fail compared to early films such as this is that we don’t have musical cues to alert us to something happening here – it is all very cold and brutal. As the film progresses, and we get to the rest of Leatherface’s family, and the ‘dinner’ scene, the whole thing is simply chilling and twisted, making for difficult and uncomfortable viewing, but for all the right reasons. The iconic final moments, play out so suddenly and swiftly that you are left exhausted by the experience, and unnerved by it all – no perfectly tied up happy ending for this film, just a brief respite whilst your mind processes it all. Taking into account the ‘true story’ claim, you can only imagine how audiences left theatres back in 1974 after this experience.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre is deserving of the horror-classic status, and a true gem of the genre. The only shame is how it inspired a wave of shlock horror films which somehow weakened the franchise along the way, but take all of them out of the equation and Hooper’s classic, with an iconic performance by Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface, is a must view for any film fan.
