Buzz..Buzz...{scream}. ..thud (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (DVD))

Member Name: wampyrii

Product:	The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (DVD)
Date:	31/10/00 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: one of the best horror flicks around

Disadvantages: quite disturbing in parts

Banned from anywhere other than the cinemas one minute - making its television debut the next, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre leaves you wondering what all the fuss was about. Admittedly this is no fairy story, but there is little here on first viewing which would warrant it being banned for so long. However, it becomes obvious that there is no moralising in this movie, no condemnation of the killers, no comeupance as it were for their crimes and we see in virtually all movies released today and obviously this was hard for the censors to swallow. Also, if you consider the time it was released, this is one of the first examples of a movie of its kind and perhaps if it were released now, no one would have batted an eyelid at its content. Questions may be asked as how quickly we are becoming desensitized...

The Story

There is usually very little plot in the slasher movie genre and this is no exception although the way earlier events come together towards the end is quite good. Basically a group of young Americans take a road trip to visit an old family grave and end up being stalked and murdered by a chainsaw weilding maniac. later we are also intrioduced to the rest of the family who are just as loopy, but provide an excellent foundation for a healthy dollop of tongue-in-cheek humour poking fun at the concept of the extended nuclear family.

Lights, Camera etc...

Overall this film looks a little dated now to say the least, which is no surprise when you consider that it is over 25 years old now. However, the roughness of the footage actually adds to the movies impact somehow, perhaps giving it a kind of documentary(ish) feel akin to that of the Blair Witch Project(although nowhere near as effective).

The acting here is...appauling - that is beyond refute but then it always is in horror movies. If you can scream then you it would appear you were allowed a part in this movie - and yes they can scream...especially in the last half
hour which at some points appears to be nothing but screaming.

The special effects are quite good when you consider its age, with much of the gore being implied rather than visible, the horror factor coming from the gaps the mind fills in rather than actually visual displays. There are really only two 'visually' nasty moments in the entire film, but again here the gore factor is downplayed which is somehow far more effective.

Overall

Overall this is a very good example of its genre. Perhaps not the best, but certainly up them with them. If you are easily shocked, or impressionable then this is a movie which you should avoid at all costs, but for the rest of us it makes for an 'entertaining' evening.

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