Good old-fashioned fun (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (DVD))

Member Name: number63

Product:	The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (DVD)
Date:	30/11/00 (12 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of laughs, classic slasher movie

Disadvantages: Spawned a number of terrible sequels and imitations

It seems strange that, for all the opinions I’ve read and heard about this film, there are so few people who recognise just how much fun The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is to watch. Admittedly, the first time I saw it, I veered more towards the so-bad-it’s-good side, but after a few viewings, my mind’s changed completely. Despite all the Blair Witch Project comparisons, the only thing TCSM shares is some very shaky camera-work. Nicely punctuated throughout by some of the most gruesome, although not altogether that gory, deaths on celluloid, this film dispenses with all the nice subtleties of Blair Witch, preferring instead lively chases through the woods and extended screaming sessions.

The humour of the film is really brought to the fore throughout the commentary on the region 2 DVD, where Tobe Hooper (director), Gunnar Hansen (actor – Leatherface) and Daniel Pearl (cinematographer) sit around making Beavis and Butthead noises, and saying “Uh-huh, this bit is cool”. Listen to the commentary, and listen to extended dialogue about why precisely there’s a chicken in a cage in Leatherface’s house, or how much the entire cast hated the actor playing the wheelchair-bound Franklin. Listen to their amusing anecdotes about near-maimings and how smelly you get wearing someone’s face over your own, and I guarantee you you’ll see the film in a whole new light. There is no indication that they want anyone to take it seriously, but just to sit back as they do and enjoy it for what it is – the king of all slasher movies.

Any of the sequels I’ve seen have slipped up by taking away the jokes and piling on the gore. Big mistake, and maybe something else it shares with Blair Witch. The kids from Scooby Doo go on an adventure, but can’t quite get to the point of unmasking the villain: the end, except for a truly bizarre dinner-table scene, and a nice little dance with a chainsaw. Don’t
think for one moment that I’m mocking it, though: this is excellent stuff, probably the best of its kind. As to why it’s been banned for so long, my guess is that it just got caught up in the whole furore over video nasties, rather than earning any special condemnation on its own.

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