Disturbingly True! (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (DVD))

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Product:	The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (DVD)
Date:	18/02/01 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: brilliance of it all

Disadvantages: some like this actually happened or near enough.

Like all of the best exploitation fare, TCM chooses to keep its storyline simple. After an opening voice-over (done by none other than John Larroquette), we’re treated to a story about a group of teens, who upon hearing of an incident of graverobbing and vandalism, set out to make sure that their relative’s graves weren’t disturbed. After picking up (and quickly dumping) a deranged hitchhiker they find themselves at a local gas station. They stop long enough to check out an old property that belongs to the family and discover one of the most infamous groups of redneck cannibal psychos in film history.

Much like Psycho, TCM is said to have drawn at least some of its inspiration from the Ed Gein case. Gein, a notorious killer in the 1950’s, was responsible for a slew of murders in Wisconsin wherein he would reportedly skin his victims and keep their corpses around his house. Hooper’s film changes the locale, and centers on a family of murderers, but the core actions of his antagonists are eerily similar.

The cast itself is comprised of relative unknowns, all of whom do a nice job filling their roles. Marilyn Burns (Helter Skelter, Kiss Daddy Good-bye) is particularly impressive as the film’s heroine, Sally Hardesty. While the final half hour of the film consists of little more than her screaming continuously, she demonstrates that she’s one of history’s greatest "Scream Queens"—far outdoing Jamie Lee Curtis and the bevy of B movie actresses who came in her wake.

Equally impressive is Gunnar Hansen (Campfire Tales, The Demon Lover) who played Leatherface—a chainsaw-wielding, mask of human flesh wearing, nightmare on two legs. It’s one of horror’s most infamous performances, and a precursor to the genre’s more infamous slashers—Jason, Michael, and Freddy.

Hooper’s direction is fantastic, as he uses his lack of a budget to his advantage,
instead of allowing it to be a hindrance--shooting a film that’s essentially washed out in terms of color and has the grainy feel of a documentary in the film stock. It’s impossible to watch the movie and not feel the oppressive Texas heat, smell the decay of the dead animals, and taste the tension in the air—TCM is an all encompassing and completely engrossing film viewing experience. It’s full of some of the genre’s most striking visuals (particularly the one where Leatherface carries a kicking and screaming Pam back into his work area—slamming a thin metal door shut with such an air of finality that it’s almost painful to watch) and remains a powerfully disturbing film even more than twenty-five years after its initial release. Unfortunately, Hooper would never be able to duplicate the success of this film.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about TCM is audiences’ reaction to it. While it did garner an R rating, and a fair amount of negative press, the film is relatively bloodless. To Hooper’s credit, the vast majority of the violence is only implied—yet people still recount the scenes of onscreen carnage and bloodletting—scenes that never really existed in a graphic sense. Hooper’s convinced audiences that they’ve seen far more than they really have through the disturbing subject matter. I can think of no greater testament than that to the power of the film. I’m continually amazed that certain groups still bash this film—when it’s clear that they’ve never even seen it.

Yet, while TCM is a classic film, it’s not a film without flaws. The night chase sequence is a bit too dark and the movie suffers from an ending that’s both anticlimactic and far too abrupt. It’s almost as if Hooper ran out of ideas and money and opted to end the film in the simplest—and ultimately—least effective way possible.

In the end, the
re can be little doubt that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a classic film in both the horror and exploitation fields. Even in today’s age of movies filled with gore and depravity, it still stands as one of the most harrowing cinematic experiences of the twentieth century. You can’t consider yourself a serious connoisseur of the horror genre if you haven’t seen this film. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre gets my highest recommendation.

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