This is another movie I had always been afraid of. Chainsaws? Massacre? Partially true? Yikes.
Turns out, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is actually one of the lesser bloody horror films out there AND only one person really dies by chainsaw. Poor Franklin in the wheelchair.
I know people in wheelchairs aren't suppose to be funny, but when Franklin rolls down the hill hahh ok ok sorry.
Oh What the heck I can't resist
OK so like most horror movies that claim they are based on a true story, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was merely based on the serial killer Ed Gein who Norman Bates was also partially based on.
That being said the film is still extremely terrifying. Leatherface is the iconic face of horror. And the age old story of a messed up family in the boonies of America is a storyline that never gets old. Rob Zombie nods to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre as his inspiration for House of 1000 Corpses, and it couldn't be more clear why. Something about being stranded in Texas with a house filled with bones and crazy cannibals is just unnerving.
There are moments watching this where I could actually smell the dirtiness and that is pretty impressive. That famous picture of the house with the windmill thing is haunting, and the big metal door that Leatherface makes his entrance from is especially terrifying. Bravo cites that scene in particular as being the #4 scariest movie moment. The sound effect of the hammer hitting that guy on the head is so gross. And what makes it better is that we got an eerie feeling from the beginning that something like that would happen, because the hitchhiker scene perfectly sets up all that is to happen. This dude lives around here?
If that was me I'd be peacing out of that town, heck see ya later all of Texas.
If that was me I'd be peacing out of that town, heck see ya later all of Texas.
So this is a must see. Don't be scared of it because its truly groundbreaking and is solely responsible for many famous horror movies, and the starts of many horror movie directors' careers.
So watch Leatherface's introduction and don't try to tell me it doesn't give you chills.
Buy The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on Blu-ray at Horror Movie Empire
My love for this film knows no bounds. I love it so much. I also love how the reputation of it is pretty incorrect as you pointed out. The film is not overly bloody and outside of a "raccoon shit" has no swearing. Tobe Hooper was trying to get a PG rating for the film if you can believe it so there is almost no blood in it. In fact, one of my favorite quotes from Marylin Burns (who plays Sally and is a very sweet woman) said that she is the bloodiest person in the film and she survives the picture. lol
ReplyDeleteThe raw power of this film is just so amazing. Something I have rarely seen duplicated. Also the more I've watched it (which at this point I lost count) I also get a lot of the dark humor. A lot of it I find very funny. But that first time watching it I'm sure my mouth was open from being stunned by what I was watching.
I've seen this film on VHS, Laserdisc, DVD, and Blu-ray but never on the big screen. One day. One day.