There’s no way a lifelong horror fan has never seen it. texas chainsaw massacre?Paradoxical, I know — especially since I’m counting john carpenter‘s halloween and Wes Cravenoriginal of Nightmare on Elm Street One of my favorite (and most formative) movies of all time. Released 4 years before the former and 10 years before the latter. texas chainsaw massacre Often credited with being the father of everything we associate with the slasher subgenre. At least the director tobe hooperThis controversial adventure popularized the style, tropes, and concepts (beautiful teens meet a tragic end at the hands of a hulking serial killer) enough for later imitators to saturate the market. It helped me do it.
and texas chainsaw As we celebrate our 50th anniversary this year, I decided there was no better time than now to correct my glaring knowledge gaps. Naturally, I had done my homework. I was spoiled for the big plot twist and had seen the main clip, and it’s one of the most disturbing (despite minimal gore) ever made. It had a reputation for being very popular. but Isn’t this piece of pop culture history only worth a fair amount of hype? But will it impress me, who spent 30 years loving its descendants? The answer is absolutely yes.
What is the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”?
For those who need a refresher, texas chainsaw massacre Follow 5 Teenagers — Sally Hardesty (marilyn burns), her brother Franklin (Paul A. Partin), her boyfriend Jerry (all danziger) and his friend Kirk (william bale) and Pam (Terry McMinn) — while they are on a road trip through the Newt, Texas area. Anonymous locals have been raiding graves (sometimes merging slightly different skeletons together), and Sally and Franklin want to check on the condition of their grandfather’s grave.
The teens then pick up a hitchhiker (edwin neale) His erratic behavior unsettles them, especially when he cuts open Franklin’s arm with a straight razor and wipes the Bang symbol with his own blood. Disturbed but dismissing the hitchhiker as a threat, the group relaxes in one of the Hardesty family’s old vacant houses. Unbeknownst to teenagers, A serial killer’s family lived on a nearby property.. Sooner or later, Leatherface (gunnar hansen) A man wearing a mask made of human skin and armed with a chainsaw cuts down his defenseless friends one by one.
‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ heightens tension through mood
True to our independent roots, texas chainsaw massacre This is a work that is thoroughly moody; It delivers spine-chilling horror and an experimental style close to modern A24 horror. than halloweenHitchcock suspense. Hooper immediately sets up a disorienting atmosphere by opening with a black screen punctuated by periodic shots of decomposing corpses illuminated by camera flashes. The cryptic footage in the credits is superimposed on a news report about a local crime. A radio announcer’s voice clashes with Hooper’s simple, hostile music in a cacophony of noise. Once the blaring music establishes its point, Hooper deploys the score only as an atmosphere enhancer, letting most scenes unfold in a natural calm, but their emptiness is unsettling.
His minimal composition was all part of the plan. texas chainsaw massacre Originally promoted as being based on true events. (Serial killer Ed Gein partially inspired Leatherface, but everything else is fiction.) Daniel Pearl‘s cinematography feels authentic, varying between wobbly handheld shots and steady takes that stretch out both the characters’ dialogue and Leatherface’s violence without giving the audience the relief of switching to another shot. It creates the feel of a home video. The film’s grainy cast and desaturated colors suggest an amateur project shot in someone’s backyard.
In a twist on traditional film language, Pearl often shoots with the camera low to the ground and at an elevated angle. This framing usually makes the character feel more impressive. Applying it to the victim will have the opposite effect.turning them into weak characters who are easy to be swallowed up by their surroundings, not to mention throw us off balance as viewers. Combined with Texas’ barren fields, empty highways, and abandoned buildings blanketed by nature, it’s a familiar but decidedly post-apocalyptic landscape.
“Texas Chainsaw Massacre” replaces gore with psychological violence
texas chainsaw massacre It surprisingly lasts 83 minutes. Once the establishing act is over, violence occurs as simply as a line of dominoes. Leatherface’s first kill is jump-scare-worthy, but It happens as unceremoniously as a professional butcher slaughtering a cow — which is appropriate, given the script’s early foreshadowing about meat production and humane versus inhumane animal slaughter.
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Tobe Hooper follows up “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” with this Goalie Creature feature
Tobe Hooper movies are a wild ride.
Even though I know this movie’s R rating isn’t due to the amount of gore, there’s even less blood and guts than I expected. Instead, texas chainsaw We grow through the power of suggestions.. Leatherface’s calm approach to murder doesn’t require us to be horrified by outright carnage, nor do we need to be horrified by the deaths of his victims. He impales the teenager on a meat hook, but she performs the psychologically violent labor as she dangles from the hook, screaming in vivid screams as the camera slowly zooms in on her petrified face. It’s enough to know that an unknown masked killer is hiding behind an open door, or to hear the roar of a chainsaw as Leatherface pursues his fleeing prey.
If Sally were the only surviving character (not a spoiler for those familiar with how slashers work), I would Even though I was conscious, it felt like I was having a nightmare.. It’s amazing to see Leatherface running around in a screeching frenzy, followed by the slow movements of Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees. But his pursuit of Sally through the woods is not nearly as terrifying as the length of time the act takes. Sally, like the other Final Girls, doesn’t do much to evade or defeat her captors, instead surviving seemingly endless mental rather than physical torture. Hooper clings to his fear long enough for tension to become purposefully exhausting;Who needs gore when her bloodshot eyes swallow the entire frame? As Sally runs away, her cries blur the line between triumph and tragedy. We breathe a sigh of relief when the end credits roll, but in this context her survival hardly feels like a victory.
‘Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ causes lasting horror
one of texas chainsaw massacre’s only flaw is its characters. Horror villains have become entertainment icons because of their recurring appearances in disposable bodies. still, This group of teenage victims is thinner than usual.. There are enough glimpses of interpersonal conflict in this script that it’s not just cardboard cutouts. But when you’re just one step above cardboard, it’s hard to care about someone’s fate. With no one rooting for you until the final act, the film has no choice but to maintain its mood. The fact that it was successful is a testament to the accomplishment of the entire work.
The story also preys on the innate fear of being at the mercy of strangers. It’s an outdated view of rural American life as a microcosm (speaking from real experience) that reduces the economically disadvantaged to sadistic, hateful freaks. Nevertheless, The overall concept is still completely legitimate, but its simplicity gives rise to a disturbing atmosphere.. Do we really know our neighbors? What if the hitchhiker you rescued was a harbinger of things to come? And how would a serial killer version of the nuclear family work? (Includes a surprise bout of perverse domestic humor here) )
While I was impressed by his skill, as I watched, texas chainsaw massacre At that moment, I didn’t hold my breath. But that night, as I lay in bed in the silence and darkness, I couldn’t shake off the dirty feeling it left me with — like a viscous layer that clouds your thoughts. I wasn’t afraid of people cannibalizing me. A barrage of sensory overload shook me. Even if the horror is not new, its tragic aftermath lingers. And for near-perfect masterpieces like: texas chainsaw massacrethat’s a compliment.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a haunting, unflinching masterpiece of horror that deserves critical and cultural acclaim.
- Documentary-style camerawork, minimal score, and production design create an unforgettable and realistic atmosphere.
- The film leaves a lasting impression by emphasizing atmosphere rather than overt gore.
- Marilyn Burns as Sally and Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface give uniquely intense performances.
- Although the teenage victims show glimpses of personality, they are weaker and less convincing than in other horror films of the era.
- The Sawyer family plays with outdated stereotypes about rural American life, both amusing and frightening.
texas chainsaw massacre Available to rent on Prime Video in the US
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