Year:1974
Reviewed By-Sean Patrick Dolan
Directed by: Tobe Hooper
Cast: Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Edwin Neal, Jim Seidow, Paul A. Partain,
William Vail, Teri McMinn
BEWARE!!! This is not a typical review of a film. It is extremely biased, making no attempt whatsoever at impartiality. It is, in actuality, an unabashed love letter dedicated to the greatest American horror film ever made, THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. No, not the film that hit theaters a month or so back- I would hope you all know me better. This is the original 1974 film directed by Tobe Hooper, on a shoestring budget, over a marathon two day shoot, with a cast of unknowns- not the latest lineup of Hollywood pretty faces. I cannot even estimate how many times I have seen this film, but I can honestly say it has lost none of the impact it had on me the very first time. There is only one word to describe THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE- terrifying.
From the opening John Larroquette voice-over, which none of us took seriously the first time- despite warnings from friends who had already seen it- we immediately know what this film is about. We are about to witness "an idyllic summer afternoon drive become a nightmare", in which young Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns), her wheelchair-bound brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain), and a few of their friends will probably not survive. From the title, we can easily predict the method of their disposal, and we are now expecting a bloodbath. You go in to THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE expecting graphic violence of unimaginable magnitude and you do leave a viewing of this film feeling traumatized when its over. But this is what makes this movie so exceptional- there is hardly any gore in it all. The film is just so goddamned scary that you imagine you actually saw blood flying off the rusty chainsaw blades and human bodies taken apart limb by limb.
A black screen hovers in front of you, and you hear what sounds like shovels digging at the earth. Suddenly, a flash of light accompanied by the eerie whine of an old-fashioned camera's flashbulb going off. Little by little, you realize that you are looking at pieces of decomposing body parts, unearthed from their place of rest. As day breaks, we see two bodies wired to a cemetery monument while we hear a police report on a radio somewhere in the background. The phrases stick in your brain as the disembodied voice goes on- "a grisly work of art", "at least a dozen empty crypts", "in some cases only parts of the corpse had been removed", "no suspects have been arrested and investigation continues at the scene". Then the credits roll and we are left in the dark again, but only for a moment. The screen is filled with disturbing dancing images of solar flares and eclipses, hinting that we are about to witness something of apocalyptic Proportions. A final image of a blood red sun melts away and we are left staring at a lonely stretch of Texas highway and the carcass of a dead armadillo A chilling beginning, impressive in itself- but it only begins to prepare us for the events which follow.
It seems ridiculous to me to recount in detail the plot of a film so famous,
one we have likely all seen before. But I will be hitting the highpoints, so
anyone who's made it this far who hasn't seen the film is strongly encouraged
to turn back, lest you rob yourself of the full effects of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW
MASSACRE. The tone having been set, we watch as our victims head down the
highway in their old van, on the way to their inevitable slaughter. The
vastness of the deserted highway as well as the dilapidated gas station- which
has no gas, only "barbecue" of questionable origins- tells us that the van and
the youths inside are indeed veering far off course, into realms few return
from. The true break from reality occurs when they pick up "the Hitchhiker"
(Edwin Neal). His disgusting tales of the slaughterhouse and "head cheese"
are bad enough, but the insanity really begins when he lashes out at Franklin
with his pocketknife. Badly shaken, the kids continue their journey, but at
this point they have already truly entered the nightmare.
After a brief visit to their old family home, they begin to stumble one by one
on the house where the ogre- in this case a whole family of ogres- live. It is
hard to believe that this house was actually inhabited by human beings prior
to its use in this film. Human and animal skulls, bones and other remains
litter the floors and every surface of the house. They dangle from wires in
grotesque displays of interior decorating and have been used to make
furniture. There is a large rooster shoved into a tiny bird cage, somehow the
most disturbing image of all. All this is Hooper's tribute to Ed Gein, the
1950's Wisconsin serial killer whose home inspired this setting, whose
fondness for wearing the skins of his victims inspired the monstrous
Leatherface, and whose penchant for grave-robbing and cannibalism inspired the
family's diet. The hulking presence of Leatherface, played to perfection by
Gunnar Hansen, was instrumental to the terror this film inspires and, in my
view, is the obvious predecessor and inspiration for other inhuman killers who
shall remain nameless here.
There are a score of memorable scenes which take place in this charnel house and the woods behind it in this film. Pam (Teri McMinn) is impaled on a giant meathook. Kirk (William Vail) dies twitching and convulsing on the floor from a hammer to the head before Leatherface drags the body away, slamming the steel door shut behind him. Sally's marathon screaming session and the most prolonged chase scene in slasher history, spilling from the house into the woods and all the way back to the gas station. The brutal satire of the age old pastime of the "family dinner", in which Sally is tied to a chair and tortured to the point of madness. The bizarre spectacle of the corpse like "Grandpa" attempting to wield the hammer and dispatch Sally as he once did cattle in the slaughterhouse. And, last but certainly not least, Sally's final escape which leaves Leatherface standing in the middle of the highway in the morning sun, swinging his chainsaw around and around in a dance of frustration and pure animal rage. All of these scenes are indeed gruesome and macabre, and have a strong enough psychological impact to convince you that you have seen the most violent film of your life- and yet hardly a drop of blood was spilled.
So why exactly is this film so damn scary and memorable? The obvious answer is the strength of the film's plot, the impact of the scenes above, and a very effective tone and atmosphere immediately set forth with the film's opening and maintained throughout until the very final frame. However, a deeper analysis reveals that there is much more to this film than what one critic originally described as "A vile little piece of sick crap . . . A film with literally nothing to recommend it . . . As extreme and hideous as a complete lack of imagination can make it". Well, to the Steven Koch's of Harpers of the world- here is why you are absolutely wrong and why this is not merely a typical slasher film. It can be argued that the modern horror movie is often an updated version of the classic fairy tale. The characters (as well as the target audience) are adolescents, and the plot usually involves the characters breaking the rules of socially acceptable behavior (usually sexual behavior or drug use) and paying the price. One virtuous member of the group is allowed to escape, the nightmare is over, and social mores are reaffirmed- this most often also involves the loss of innocence necessary for passage into adulthood. THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE pulls the rug out from under both the protagonists of the film and the viewer, and is in effect an anti-fairy tale. The young men and women are completely innocent, having broken no taboos. They stumble into their gruesome demise like lambs to a slaughter, and there is no moral lesson to be learned here. Sally, the "heroine", barely survives and only by luck, having slain no beasts or gone through any rites of passage. Instead of reaffirming the victory of good over evil in an organized world, this film seems to embrace anarchy and a sense of impending doom and hopelessness. It is this complete disregard for the conventional rules that makes this film so disturbing.
I would also argue that, like LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, this movie is a direct product of its era, an era in which myths and fairy tales no longer apply in a world that has seemingly gone insane. There are direct references to current social problems, specifically the oil shortages and the first post World War recession (as evidenced by the gas station and the family's layoff from the slaughterhouse as well as a cryptic reference to Vietnam, delivered by the father of the clan (Jim Siedow)- "I just can't take no pleasure in killing. There's just some things you have to do, doesn't mean you have to like it." You could even stretch it further and see the theme of cannibalism as a decaying society feeding itself on the bodies of the young men and women sent to die in a distant jungle.
In an era of Hollywood films with big budgets, CGI effects, and an emphasis on gore over substance, this film is even more impressive than it was when we first saw it. As big budget Hollywood remakes of other classics, such as DAWN OF THE DEAD and SUSPIRIA loom in the future, I say turn your backs and "vote with your feet". The only good that can possibly come from this current trend is that a younger audience may be inspired to see the originals and be exposed to some of the greatest films ever made. And as of late, I am still unconvinced this is the case.
I reviewed the 1998 Pioneer DVD release, which is loaded with features and extras. The film is beautifully restored from the original 16 mm negatives, and you are given the option of the film's original mono sound or an updated stereo surround. A third audio option is a running commentary by director Tobe Hooper, star Gunnar Hansen, and director of photography Daniel Pearl. There is of a course, an extensive chapter menu. The extras include Deleted Scenes and Alternate Footage, and each scene is interested by a brief description of what you are seeing and where it would have fit in the film. The same goes for the Plots and Sets and a Study of Filmmaking, which focuses on the shooting of Kirk's death scene. There are also trailers for the film and its sequels, a blooper reel, a galleries of Film and Production Stills and Posters and Lobby Cards.
Story: 5.0 Bitch Slaps
Extras: 5.0 Bitch Slaps
Picture/Audio: 5.0 Bitch Slaps
Overall DVD: 5.0 Bitch Slaps