Movie Review #3 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Houston, we have a problem

I am not a fan of horror movies. I was petrified when Pinocchio’s friends turned into donkeys, and I don’t think I ever really adjusted to the horror genre. Call me a wuss, that’s fine. BUT, how can any self-respecting film lover disregard a genre that is so popular? Therefore, it would be remiss of me to not watch some of horrors most popular and well known films. 
This is one.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a film I first watched only a couple of years ago. I found it deeply unsettling, although sadistically brilliant. When a friend decided to put it on, on a nice and calm Sunday night (we had just watched Fantasia!!), I was a little dubious. I was quickly sucked in.

The film starts with a slab of text describing that it is based on true events, blah, blah, blah, etc. It is not. Whenever it starts, I always expect a Law & Order voiceover introducing it. “In 1970s Texas, 5 teenagers went on a road trip. These are their stories.” DUN DUN. But cheesy text aside, the film launches straight into it, picking up with 5 teenagers picking up a hillbilly on the middle of a highway. Bad move, but then again, they probably didn’t see Deliverance.

Soon after they ditch the whackjob, they come across 'The House'. And what a house it is, complete with animal heads, feathers, and furniture made out of bones. Human looking bones. As expected, the occupant is less than friendly, wielding a nasty chainsaw and wearing a lovely mask made out of skin. And so the teenagers meet their deaths, except for one poor soul who gets tortured for about 30 minutes. Watching somebody scream almost nonstop for 20 minutes is very, very, very unsettling. Combined with the extreme close-ups of her eyes, and the maniacal laughs of her captures, this part of the film is hard to watch. And so it should be, which is why Massacre has influenced the slasher genre so much.

It is an impressive feat. A film made for around $300, 000, that went on to gross over $30 million in the US. It is certainly one of the most successful independent films of all time, and has inspired many imitators. What is so great about the movie, however, is that the budget actually limited what they could show. Much of the violence is implied, most likely because they couldn’t afford to make it look incredibly realistic. This really helps the movie, because, yes it is very violent, but only because you can imagine the chainsaw cutting through the helpless kids. Ouch.

Watch Wolf Creek, Nightmare on Elm St, Friday the 13th, Saw, Hostel, etc. All of these films have been influenced by Massacre. It is a very powerful film, violent and scary, and well worth watching for any aspiring low budget filmmaker. The script is not great, but the idea and execution are, and sometimes that is all you need to announce your name. The sad thing is I’m sure that if you mention the Texas Chainsaw Massacre to most teenagers, they will think you are talking about a Jessica Biel film. Skip the remake, and watch this, it will give you yet another reason to avoid redneck America.

4.5 Stars