THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974)

Cole's Rating: ★★★

Jesse's Rating: ★★★★

Director: Tobe Hooper
Year: 1974
Cast: Marylin Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger
Genre: Horror
MPAA Rating: R

        When I discovered that my friend held, in his possession, a copy of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) I avidly begged him to borrow it. This is understandable, considering how the multiple media stores I visited over the Halloween month failed to provide a copy of the seemingly rare DVD. But alas, my friend came through (I lent him The Color of Money, we’ll chalk it up as a fair trade), and I got my hands on the classic horror film that “Did for meat-eating what Psycho did for shower taking”(Marylin Beck, Hollywood). 

When several young adults travel down south in a van to a destination that is apparently murky to them, they come across real trouble in an act of desperation: a family bound by incestuous and reasonably sick morals. One or two of them go missing in a hunt for gasoline, and, from then on, it becomes a helpless situation that feels palpably real.

To be sure, this film is terrifying. The situation that the protagonists are in is concocted so brilliantly that it, automatically, gets my recommendation. Concerning the plot, what anchors it down is the harshly unnecessary dark comedic element that left me with a bad aftertaste.

Beyond that, the structure of this 83 minute movie really perplexed me. Director Tobe Hooper filmed this motion picture rather subtly, dragging the viewer along for the first (dare I say) rather dull 30 or so minutes, which he spent setting up the inevitable. As for the climax, it’s absolutely effective. It’s horrifying and totally involving, but then, Hooper doesn’t wrap it up well either. It’s as if he didn’t want to do the film total justice. That’s what’s so confusing about “The Massacre”.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was remade in 2003, and I can’t tell you how happy I am about it. The original is no masterpiece, to put it lightly. It’s structured awkwardly, and doesn’t boast itself as much as it needed to. But the remake does. It’s directed steadily, it’s longer, more protracted, more real-life, more serious, and more detailed. Ultimately, it’s a better film. For the first time in horror history, I discovered why exactly horror flicks are remade. They’re (or at least this one’s) purpose is to expand, correct, and update. While I believe that the original is definitely a landmark in horror filmmaking, I think that it is faulted, and it was remade for good reason. To that, I say job well done, horror enthusiasts (this time).

-Written by Cole Pollyea

Jesse's Thoughts:  Brilliantly horrific, imitated but never duplicated, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre represents the purest form of terror known to any cinema buff. Thousands of countless ripoffs and average remakes have tried to capitalize on its success, but with minimal gore and a grainy, sadistic edge, the original 1974 "Chainsaw" is untouchable. The fact that an unknown director (Tobe Hooper), a cast of nobodies, and a shooting schedule in 100+ degree Texas heat could produce a horror flick light years ahead of its time is a miracle in itself. Give credit to actress Marilyn Burns who coined the term "scream queen" before Jamie Lee Curtis could even get her hands on it. Let me just put it right out there, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the greatest films of all time. It will haunt you for days after you view it. Guaranteed.