Dir. Tobe Hooper (1974)
A group of teenagers find themselves between a cannibalistic family and their favorite chainsaw.
What can be said about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that hasn't already been said? On the one hand, I should've done this movie a long time ago. On the other, what better time than the film's 50th anniversary, which happens to take place today! TCM is, pound-for-pound, arguably the scariest movie ever made, a socially conscious horror film about the inequality and destruction of rural America that also happens to have a guy who wears other people's faces. It's a legendary film, and it's easy to see why: from the very opening frames, it's gritty, disturbing, and utterly terrifying, just as much today as it was fifty years ago.
You know the story, so I won't break the plot down any further here. The thing that's so mind-blowing about TCM is that it's so subdued compared to almost any other horror film before or since, especially for films of this magnitude or import. There's almost no blood, no nudity, and a relatively barebones plot. And yet seemingly every frame is iconic, with dozens of examples of shots that have been used in films of every genre in the years that followed. A lot of this can be explained by the genius of Tobe Hooper, and that's a fair explanation. Regardless, there's just something about TCM that works like very few other films, this hopeless, dirty, unsettling ambience that so many films have tried to duplicate and not one has done completely successfully.
It's quite unpopular to criticize the film because of its legendary status, and while I get that, there are a couple of parts of the film that are weaker than others. Franklin (Paul A. Partain) is one of the more irritating characters in all of horror, and Marilyn Burns' final girl does almost nothing but scream for the majority of the film's runtime. The latter, however, is understandable: as much as we may criticize some of her actions or the character's lack of survival instinct, she has a hell of a lot to scream about. I don't know that I would handle myself any different were I in the same situation.
Gunnar Hansen's portrayal of Leatherface is incredible, and there's so much about the character that is never directly stated in the film that becomes clear just from his performance. Leatherface is perhaps the most sympathetic of the iconic slasher villains, a mentally challenged man who was put into such a terrible familial situation where he never had a chance to be anything other than a hulking, flesh-wearing maniac. It's difficult to imagine, when considering the plot, that you'd feel bad for someone like him, and yet there's a big part of you that feels that he can't help what he's become. Hansen's portrayal opens all of those doors for the audience in a way that very few actors would have been able to pull off.
The feeling that the film gives its audience is impossible to replicate. It's so dirty. I have never seen another film that feels so oppressive. The Texas heat radiates off of the screen, and the whole film makes you feel like you need to take a shower. The struggles of filming with such a low budget and in such horrific conditions have been well-documented, with one story telling how Marilyn Burns was struck by one of the actors in an attempt to finally get a take right so they could get off of the disgusting, rotten meat-filled set. It's easy to imagine that these things are true, because it absolutely comes across while watching the film.
Of course, even without all of the other amazing pieces of the production, Hooper is a genius, and TCM is his masterpiece. There's so much to the film that can be unpacked, and I will leave it to better critics to do so. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is, quite simply, one of the best horror films of all time, and it's difficult to argue anything else. It's hard for me to imagine any horror fan not enjoying it, though I certainly acknowledge that some don't, but even those people (you know who you are) would struggle to make the case that it is not one of the best films in the history of the genre. It has had an undeniable impact on the entire history of film, arguably as much or more than any other horror film ever made. It's just as relevant and incredible as it was fifty years ago, and it's an at-least-yearly rewatch for me.
Who this movie is for: Classic horror fans, Slasher movie lovers, Meat eaters
Bottom line: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is, simply put, one of the best horror films ever made. It's disturbing, scary, and gritty as hell, and it's an absolute must watch if you somehow have never seen it before. It's the 50th anniversary today, and it's the perfect time to check it out. Tobe Hooper is a genius, and it's a nearly perfect film.
