Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original)
Sometimes in the history of cinema there are those films that literally change the world, and in this case we have the 1974 Supreme Classic by Tobe Hooper, a movie that reshaped and redefined horror so much so to the point that the genre went from being a fairly low regarded, disposable form of entertainment to being elevated to the level of legitimate Art. The way that Hooper managed to do this was by presenting his story as literally a filmed nightmare, surreal and yet horrific without going overboard with gore or cheesy makeup effects. The results stunned audiences and still does to this day, even as younger audiences are spoiled by CGI blood and crappy handheld camera produced abortions that pass themselves off as real movies, while those with a discerning taste for quality know very well that it’s the older films like these that have never been topped, inferior remakes be damned. It should be noted that Hooper along with the cast and crew filmed under almost guerilla-like conditions which in turn brought out the most raw, primal, and feral performances from his actors and wound up giving the whole affair a seemingly prescient, documentary-like feel, and special mention must be made of the legendary set and production design by Robert A. Burns, using almost all real props such as human bones and animal remains to give the film its one of a kind look. The plot concerns a group of five young people out for a summer drive in 1973 (set up by a creepy opening narration by John Larroquette) who first stop at a cemetery that has been struck by graverobbers to make sure their loved ones are still intact, then later pick up a ghoulish hitchhiker whom they have a bit of a bad experience with. Even in these tranquil early scenes Hooper still manages to establish a mood of dread like only a true master can, from the crazed drunk ranting in the cemetery to the extremely pretty pseudo-hippie girl of the group stating that they have a bad horoscope forecast to the hitchhiker himself, a crazed, deformed creation played by Edwin Neal who enjoys cutting himself with a pocket knife and performing some sort of voodoo ritual to a picture of the main characters he has just taken (and the occult overtones would pervade the rest of the film). Eventually the group comes to an old house that used to belong to one of their relatives and start aimlessly wandering around before coming to another house down an old trail, but when one of the guys wanders in to see if he can inquire about buying some gas, he encounters Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), still in the top five all time horror villains, who takes out the guy quickly and then lays siege to the others. That is as much of the plot as should be revealed here, as from then on the nightmare builds more and more until its stunning ending and release for the viewer from all the unbearable tension. Hooper’s genius lies with not committing the modern day horror sin of readily explaining nearly everything about the characters and story, with many unanswered questions whose truths remain unknown to this day. As for the acting, it’s best to say with the group of young people how amazingly REAL they are, with nothing flashy or showy about their performances and even a willingness to be unlikable, such as Paul Partain’s whiny paraplegic Franklin, although it should be noted that Teri McMinn’s astrology-loving Pam is certainly quite the stunning beauty, and Marilyn Burns’ Sally of course joining the pantheon of the greatest horror heroines ever, with certainly the most physically demanding performance by any female in a horror film ever, starting with a lengthy chase through the brushes with Leatherface in hot pursuit with his chainsaw. As stated, Neal makes the Hitchhiker a grotesque abdomination, but even he pales next to Hansen’s Leatherface, an obese, mentally retarded, gibberish-spewing maniac who eternally looks at people as little more than a food source, and Jim Siedow as The Cook has his own gargoyle like presence about him along with John Dugan as the nearly dead Grandpa. All these actors (and their characters) are now Legends as a result, even as most of them had extremely limited film careers but still travel the world to this day doing various conventions and fan gatherings. Altogether, one of the definitive statements for all time in horror, and for whom all the imitators, ripoffs, and remakes will forever swim in its wake…
10/10