04/12/10 - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974, 83 min)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072271/

I continue my movie watching with another classic horror film, this one from 1974 in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. I'd heard it was pretty good so I was anxious to check out this one.

The film follows a group of kids on a road trip to an old house in Texas. What the kids don't know is that a group of murderers lives close by. One by one the kids are picked off leaving Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) as the heroine. The main murderer is Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) while Hitchhiker (Edwin Neal) and Old Man (Jim Siedow) help him out when needed.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was done in 1974 and it shows. Most of the other horror movies I've seen that I haven't liked were done much later then this. For example, the Friday the 13th series started in 1980 and the feeling here is really different. This film chooses to build up tension like Halloween (from 1978) and then have a grand finale. I like this approach much better. It typically creates more memorable characters than the slasher flicks (unfortunately that isn't the case here). Everyone here is forgettable except for Sally. However, Sally is great in my opinion. The one lull is a scene of her being chased by Leatherface that is just way too long. For reference, everyone but Sally has been murdered by the 55 minute mark leaving around 30 minutes where Sally has to carry the film herself.

This all concludes in a banquet scene that is very memorable. Here, the group is planning on killing off Sally while she's tied up. The film builds up as Sally's screams are constant and the entire atmosphere is just unsettling. This is typical of the film though as it creates a very creepy feeling whenever a scene takes place inside Leatherface's house. With bones and animals everywhere, I'm never really able to watch these scenes with a peaceful feeling. Eventually though, Sally escapes from the banquet only to be chased around some more. However, the whole movie culminates in a highway scene with Sally only escaping in the final seconds of the film. All in all, the pacing in this section is excellent.

Now for some more comments on the creepy atmosphere and tension. The film starts off with a bang as the group of kids picks up the hitchhiker and everything he says and does is awkward. I know from this point on that this film isn't going to just be about killing people. Moving on, the film attempts to set up some interesting characters but fails in doing this in my opinion. Anyway, though, one by one the group approaches Leatherface's house and one by one each meets their demise. The deaths are brutal and unforgiving. One girl is hanged on a meat hook and killed and another is bludgeoned repeatedly with a hammer. However, the good thing is that even when we know the deaths are coming, the film manages to make it suspenseful. This goes back to how creepy the house is. It's like an entirely different world here where nothing makes sense. The film paces itself around these killings but obviously they don't constitute the only part of the film that's meant to be thrilling.

Overall, I gave this film a 7/10. It's a lot better than a slasher film in my opinion as it relies on more tension and has a great performance from Marilyn Burns. However, everyone else pretty much comes off as a wasted character. The final thirty minutes (minus a long chase scene) and some excellent camerawork give this film a pretty good ranking from me.