Now available on Region 2 DVD
Cast:
Marilyn Burns as Sally Hardesty
Allen Danziger as Jerry
Paul A. Partain as Franklin Hardesty
William Vail as Kirk
Teri McMinn as Pam
Edwin Neal as Hitchhiker
Jim Siedow as Old Man
Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface
John Dugan as Grandfather
Directed by Tobe Hooper
Review:
With three sequels, one (surprisingly good) remake, and even a remake-prequel, the 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre is still the original and best. The ominous opening followed by the nails-on-a-blackboard screech of that camera sound thrust you head-first into a seedy, dirty and thoroughly unhealthy setting, and the events that follow only serve to further corrupt any ideas of decency the viewer may have.
It must be noted that even though the film was banned in England for many years, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is different from the rest of the video nasties insofar as it contains relatively little gore; what makes it so terrifying is the way it is shot Рalmost cinema verit̩ Рthe believability of its actors and the disorientating soundtrack. For what looks like a low budget film, and was probably seen by many critics of the time as pure exploitation, is clearly something far more ingenious. It is carefully thought-out and each set-piece is orchestrated with an efficiency that is designed to shock, repulse and unsettle in equal measures.
From the beginning the viewer can tell that there’s something strange about the area in which the teenagers are, there’s no happy party scenes to prelude the carnage as with most modern horror, here the grimy feel of the film is expressed from the get-go. Compared with the glossy, polished look of the remake (which was still effective) the original wins as a film like this shouldn’t look like a music video, and Hooper realized this through its gritty and rough cinematography. This is most certainly Tobe Hooper’s best film, as his slow slide into straight to video efforts like Crocodile soon rendered his later work disappointing. However, as his first success, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a film that was never likely to be bettered by Hooper, as well as any other director.
Along with Hooper, the actors all provide terrifyingly visceral performances with Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface surely an infamous stand-out. Even though he has next to nothing to say, his presence and the personality he gives to the character make him a villain with more substance than any Jason or Michael, and it is testament to an actor that can do that without any verbal way of doing so. The rest of the villains are also played to perfection and I’m sure that many other filmic bad guys in this vein have something to owe to these original antagonists.
The opposite side of the spectrum introduces us to a band of likeable teens, notably Marylin Burns as Sally, a character that the audience sides with pretty much from the start. Again it is a test of her ability as an actor to endure the amount of physical and mental stress that must have subjected itself to her throughout the shoot and the performance she gives passes with flying colours. Again the other actors give accomplished performances and add a needed authenticity to the film.
The soundtrack is also fantastic, with the diegetic screeches, animal sounds and overall unevenness giving the film its macabre feel through the lack of any recognisable songs as soundtrack. This coupled with the grainy documentary style of camerawork make The Texas Chainsaw Massacre an innovative landmark in horror cinema.
The version being reviewed here is the region 2 three-disc Seriously Ultimate Edition that contains two extra discs full of special features that make this the definitive edition of the film for fans. It comes with a wealth of interviews, deleted scenes, commentaries, the great The Shocking Truth documentary charting the making of the film, other documentaries and even a tour of the TCM house with Gunnar Hansen! It also comes in a really cool limited edition steelbook case that is definitely an added bonus!
So ignore the remakes and the sequels, and go back to what started it all, as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre will never be bettered as a precursor to the slasher-film and any number of Wrong Turn-a-likes, as it still retains its place as a “seriously ultimate” horror classic.
