texas chainsaw massacre

tcm
Originally uploaded by ehiggin.

I am a big 70's/80's horror film fan. They are usually clunky, low-budget, saturated with bad acting, and filled with wonderful "special effects." I sometimes wonder how these films get made, and all these elements are part of the appeal. These movies are rarely scarey, but it's kind of fun when they are.

I'll start by telling you my favorite of all time: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

I always go into these films expecting them to be really bad. That's the fun. So, I rented the ancient VHS copy of TCM, popped it in the VCR, and my life was changed. Yes, the acting is bad. Yes, it's low budget. And it is a rare cinematic genius.

The film takes place in Texas (duh). Many of the shots are hot open road, blazing in the sun. The opening scenes of the sun, and the voice over by John Larroquette, are stunning. The sound effects are great. It is revealed that a group of unknown grave robbers have stolen some corpses from a local graveyard.

Then the action begins. A group of somewhat miscreant teens/early 20's kids is traveling to vacation at one of their grandfather's old houses. The dialouge is hokey, and the "performances" are clearly amateur. The first third of this film has some fantastic shots, creative angles, but other than that it's kind of slow. I was wondering why I had heard about this movie so much, and why some considered it classic. I was assuming it would probably go over my head.

Gradually, this film's true persona unravels. Like poetry, the pace of the film draws you in and scares your pants off! Surprisingly, there is very little, if any, blood. There is a bit of gore, but clearly would be PG-13 by today's standards. No, this isn't a slasher film. This is a suspenseful and psychological horror. By the time you're introduced to Leatherface, the notorious TCM killer, the pace of the film picks up, more ultra-bizarre freaks are introduced in the film, and the ending is simply unbelievable. I don't want to ruin it by explaining details, but I'll just tell you, it's wondrous. This is one of the most demented films I've ever seen, but not really offensive. Just bizarre, and a little scary. There are a few films I would actually consider poems. Most of them are Stanley Kubrick films. But, Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is truly a cinematic poem. Rare, and artistically pure.