Product: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original Uncut) [Region 2] (1974)
Rating: 5.0
Buzzkill
I am a big horror fan, but it took me a number of years to really sit down and watch and appreciate this 1974 shocker. It wasn't until this past year or 2 that I really got into the film. Better late than never, I guess. If you are going to see the film for the first time, or want the perfect edition, then you can't go wrong with this release. More later. This 1974 stunner, directed by Tobe Hooper, is one of the most well known and controversial films in horror. The story is pretty simple and to the point. A van load of kids traveling thru Texas pick up a nutty hitchhiker(Ed Neal), stop the van and come into contact with some grisly psychopaths, namely Leatherface(Gunnar Hansen). The reason the movie works as well as it does and hits you hard is because it feels real. It's raw and brutal(although not as brutal as people have always thought it was, and not as brutal as the recent films). Hooper films the movie and soaks up all of the Texas heat, dirt, grime, and atmosphere. As you watch the movie, you can almost feel the sweltering Texas heat, and taste the dirt in your mouth. The character of Leatherface himself was something else. While the character feels like a killer created for a franchise now, here he was new, original, and terrifying. Andrew Brynarski has nothing on the original. Gunnar is Leatherface. The rest of the cast are all pretty believeable, especially Marilyn Burns(she has a set of lungs!), Ed Neal(who proves to be just as kooky in real life as in the film), and Paul Partain(as annoying, wheelchair-bound Franklin). The visuals to the score are effective. It's an hour and a half of terror in a blistering state. Just as good are the extras. You will learn pretty much everything you need to know in the two almost feature length documentaries. These two docus are interesting, enlightening, and pretty much everyone associated with the film is here. The tour of the old house with Gunnar is a hoot as well. For a film who got the reputation as being incredibly bloody and gory, the movie...really isn't. Not like the two recent films. The original is violent and real, but not the bloody gorefest people think it is. TCM is a real, heartpounding watch that fills all it can into every frame. It's a movie to be seen, and this is the edition to have.