Product: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original Uncut) [Region 2] (1974)
Rating: 2.0
[Bad], but fun [bad] if you like that sort of thing
I write this review with a certain amount of reluctance, for I fear that if I upset any die-hard fans of Tobe Hooper's seminal, controversial cult horror film, I might wind up being butchered with a carving knife, my bones and severed limbs arranged as a kind of semi-pagan work of art in a graveyard somewhere. But what the hell: Fans of cult films usually know damn well how awful they really are; that's all part of the appeal. I suppose fans of Texas Chainsaw Massacre have found something delightful in this low-budget schlocker: Fair enough.If I tell you that of the entire cast, the chainsaw gave marginally the best performance, you will get an idea for the kind of talent involved. Most of them couldn't act their way out of a sack; which feat, ironically, one of them is actually called upon to perform at one point.It is not hard to see why this movie was banned for some twenty or so years: Its content is singularly unpleasant, and it seems useless to pretend that the intention was anything other than to shock ... its audience; which, like I say, is fair enough if you enjoy that particular subgenre of horror. Hooper exploits our very worst nightmares, the classic scenario in which you're chased by a madman with a scary face, and there's no getting away. He plays on this fear at the expense of believability and depth (surprise, surprise), though it must be said, he does it well on occasion: There are one or two truly terrifying images that manage to lift the film momentarily out of its general artlessness.