Product: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original Uncut) [Region 2] (1974)
Rating: 5.0
A Truely Disturbing Film I Believe is Culturally Significant to American Cinema.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a film made by Tobe Hooper, back in his early film directing days in the 1970s, before later making The Poltergeist. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is very low budget and was filmed on 16mm cameras. Tobe thought of going for a PG rating under the film title Headcheese. Despite the nearly bloodless film, a PG rating was not possible and a R rating was smacked on instead. After the release of the film audiences were shocked, the film was criticized, and banned in other countries. Though the film sparked controversy, it pulled in alot of money in the millions(I believe over 30 million), even making it the highest grossing independent film(don't know if that's still fact).Darksky Films released the film as the Ultimate Edition in a steelbook with two discs. The film is fully remastered and restored using the original 16mm transfers, new 5.1 surround, new 2.0 stereo, and original remastered mono. Has specials like commentaries, trailers, TV/radio spots, documentaries, deleted scenes, outtakes, bloopers, and stills. The combination of the special features run over 180 minutes.The film is about a group of friends including siblings out on a road trip through Texas of course. Though not all is known about where they are going but one reason is looking to see if relatives were graverobbed in a cemetery. The group pick up a strange hitchhiker. The hitchhiker becomes violent and is kicked out. The group, except for one of them, try to brush off the experience and later go to an old house. Leatherface is not friendly to people looking for help and punishes trespassers.I cringed at this movie and laughed too. The movie's disturbing factor isn't really by the violence, it's by the tormenting on the protagonist. The antagonists torment the protagonist so bad the audience feels it. The blood and gore is minimal and offscreen but the audience strongly implies what's offscreen. The movie too has dark comedy. There is funny dialogue and slapstick in the beginning. Even the antagonists try to be funny by abusing each other for their ignorance.I have seen the sequels and remakes. Some good and some bad. They all differed by the changing balance of comedy and horror. They don't disturb like the way this does. This movie is culturally significant since it pulled in alot of money, was made after Vietnam, showed the theme(I don't want to give it away but are there dysfunctional families?), and made people think the story was true. The story however is actually loosely based on Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein so the story is completely made up.I was scared watching this movie but I thought the actors were realistic and well. Marilyn Burns is a very good scream queen. I found this more original(though Psycho's Norman Bates is like Leatherface) than other slashers that usually have the typical slasher out for revenge. Fans of this movie should get the Ultimate Edition of the Texas-Chain-Saw-Massacre!