Product: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original Uncut) [Region 2] (1974)
Rating: 5.0
Genuinely terrifying!
Some friends and I rented this as a "cheesy movie of the night" selection. What a mistake! TCM is absolutely one of the most horrifying movies I have ever seen. I'm a big horror fan, and like to think of myself as a tough scare. TCM left me feeling VERY uncomfortable and genuinely terrified, something that no horror film has lived up to since. Admirably, it manages to envoke feelings of fear and terror without going overboard with gore; the film is not for gore-hounds. The closing shot of Leatherface spinning madly in the middle of the road, twirling his saw above his head, gives a sense of hopelessness, really, that what you have just seen will never be resolved. A wonderful production by Hooper...why he made a sequel is beyond me. Hollywood tends to destroy original masterpieces with trite sequels ala Psycho and The Birds. But TCM is a true masterpiece, one that will not be forgotten soonafter by anyone who views it.