Product: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original Uncut) [Region 2] (1974)
Rating: 4.0
Must know what you're getting into before you slide it in
'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' - three words, each one the size of something very large. This film was actually banned in my country, the UK. Knowing that alone incited me to see it and I did see it ten years ago. I was a little disappointed by it on video but not much. It has a bizarre storyline which is in itself enough to tell you to brace yourself for forthcoming nastiness. Beginning of story: freaked-out kids driving across Texas in a Sin Bin van pick up a bearded, scrawny lunatic hitch-hiker whom they soon discard because he takes out a razor and goes berserk. Two things are wrong right there. Firstly, it seems that the writers were too busy trying to avoid the cliche of a flat-tyre-on-a-rainy-night- in-the-middle-of-nowhere that they injected some weirdness right off the bat. The mistake with that is that you get desensitized early on and anticipate a violence which never really arrives anyway. The opening scenes are a premonition of something which just can't precipitate. There's comedy in the movie in the form of the sheer badness of some of the story-accessories (especially the muppet-like grandfather) which kills suspense. There are also some 'hard-grind' areas where the intensity is too great to lead to anything else but anticlimax. Leatherface is a formidable foe all right but his retardate nature depresses rather than thrills. The plot isn't bad in itself - it's just middle-of-the-road, predicatable and unfurls in a convoluted spiral. So, after all that, why did I still give it 4 whole stars? Easy. Art-direction and atmosphere deserve a star each in this pic. For all its cheapness, the T.C.M. does more than redeem itself in the way its sets are presented. Very claustrophobic indeed. Star number three goes directly to the fact that, like all cult movies, the pioneer has to start somewhere to be able to come out the other end and move on. For Hooper, 'Salem's Lot' alone is where he shone truly. But the fourth star? That is entirely due to my idiosyncratic view of the T.C.M. Okay, that and the fact that it has a darker ending than anything imaginable. By being one of the progenitors of the 'vid nasties' of the '80's, T.C.M. has an identity which is in itself awesome to behold. Made for about $30,000 (in 1974 money), this serves as a testament to the benefits of bad publicity creating good marketing. Nice job. Too bad about the film's cast and the quirks of the writer/s but at least the good elements ensure the movie's survival. Despite being dated and hampered by a sound so muddy that even a digital transfer can't add treble to it, T.C.M. does manage to deliver goods you won't expect it to. You may have watch it more than twice (beware- it is very draining to watch as it can be as depressing as a Faces of Death film) to glean all you can. You won't be scared much by it, though. In fact, you will be scared precious little by it. To sum it up in three adjectives: apocalyptic, grotesque and dark. Not for those in mental distress. Also - be sure NOT to check out any of the three sequels as they are complete and utter wastes of time, money and effort.