Product: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original Uncut) [Region 2] (1974)
Rating: 4.0
Great Horror But More importantly Great Film!
Lets face it horror when done properly is the modern tragedy. The razor thin line that seperates good horror from malicious, sadistic horror is whether one feels empathy with the characters whom suffer the tragic ordeals.The characters arent incredibly fleshed out but through the documentary style filming and the smalltalk they are emminently human.The violence in the film is few and far between however what is there is take your breath away shocking.This is where the excellent direction comes into play, Hooper takes the violence seriously and keeps his focus tight throughout allowing neither the audience or the actors to escape the reality and horror of the situations.Thats how horror movies should be, when people being murdered becomes either boring, dull or unintentionally funny, this is a great disservce to the audience IMO.As the film dips more into the insane universe of the cannibals it takes on a surreal experience rarely found in American horror.On balance the film is exploitive, afterall how can a film that revels in violence and murder not be, but the fact that it is possible to empathize with the characters saves it from slipping into the abyss. Still a very shocking film, that no developing person should watch! I cant believe parents let children watch this sort of stuff.P.s. The film was made about in a house in a town outside Austin called Round Rock about 15 minutes from where I live.