Product: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original Uncut) [Region 2] (1974)
Rating: 4.0
Cutting Edge Horror
When I was in my early 20s I saw two films during one weekend both of which had a deep impact for totally different reasons. The first Blues Brothers movie, which changed my outlook on music and life in general - and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Now I've seen just about every scary movie there is none have had the impact of Tobe Hooper's debut classic from 1974. I saw the Hills Have Eyes in 1977. THAT scared the bejeezus out of me I don't mind telling you. But I was only 14. Nothing however, could prepare me for Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I dwell on this because it raises an interesting question: when does a Horror movie cross the line from entertainment to real fear. People like to dive behind the sofa and scream in their cinema seats, but when a film can cause - in the short-term - real horror, and in the long-term, nightmares, has Mr. Tobe Hooper maybe done his job a little too well? The Exorcist - another genuinely terrifying film - manages to stay inside "But-It's-Only-a-Movie" territory. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is like watching genuine holiday footage of a vacation that goes horribly pair-shaped. The low-budget technology actually enhances the horror element. Also the reassuring presence of screen stars like George Clooney or Kevin Bacon is conspicuously absent. I would recommend that nobody under the age of 46 watches this without parental guidance. Texas Chainsaw Massacre makes Natural Born Killers look like Muppet Show. Probably, one of the most unpleasant films ever made. I still can't decide whether that's a compliment or not. I wonder what Quentin Tarantino has to say about this.