Product: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original Uncut) [Region 2] (1974)
Rating: 5.0
The best horror movie of all time? It is, let's talk.
How much more can be said about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? This masterpiece of a horror movie grabbed the audience by the balls in 1974, and hasn't let go for almost 40 years. Often remembered as one of the bloodiest movies of all time, the movie actually has very little blood, as the implied violence and bloodshed takes over the minds of the viewers. There are scenes that are difficult to watch, such as the final dinner scene with Sally and the family, with the unrelenting screams and horror that is being witnessed during a meal.I remember watching this with my dad and brother for the first time, and ever since then, I've been intrigued by this movie and the franchise started by Tobe Hooper (who might just be THE horror director in my eyes, even over Craven and Carpenter). Much to the chagrin of my mother, my brother and I watched in awe of a movie so intense, yet so perfectly created at the same time, it's a movie that stays with you. The icon in Leatherface is awesome, brutal, and sad, played by Gunnar Hanson, who, believe it or not, is actually an accomplished author of beautiful non-fiction travels, even after having been in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers. The rest of the cast plays out the terrified friends (scream queen Marilyn Burns is great) and the cannibalistic family so real, matched with the documentary style of filming by Hooper and expert cinematographer, Daniel Pearl, that it's as if you are right there during the massacre.The special features supplement this so well too, giving a number of documentaries, interviews, and deleted scenes, with a focus on the difficulty in making the movie, and the inspiration for the story, serial killer, Ed Gein (who is also the inspiration for Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho as well as the recent biopic, Hitchcock, as well as a number of other horror or horror-type movies).If you have not seen this, do yourself a favor and pick up this special edition, or the Blu-Ray, I promise you will not be disappointed. Bonus points for those of you who also enjoy the remake, I know I did, for a different but familiar (yet still terrifying) take on the TCM brand (and Daniel Pearl also did the cinematography work here too, another great job).