Product: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original Uncut) [Region 2] (1974)
Rating: 5.0
Truly disturbing cult horror!
This astonishing film is the ancestor of all the "slasher" films of the late 1970's and early 80's, but remains unmatched by any of its successors. Very loosely based on the infamous necrophilic activities of Ed Gein, TCM uses this real-life horror merely as a jumping off point. TCM employs certain standard elements that have become cliches of the genre - a gaggle of vapid teens who get picked off one by one, crazed country bumpkins and a maniac wielding a weapon that cuts, slices and dices - but these customary Gothic devices supply the backbone of a truly original and terrifying film. Gore and special effects fans will be disappointed, as there is very little actual bloodletting to be seen, but this is director Tobe Hooper's ... most striking achievement. .... Amazingly, Hooper achieves a state of utter terror without any explicit blood or guts - every horrific sequence is suggested rather than shown. The design of the farmhouse - all squalor and strange bits of furniture constructed out of human bones - is the perfect setting for a nightmare. Energetic performances from the leads add to the effect, and the usual sexual angle is totally absent. The atmosphere of the film is sweltering and claustrophobic, and the final chase sequences elemental in their impact. A brilliant work of art which manages to terrify solely through the power of suggestion, this film will loge itself in your imagination. It is amazing how this movie has gained a reputation for being almost unendurable in spite of the relative restraint of the effects. Perhaps this is TCM's greatest success - a film without explicit gore that retains all the qualities of a riveting, pell-mell nightmare. See it if you dare!