Product: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Original Uncut) [Region 2] (1974)
Rating: 4.0
This is the scariest "slasher" movie ever made
Generally, I try to avoid horror movies of the explicit "blood and guts" type. I mean, give me a break: any moron can type up a lousy script, hire some terrible actors and set them loose in the woods with a big ex-football player type cretin in a mask thumping along behind them carrying the sharp implement the 'screenwriter' finds scariest (nobody in these movies is ever killed with a gun, even though the killer would undoubtedly find a submachine would wipe out his teenage enemies in the most efficient manner. Instead, the guy always grabs a butcher knife, an ax, a cleaver, a meat grinder, a food processor, a nail gun, etc.) Well, TCM is the one movie of this genre that I liked! Actually, it's not really a gore movie--the violence is implied, for the most part. This movie gave me nightmares. I had a nightmare that this horrible family of Sawyers moved in next door to me and that I looked through their window and saw skeletons, chickens in birdcages and bone furniture in the living room. I tried to convince my neighbors that these new people were dangerous, but nobody believed me! Then the sun began to go down and I was trapped in their back yard...I only included this story because "TCM" is the ONLY scary movie that terrified me to the point of having nightmares. The most skin-crawling part of the movie actually isn't violent at all. It's the part where Sally and Franklin are sitting by the van, waiting for their friends (who have been killed, unbeknownst to them) to return from the swimming hole. Their panic is growing, as would anyone's, and they are trying to think of a rational explanation for the fact that their friends have disappeared. GOD, that scene was terrifying. This movie isn't for everyone, that's certain--I don't think I would recommend it for anyone who wasn't a scary movie buff. But if you like to be scared, take it from me: I found this movie very frightening, and I'm not a blood-n-guts fan, by any means.