performances this real feel all the more scary and Marilyn Burns Sally and Paul A. Partain Franklin as the victims we truly believe and feel their fear .3 The atmosphere the skeleton bone art... the freaky metal door in the farmhouse... Leatherface's mask and demeanor... even the way the sun sets in this film is spooky along with the sound of the farmhouse generator .4 Relentless Horror Leatherface RUNS not speedwalks after his victims with a live chainsaw... there's no time to trip and fall or your booty is chainsaw bait 5 The ability the film has to scare you with almost a complete lack of gore the only "gory" scene is when Leatherface accidently cuts his thigh with the chainsaw . The scares lie within the performances and atmosphere and pacing.In closing... this is truly the greatest horror film and one of the greatest films period ever made. 15 out of 10!!!

today's standards. The film's characters and actual scares are not that remarkable. The power of `The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' lies in its atmosphere and in what H.P. Lovecraft called `the oldest and strongest kind of fear': the fear of the unknown. The later of these two staples of great horror is often cast aside in modern horror movies-especially in those churned out by the great Hollywood engine. Instead, every mystery must be explained away, every mask ultimately pulled from a monster's face, and not a moment of exposition is spared. It is interesting to note that the filmmakers behind the latest `Chainsaw' film chose to implement all three of these stylistic vices in their remake. In the original, the feeling of dread and mounting paranoia creeps over the viewer in slow but steady waves. The first scene in the film depicts a desecrated grave with a voiceover of radio newscast, immediately followed by an opening credits sequence set against a backdrop of roaring solar flares. This, along with some idle astrological chatter on the part of one of the teenagers early on, leads to a feeling of cosmic disarray in the lonely Texas hills they traverse. Questions about the villain's mask or the field of cars under camouflage netting are left for the viewer to answer on his or her own. At worst, in the loss of any acceptable answer, they are forced to ponder that terrible and limitless gulf of the imagination: the unknown. In it's later stages, the film becomes a cacophonous world of throat-peeling screaming, blood-shot eyes, laughter, and grinding machinery. One is forced to recall the solar flares in the film's opening credits. In the climax of famous dinner scene, there is a feeling of cosmic forces pressing in on reality and warping it into some crude mockery of order, as if the world were but a TV or radio signal distorted into madness by flares on the surface of the sun. In the 29 years since `The Texas chainsaw Massacre' hit theaters, there have been countless imitators and four additional films in the franchise, three of them remakes. Yet as loved and influential as the original classic has been, many who would seek to emulate its vision seem to overlook its true strengths.

permanent collection at the NY Museum of Modern Art, it truly is a classic of cinema. I've shown this to Bergman fans, Tarkovsky fans and, yes, horror fans too - none of them have been prepared for its power, its inventiveness, its willingness to push the envelope of what cinema can do. And, with its simple story and powerhouse, unstoppable delivery, it is as open to interpretation as any piece of "modern art" - whether it be from the "vegetarian treatise" angle, or the post-Vietnam traumatised America school of thought. But, as I was on my first of several viewings, those I have introduced to this movie have been bowled over by the quality of the film-making, and the filmic techniques soundtrack, editing, startling images used by Hooper to capture his "waking nightmare" on screen. It is something I really don't think any other film has quite achieved, though many have tried.Now, of course, there is a fluke element at work here. Hooper never came close to achieving anything like this again, and many, though not all, of the film's fascinating resonances are a product of the era and the filmmaker's unconscious sensibilities. What he obviously had as a director was the kind of daring to take the visceral power that cinema can deliver so well to the limit, to the the edge of acceptability, skirting on exploitation. That the film is so unrelentingly dark and so unbelievably sadistic in its second half, and yet fascinates even as it traumatises, is a definite testimony to the skill of its director. What could have been sleaze is instead a horrible nightmare experience, sure enough, but one that borders on the transcendental. Should be seen by ALL students of cinema at least once in their lifetime.

nostalgic home of their childhood, stumble into the raw and irrational cruelty of the modern world.The movie has a weak, though functional storyline, one that has since became the staple for slasher movies; a group of teenagers get lost, stumble across evil and get stalked and killed. But Chain Saw isn't about storyline and plot; it's about creating an experience, a sensory overload. The cast and crew work tirelessly to create scenes and images that are raw and powerful and ultimately, against all expectations, beautiful. Leatherface's travesty of motherly domesticity as he prepares dinner, his child-like dance in the dawn light, the open door at the gas station, the van making it's slow turn off the road towards the derelict and ivy clad Hardesty residence are all images that burn themselves into your consciousness after just a single viewing.The cinematography is exceptional. Watching the Special Edition, you'd never know that this was shot on 16mm in poor light. The picture quality is outstanding, the colors rich and vibrant, the blacks inky and menacing. The brilliant azure skies, the jade green of the grass, the bright red generator, the searing sunlight and stifling shadows. Every frame seems saturated in nicotine gold. Beautiful.Though not always likable, the actors are always believable. Performances are universally startling, but special mention has to go to Marilyn Burns. Though she has little more to work with than the clichéd screaming heroine, she works it with remarkable conviction. It was a traumatic shoot, and it shows. Few actresses have so effectively conveyed mind-numbing terror.The soundtrack is exceptional and deserves more recognition. It is a great testimony to the experimentation and risk taking attitude of the era that all melody is destroyed under an industrial ambient soundscape of metallic clangs, scrapes and screams, evoking the atmosphere of the local slaughterhouse and the Family's state of mind. Terrifying.Despite the complete lack of gore or extreme physical violence, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre continues to horrify and holds up the countless, shot-on-video, slasher clones of subsequent years for the puerile crap that they truly are. Whether by accident or design, this one is a classic.9 out of 10

entire idea. But i found the scene wher Leatherface keeps chasing the victim with a chainsaw to b pure nightmare. Boy, that was terrifying n intense. Also the scene wher Leatherface maniacally dances with his chainsaw. The first kill was the most brutal n shocking. Ther is no gore or violence portrayed but jus the impact of the scene was brutal. The swing of that hammer and the way his victim falls to the ground and starts shaking, is just plain brutal n unbearable to watch. The 2nd part is more gory n comedic. The 3rd part has good amt of action n violent shootouts. Avoid the 4th part like plague. The remakes r decent.

praising lousy later films like 'Blair Witch' to the skies because of so-called deeper meanings. A shame they could not see that Hooper had crafted perhaps the ultimate statement on post '60's America, and one that remains unmatched in it's power.The film makes no doubt about what state the country was in: Decay. Everything in the film reeks of death. From the prologue with the corpse 'art' not as much a stretch considering the kind of art produced in this era , the Dead Armadillo in the film's opening; a Texas national landmark, it would seem, to the dried up 'Ol swimming hole, to the heroine's once-thriving home now populated with spiders and rats. It doesn't take sides, either. The 'Good 'ol ways' represented by the homicidal Sawyer clan as a nightmare parody of the American bible-belt family are obviously the villains, but the 'new' generation, itself dying out since '68, isn't presented as any more desirable. Both are mercilessly ridiculed. Even the heroine survives only by sheer luck. She's not the intelligent, feminist heroine despite being of the 'free love'generation that Laurie Strode of 'Halloween' is, she survives because of the killer's s incompetence. It's almost as if the film is saying that the ignorant, rebellious youth have emerged scarred from the real world they ran off unprepared for The doomed protagonists are all jaded ex-hippies , and are all limping back home Sally does visit her old house as a form of shelter to the comforting arms of the 'old folks' who warned them; who react violently and vehemently, telling them 'I told you so!', but still give them relief: Death.Speaking of the 'heroes', isn't it bizarre how the heroine's crippled brother Franklyn is treated like a nuisance by them? Even though we don't see it; it's obvious that they have frequently ridiculed him His reaction in the abandoned house to their laughter best reveals this, as he can't stand to hear their mocking laughter even if it is not directed at him and he knows it . Yet, in contrast to the lead's treatment of the childish invalid Franklyn, the Sawyer family treats the two characters most similar to Franklyn mentally and physically ; Leatherface and Grandpa; as valued kinfolk, they are accommodated and appreciated in their family unit. Although the older brother heaps much verbal abuse on the Hitchhiker & Leatherface, it is no more than your usual stereotypically portrayed hick family on 'Hee-Haw'. They're close-knit, and as Franklyn says after the Hitchhiker slits himself and endures it: 'Gotta admire that".Add to the fact that Franklyn is the the only character in the film to come close to communicating with, and in a sense, relating to, one of the Sawyers Who starts up a genial, at first, conversation about knives and killing with the Hitchhiker ; and it becomes more disturbing. Almost as if, under different circumstances, Franklyn would occupy the same position as Leatherface If he could walk or Grandpa if he were a member of the Sawyer clan, as if the hitchhiker recognizes this. It's also strange considering this take, that Franklyn is the last of the leads to die. I'm not saying Leatherface spared him for last out of mercy He had just met Franklyn when he kills him , but because they are similar symbolically. Even Hooper has called Leatherface a 'big baby', and that seems to apply to Franklyn as well.Bizarre, the cannibals accept the handicapped in their own way , and the 'heroes' see the handicapped as a burden, much like how former hippies who were drafted and returned maimed or crippled were rejected by their former friends for 'killin' babies' in 'Nam. Even more strange is that it's Franklyn who inadvertently causes their deaths when he gives them the faulty directions to the swimming hole, as if he's unknowingly getting his revenge.Obviously, I see the film as a social commentary. But I would not simply call it another entry in the cycle of other post '60's downbeat dramas, but a hybrid of that mentality with the 'Old Dark House' genre of years past. Compare the film with Whale's 1932 film of the same name; you'll see what I mean. Even that film's macabre humor and invalid patriarch character are referenced. TCM is an update on that genre with post '60's cynicism. As that stands, it may not be the first slasher film, as it's often called, but the last, and best 'Old Dark House with a homicidal but oddly funny family' type of film ever made.~

new TCM will be shown in theaters and I ask you why ? Is it to satisfy younger fans and blow them away with stunning visuals and sound effects. That isn't necessary at all. The original still has the ability to impress any public...and how !!! The most powerful aspect about this movie is without a doubt the choice of the innocent victims. The diabolical family didn't intend to chase the group of youngsters, they just happened to be there and fell into their hands. It could have been anybody. This form of random terror is usual stuff nowadays but back in 1974, this scared a lot of people. Of course there are many other great elements to find in TCM. For example Leatherface and the rest of his family... including the Chainsaw . Never in this movie is really explained what drives them to such madness. Sure you can make up many theories about the fact the closure of the slaughterhouse and such but you'll never a 100 % sure about the origin of the madness. They're freaking maniacs and you don't want to come across them. Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one big thrill, in fact. The grave robbing, the terrifying news bulletins and the demonic house ...all these elements contribute in making this movie one of the most memorable and important films ever !TCM is loosely better say VERY loosely based on a true story. That is to say : Leatherface owes his existence to the horrible serial killer Ed Gein. Without a doubt the most influential psychopath in American history as he was also the base for other horror milestones such as Norman Bates and Hannibal Lector. We have Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel to thank for all the rest of this terrific movie. They've created this low budget piece of cinema and by doing that, they changed the horror industry forever. Tobe Hooper continued making good horror during the 70 Eaten Alive and in the early 80's he even was a star for a little while ! Steven Spielberg let him direct his production Poltergeist which was a huge success as well. TCM is coming straight from the best horror decade: The 70's. Very recently we've this discussed this wonderful 10 years of horror here on the message boards of this website. The amount of highlights in this decade is incredible and almost impossible to list...You've got The Exorcist, Halloween, Suspiria, The Omen, The Wicker Man, Last house on the Left, Dawn of the Dead and tons of other immortal titles. Texas Chainsaw Massacre sure is one of them. This version will always be superior...even if the make 10 remakes and a 1.000 more rip-offsGreatest "rewind"-moment : The character of Pam who fall down in the Leatherface house. When she looks around the camera follows her view and you see nothing but human bones ! Terrific piece of horror

enough the van busts. One by one they leave the van to go and find some help, and they all find an old house, where they are all but one killed off by the ghoulish Leatherface Gunnar Hansen , the killer wearing a mask of dead skin and among other weapons wielding a chain saw. Eventually only Sally is left alive, and she is taken into the house where she is tied up and at the table with the whole maniac family, Leatherface, the Hitchhiker, the Old man Jim Siedow and the really creepy Grandfather John Dugan where she is tortured. She does eventually escape the house, being chased by the Hitchhiker, who is run over, and Leatherface with his chain saw, but she manages to escape, and the film ends with Leatherface angrily swinging his chain saw which some critics see as a phallic object . This is supposed to be a really violent film, deaths that stick out include hit on the head with a sledge hammer, hung on a hook in the back, and obviously mashed up by the chain saw, but you never see any blood spill, it is mainly your imagination that creates these gruesome scenes. The film was banned for some time, and the BBFC refused to give it a certificate, but now it is in the public's eye, it is a must-see horror film. The remake by the way, give it a miss! It was number 8 on The 100 Greatest Scary Moments. Very good!

leaves you with the terrified screams of the main characters as they confront their antagonists, as does the grainy looking film which makes it appear to be more of a home-movie gone wrong than a film at all.The appearance of Leatherface for the first time, for example is handled as casually as the appearance of any other lead character, but then of course we know the result of his appearance and cannot help but be shocked by what follows within the space of about 20 seconds afterwards.Make no mistake this film is a test in psychological strength and questions us what we would do in the situations as poor Marilyn Burns.While the film may look dated in this age of extreme gore and "jump scares" their is no denying the craft that has gone into this. There are some beautiful bits of camera-work and the little music that does occur is chilling and well used.The only real complaint is maybe the acting could have been tidied up in some parts, as could the character development so we truly feel for the other characters other than Sally. But this is a minor complaint and any true fan of real horror should see this.