The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

I've had this review in the chamber for sometime now as I was originally inspired to watch the original 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre after playing the multiplayer game it was based on. 

The game itself is fun enough - especially for being free on Gamepass - but it was really the atmosphere that got me. Surviving under the hot Texas sun, with the constant, subtle sounds of the American plains, all wound up in a twisted nightmare of horrifying enemies. As I've mentioned in the past, the horror genre is one that has been the biggest "plus" since I started this in 2011. I'm still woefully underseen in many of the old classics, but some of the fantastic horror we've gotten recently - including several this year - have me inspired. Honestly, I'm even debating writing some horror in the future...it's a captivating exercise in building tension through atmosphere. 

I obviously wasn't around in 1974, much less able to watch an R-rated film, so I can only imagine how much The Texas Chainsaw Massacre pushed the boundaries back then, or which controversies arose. As is the case with many older films, it ages really well in some regards...and rather poorly in others. Perhaps my biggest core issue with it is that it all feels a bit aimless by the time it's said and done. A massacre for the sake of it makes it a harder pill to swallow, especially during some of the final moments where one of the female captives is screaming relentlessly for ~5 minutes straight. Realistic? Sure. But we don't know hardly anything about her or really even the circumstances. There's also some moments that have turned corny in the 50 years (!) through some camera work (quick zooms on victim's faces) and the sound is missing gore that would most certainly be present in today's horror films. Example: as Leatherface is taking the chainsaw to a victim, all we hear is the engine. No gurgling, feedback on the blade, etc. 

Criticism's aside...damn is this a creepy and intense film once it gets going. For 1974, I sincerely imagine this must have been one of the scariest films ever for a while. It's equal parts creepy, unsettling, and gruesome; a confusing but captivating hodge-podge of ideas. A family that makes lamps and furniture out of bones, a massive muttering villain with someone else's face and a love of his chainsaw, a grandpa who is somehow alive, and just generally terrifying crazy people...it is wacky, but works. There's definitely an effective atmosphere (and in the game, TBH) that adds a lot of value. 

As is the case with most horror films/classics, they spawn a bunch of (supposedly) inferior sequels, but this is a circumstance where the original, while aged, is one you can look back on and recognize how it could be so effective...because it'll still get your blood pumping and breath going 50 years later. 

Retro Rath's Review Score | 7.5/10