Writer(s): Hooper and Kim Henkel
Starring: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, and Allen Danziger
A while ago, when I was in my late teens/early twenties, I
went through a phase where I watched a string of severely violent movies,
trying to find one that would test my limits.
Sadly, that was pretty much the only criteria; any movie I watched
during that time that didn’t have enough red stuff immediately disappointed
me. As a result of this, there are quite
a few movies that I have memories of hating, simply because there was no
graphic gore.
One such movie was The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (with a space between "chain" and "saw" to denote the original; the remake spells it all as one word). All I remembered from it were scenes of
people being chased by chainsaws for what felt like eternity, and I was bored
out of my mind. But after viewing it
again, with a much more open mind, I can easily see what all the fuss is
about—even today, this is a powerful film.
And ironically, it’s actually the lack of gore that makes it more
effective; by leaving a majority of the more graphic scenes to the viewer’s
imagination, each individual viewer will naturally in the blanks with the most heinous
things they can imagine, something the movie wouldn’t be able to do, given its
low budget.
Although I’m sure you know it by heart (and there’s not much
to learn), the story is a thing of beautiful simplicity, attempted by millions
of movies, but rarely replicated: Five
young adults (including an invalid) take a trip to an old house that one of
them grew up in. In desperate need of
gas (the only station in town ran out), a couple of them stumble on a nearby
house—and with that simple setup, all hell breaks loose.
What I didn’t remember is just how unsettling the atmosphere
is; there is a constant feeling of dread bubbling up just below the surface at
all times. Much of this is courtesy of
the excellent atonal score, credited to director Tobe Hooper and Wayne
Bell. Unlike many scores of its era,
there’s not a single ounce of cheesiness contained therein; we are at its
mercy, as it broods in the background, sometimes just barely audible, lurking
like Leatherface in the night. It also
avoids the typical clichés of the horror movie score; namely, the hand-holding
string swells that gradually get louder as a character gets close to something
scary. A film’s music shouldn’t have to
tell us when to be scared; that’s the job of the movie itself, and this is the
perfect embodiment of that theory.
And that’s what makes Leatherface’s attacks—especially at
the beginning—so shocking. There is no
build-up, or even much foreshadowing; it’s just a sudden attack that’s over
just as soon as it begins. Since we don’t
have time to register what’s going on, it leaves us just as dazed as the
character’s involved (with the added benefit of not actually dying!). Then just as we’re getting used to that
formula, it throws it out the window, subjecting the final survivor to
prolonged psychological torture; she knows she is going to die, but the only
question is “when”, leading to some squirm-inducing moments for both character,
and viewer.
The performances range all over the map, from complete
amateur hour (here’s looking at you, Jerry), to startlingly genuine (Marilyn
Burns is excellent as Sally Hardesty, and Gunnar Hansen is terrifying as
Leatherface). I also question the point
of featuring an invalid character; while I don’t object to it from a morality
perspective (indeed, a well-written one could elicit strong emotional response
from the viewer), the writing and performance have to be pretty spot-on for it
to feel anything other than a cheesy gimmick, something that Texas Chain Saw
Massacre's budget just simply doesn’t allow.
I’ll admit, there were a couple moments that I laughed during his scenes
when I probably shouldn’t have; he isn’t given much to do, besides roll around
in his wheelchair and complain about how bored he is. And not to sound insensitive, but he’s
literally set up to be the third wheel (pun intended); what sister would bring
her paralyzed brother with her, on a summer trip with her boyfriend and another
couple, when all anyone’s clearly interested in doing is getting laid? It just reeks of cheesiness, the only bona
fide misstep in an otherwise effective movie.
RECAP: Texas Chain Saw Massacre still relies on a dreadful
atmosphere more than gore, which is its strong suit; it still manages to be
shocking to this day. The atonal score
is excellent, providing plenty of intensity that matches the onscreen
action. Performances are all over the
map, ranging from terrible, to excellent.
The film’s only misstep, in my opinion, is throwing in a paralyzed
character, who seems like he was tossed in as a cheap gimmick; all he does is
wheel around about how bored he is while his sister runs off with her boyfriend
and tries to get laid. Other than that,
though, this has held up as an excellent horror entry; many classics I feel
tend to be overrated, but this one hits the mark.
SCORE: 8/10
TRAILER
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