In the early ’70s college professor turned filmmaker, Tobe Hooper developed a script titled, “Leatherface.” The late filmmaker took elements from real life events including Ed Gein’s killing spree, political turmoil of the Watergate scandal and the 1973 oil crisis. Tobe spent less than $80,000 using unknown actors, a non-union guild production crew and a farmhouse.
Because of budgetary concerns, the Cast and Crew felt miserable from the heat approximately 110 degrees without a ventilation system. As a Texan, it’s not a pleasant experience to go outside on a summer day. Trust me. After a brutal schedule without air condition and completing the film in post-production, Tobe retitled Leatherface as “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
Released in 1974, (same year Wolverine, Iron Fist, Deathlok & Punisher made their comic book debuts) it received mixed reviews from critics and made enough money at the box office. Overtime, the film gained a cult following adding more positive reception as one of the best (if not the best) horror films in history. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre spawned a franchise, three sequels, a remake and prequel produced by Michael Bay’s company Platinum Dunes, a 2013 sequel in 3-D picking up where the original left off, a 2017 prequel, a 2022 sequel on Netflix with zero connection to the 2013 follow-up and a 2023 video game.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre became a game changer in the Horror genre inspiring other works such as “The Hills Have Eyes,” “Alien,” “Halloween,” “Friday the 13th,” “The Evil Dead,” “House of 1000 Corpses, “The Devil’s Rejects” & “X.” Now that it’s Halloween 2024, I’ll be watching and reviewing horror films. Which one should I review next? Please leave a comment.
Polished & Rusty Aspects
Polished: Tobe Hooper did a great job directing. He also wrote the script.
Actors all did a splendid job for their respective performances.
Despite a lack of blood and gore due to budget constraints, the Scare Factor relies on paranoia and spine-tingling moments. The “dinner scene” with the cannibals will give you the heebie jeebies. It deserves Bonus Points. All it takes is good camerawork and brilliant editing.
For a low-budget movie, Death Scenes worked well without blood and gore. I prefer a psychological approach before playing dirty.
Cinematography didn’t succumb to any technical problems.
Actors did all their stunts without a professional stunt coordinator. It’s not easy making an independent film without a proper budget.
Fun Fact: Quentin Tarantino stated The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a perfect film.
Don’t be fooled by the Opening Narration, this movie isn’t 100% based on true events.
Rusty: The vacationers are forgettable. I didn’t care about any of them. What they lack are compelling backstories and legit chemistry to make me care about every single one. It’s like “The Last of Us” without memorable characters, Joel & Ellie.
Although the running time’s nearly 90-minutes long, Leatherface appears 35 minutes in. I’m willing to accept “Jaws” for keeping the shark offscreen as a perfect way to build suspense, but Act One in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre took a long time for the boring vacationers to arrive at his place. Imagine if Pennywise from Stephen King’s “It” shows up in Act Two? What’s the point of making a horror film if you don’t have three-dimensional good characters we actually care about like The Losers Club and a villain who shows up in the beginning? In other words, get to the point.
The Final Verdict: B, FOR BIGSHOT!
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s a groundbreaking horror film that raises the bar in both horror and slasher genre. If it weren’t for a slow first act and forgettable characters, I could’ve given it my highest grade an A, FOR APEX. I consider the OG version the best one in the franchise. The rest however are lackluster duds.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 