1974’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, directed by Tobe
Hopper.
Starring Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain,
William Vail, Teri McMinn, Jim Siedow, Edwin Neal, and Gunnar Hansen.
What is it about?
“TCM” is about 5 adults on a road trip in rural Texas. They
have a very unpleasant experience with a hitchhiker (Edwin Neal), and then end
up out of gas. They have no luck with the closest gas station (run by weirdo
Jim Siedow), and end up getting separated. Some of the characters wander to a
house, and then come face to face with an eccentric family (including Gunnar
Hansen as the iconic “Leatherface”) that loves meat and doesn’t care for the
gang’s pleas to not be the main course. Will they survive?
Why is it worth seeing?
“TCM” is not for the faint of heart- and after the credits
roll silently you may be grateful you can now go outside and seek sunshine. But
it’s primal, reptilian brain really lurks in those Texas flatlands, ready to
dully and brutally carve into your amygdala should you be naïve enough to
wander into that scary house with all the skulls on the wall. Ugly and awkward
realness pervade this film, making it feel more personal than 10 serial killer
films made today. Loosely based off the Wisconsin serial killer, Ed Gein, the film falsely claims to be a true story- Hopper’s
attempt to mock authority figures such as the government who regularly lied to
their constituents.
Made for (at the most) $300,000, “TCM” is a cultural
milestone in American cinema, and it’s influence on horror films is long and
profound. It made 100 times it’s budget, spawned (at least) 7 sequel/prequels,
and the “Leatherface” character in time would become as iconic as other slasher
celebrities such as Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers. More importantly, it was
significantly responsible (along with 1972’s “Last House on the Left”) for
creating the slasher horror movie genre, where horny and dumb teenagers/young
adults would be tortured and killed by a creature that is beyond morality. And
that would be my biggest issue with the film: can’t we care about our
protagonists more, even when suffused with doom?
In a way, the horror genre became a victim of “TCM”’s
success, as Hopper set out to make a scary film that featured little actual on
screen violence, and in fact was shooting for a PG-13 rating. It’s somewhat
shocking to think about how violent slasher films have become, with their blithely
obscene body counts and Goldbergian sadistic complexities, when you see how
simple “TCM” is. I’m not saying it’s “The Sound of Music”, but only that
it’s more about the depravity of these psychologically odd and socially
isolated individuals, and the feeling of hopelessness to their ignorance, and
not about trying to make the kills as creative and gory as possible. I know
that because I can remember it. It’s unforgettable.
No comments:
Post a Comment