The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is probably one of the most well known, if not so widely seen classic horror movies. Released in 1974 and deemed unsuitable for the British masses by the BBFC, it was labelled as a "Video Nasty" and only recently got an 18 certification in its uncut form.
The tale, very loosely based on a true story, is about two teenagers who, along with three friends, set out to investigate the apparently ritual desecration of the graveyard where their grandfather is buried. On the way back, on a side trip to visit the grandfather's farm, they pick up a weird hitchhiker close to a slaughterhouse. He's definitely crazy and after a slashing himself with a penknife and one of the boys with a razor, he's rapidly dropped off.
A little further on and running low on fuel they visit a gas station but the owner says they won't get any gas until later that afternoon so the team decide to visit the farm and come back later. After arriving at the farm, they split up (they always do) and, as it's a really hot day, two of them go looking for a waterhole but hearing a generator nearby they think they might be able to buy some gas.
Entering the nearby house to see if anyone's home, they discover the hard way who the owners are - their recent hitchhiker friend and his seriously deranged and cannibalistic family, the Sawyers. This is where the screaming starts as they meet Leatherface, the hitchhikers brother, and his assortment of big boys toys such as sledgehammers and of course, the chainsaw. They also find out where the gas station gets its tasty BBQ meat snacks from as well.
As the poster says "Who will survive and what will be left of them?"…
Review
This movie was doing the rounds in the seventies on, probably illegal, Betamax videos. Along with such contemporaries such as Driller Killer, The Last House On The Left and I Spit On Your Grave, it was a must see for the then budding generation of video recorder owners and as one of those, I was no exception.
The story is pretty formulaic for horror movies of that era- a group of youths going where they shouldn't and messing with places they should leave well alone and what should have been an idyllic summer afternoon drive turns into a nightmare. Time hasn't mellowed it any although I doubt if it would scare the upcoming youth of today the way it did us back then, but then nothing does nowadays. The DVD release is a great improvement on the old Betamax transfer with its grainy picture and scratchy sound. Picture quality is really good, even in the dark shots, and the widescreen transfer is excellent. Sound is much better too although listed a s Stereo Surround I'm not really sure what that implies. The screams, and there are lots of them, are clearer and the buzzing of the saw is graphically excellent.
Tobe Hooper, who went on to make such horror and sci-fi offerings as Poltergiest and Lifeforce, has given us a classic horror movie here as his first major film. It's got plenty of shocks but is suprisingly low on blood flow as it relies more on anticipation and suggestion to scare you. There are some humorous moments in there along with the horror - pretty sick humour it has to be said but then it's a horror movie. Some of the performances are pretty good as well. Paul Partain gives a good showing as the whiny wheelchair-bound Franklin and so does Marilyn Burns as his sister Sally.
Shot in 32 days on a seriously low budget and entirely on location in Texas, there's no fancy CG effects here - just some gruesome props, make-up and raw horror. The budget was so low that it only allowed for one costume for Leatherface, which meant Hansen wore the same outfit for four weeks and they couldn't wash it in case it got lost or damaged - phew!. Adding to the pong was the fact that they also used animal cadavers obtained from a local vet as props.
Extras
The Shocking Truth - a 72 minute documentary on the making of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There's some pretty interesting stuff here on how they made the film, the true story that helped inspire it and the problems they had with the original Mafia linked distributors. It also includes some material on the three sequels and lots of interview material with the cast and crew.
Interview with Tobe Hooper - Credited as director, co-writer, co-producer and even for some of the music, Tobe Hooper gives some pretty interesting insights into the story background, the family and the making of the movie. Lasts just under 14 minutes.[ei]
Interview with Kim Henkel - Kim, as co-writer, associate producer and good ol' Texan boy, adds some interesting comments about the movie. Lasts just over eight minutes.[ei]
Deleted Scenes & Alternative Footage - Comprises six deleted scenes lasting just over nine minutes and four pieces of soundless, alternative footage lasting just over eight minutes. I'm not sure they add much but they're there for interest.
Outtakes - A montage of some outtakes lasting just over two minutes. Again not great but maybe interesting to someone.
Feature Commentary with Director Tobe Hooper, Director of Photography Daniel Pearl and Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface) - This is quite interesting and is good added value for a second viewing. The trio haven't been together since the movie and build a pretty good rapport throughout the commentary.
Trailers & Sequel Trailers - The original trailer, one for the re-release and one for each of the three sequels. One of them is a rip off of Excalibur - imagine a chain saw rising from a lake and you get the picture.
Original TV Ads - Two TV teaser trailers.
Props & Sets - Just over six minutes showing the props and sets in detail with such things as the bone sculptures and the furniture made from human remains.
Film & Production Stills - A click through gallery of over 55 stills of the movie and behind the scenes.
Posters & Lobby Cards - Another click through gallery of over 20 stills, this time of the posters and lobby cards used to promote the movie.
DVD-ROM Weblink - Just a link to www.thechainsaw.com, a reasonably good web site promoting the DVD with images, trailers and information about the movie.
There's also supposed to be a free 16-page collector's booklet and original US theatrical poster included with the DVD but I can't comment on those as we didn't get them with the review copy.
Overall
This is a very good package for a movie that represents a milestone in the horror genré. It may not be everyone's cup of tea and if you're at all squeamish, I'd recommend avoiding it. But if you like your horror with a high shock content and full of gritty realism, then this is for you!
Of course the moral here is "Never pick up hitchhikers and certainly never in the US deep south." As Tobe Hooper says "This is America!"