"That's the last goddamn hitchhiker I ever pick up."
This is one of the creepiest horror movies I have seen. You'd think after watching so many I would get used to gore but the way they film this really gives me the chills. It's pretty messed up and I think the low budget makes it feel even more real. I wish they had never made any sequels to keep it as a vintage horror phenomenon.
i think i just lost my hearing with all that screaming
Plays extremely well on your imagination, one perceives that the film is MUCH more grisly than it really is. That's but one of the many reasons that this masterpiece sets itself apart from the pretenders to the throne that came after. However I love part 2 as well albeit for vastly different reasons.
Leatherface is so creepy and scary. The sound of a chainsaw chasing you has to be one of the scariest sounds ever.
The climax of this movie is nothing but chaotic screaming and noise, but man when it cuts to the credits without any music, the silence hits so damn hard.
Inspired by the crimes of real-life serial murderer Ed Gein, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is a brutal, sadistic and gory film about insane cannibalistic murderers, specifically the infamous so-called Leatherface, whom is a chainsaw-wielding serial killer who pierced and slashed countless amounts of individuals. The story follows a group of friends who take a visit to an old farmhouse, when pair by pair and individually, they separately stumble upon their vicious neighbours and experience the unexpected, when they’re butchered like literal pigs, one by one.
Throughout the film, there is a question left wandering around alongside the audience. What drove these crazed humans to get such concept? And, what is the satisfaction that comes within the act of it? I think that from what we can perceive from the Leatherface is that he has been living in a verbally abusive destructive home. Constantly being yelled at and dominated, he is very obedient of what his father tells him to act upon, which are demands of committing murders of victims of their family. He somewhat lives a life of oppression, concluding that disobedience means a punishment. However, Leatherface is a man with feelings about his family's perspectives on him and he often proves his love for his family by murdering the victims. Additionally, his self-conscious and peculiar characteristics portray him as an outcast, which could also drive him to commit his actions. Leatherface is certainly not friendly to the social world around him but he always seemed to respect his family and their intentions. In a psychological manner, Leatherface is literally a child.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is honestly out-dated and not completely terrifying, however, there is something about it that has always been striking in a very disturbing and abnormal manner. The simplicity of this film is what I love the most about it. The film is only 1h 30min, set in a very dull environment, yet since the very moment it starts, the audience perceives an odd sensation from the atmosphere. This film starts off with the most off-putting scene in horror, or slasher, cinema! From the moment they pick up Nubbins Sawyer, the hitchhiker, we know that something is about to go wrong. Nubbins behaves almost erratically, and displays a very odd giggle, and it all becomes too much once he cuts through his hand with a knife. The conversations about the slaughterhouse also form a tense build-up for the film and in general, the entire cinematography truly, excellently captured disturbing shots. From the close-ups on Sally’s frightened eyes, to the clips of the cannibalistic family perceiving enjoyment off of her misery, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a horror classic!
I kind of want to give it an extra star just for having the final girl jump straight through not one but TWO windows. Badass. However I won't give it an extra star because by the end I wanted her to die because I was so sick of her screaming.
This goes beyond scary. What I mean is, it's not really scary, it's insane. It's a crazed nightmare. What Sally goes through with the cannibal family is not horrific in the gory sense, it's not even all that bloody. It's the struggle against insanity and Sally's fight to keep her's. And WOW! Can she scream!
There are other terrible moments, like when one of the guys is dragged into Leatherface's butcher shop but all we see is the metal door slamming in front of us. Later, we are taken into that shop to see Leatherface hang Pam(?) on a meat hook where she gets to see her friend cut up. Now, we don't see any of that gore, but it's happening and it's disturbing.
The reason I don't rate this higher is because it gets so odd while Sally is at the cannibal family's dinner table. It borders on comedic. Only Sally's screams snap you back from laughing at the over-the-top behavior of the man-eating family. Also, for as many great choices that were made with the camera, there are just as many that are frustrating. It felt like it was floating around at times or even seemed obstructed on a few occasions.
[Filmin] America assumes its own violence. Consequences of Vietnam. The radio talks about macabre and absurd crimes. Soundtrack of squeaks, screams and chainsaws. Rot and decay. Sally in the slaughterhouse. Flesh, bones and blood. An unbreathable atmosphere like few times. The horoscope already announced it: "Upsetting persons around you, could make this a disturbing and unpredictable day". Welcome to psycho America.
Need to remind myself :
- How great this film is before seeing Netflix's TCM next month.
- That I've finished only 5 horror series in my entire life and need to get this one done!
Possibly the greatest film ever made.
Satisfying like an evening when the family sits around peeling off each other's scabs.
There is a before Texas Chain Saw Massacre and an after. Before there were the Vincent Price camp vampire flicks and then along came TCM and changed the face horror (with a blade) forever...
The best thing about seeing this for the first time (on a restored, 4K version in a cinema!) was that it lives up to the hype, and does so because it is a beautifully made film.
The action, the pacing, the lighting (Hooper films in full daylight, dusk sunset, dead of night, day break and dawn) and the soundtrack, my God, the soundtrack (co-written by Hooper) all come together in a graphic ballet as poignant and disturbing as Leatherface's dance of death at the denouement.
Remember watching this when I was waaay too young and it still haunts me when I hear or see a chainsaw
One of, if not the most iconic horror films ever. Everything you want from a horror is here, and to think it’s based on a true story, just makes this even more terrifying. The low budget feel to it adds to the effect. The scene around the dinner table is truly iconic.
The house is now a great restaurant in Texas and well worth visiting just to sit at the table next to the window the girl jumped throw.
A frightful tale of the macabre, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a classic horror film. The story follows a group of college students who are abducted and tortured by a family of cannibals. The acting is really bad and is a little hard to get passed. And, Tobe Hooper’s directing is extremely raw; which can be distracting. Still, Hooper brings an impressive level intensity and suspense to the action scenes. Though it’s a bit rough and slow paced, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre delivers some chilling scares.
Started off a template that many copied. I like how this movie ramps up in craziness. By the end it's creepy inbred taunting and horror.
You don't want to go foolin' round other folks property... Some folks don't like it, some don't mind the showin' ya...
https://boxd.it/2BhaR3
Hated it as a kid because it wasn't gory enough. Now I can appreciate it for what it is.
Not the best of movies, certainly, but I imagine super scary at the time (and for more sensitive types even today), and undeniably impactful on horror as a genre. And the low budget worked in its favor; I think anything with more polish wouldn't have had the feel that this had, with all the dirt and sweat and grime. Poor Franklin, though, I felt bad for him the entire way through.
I dont think my ears would ever recover from that screaming
SAW IT ON THE BIG SCREEN.
Some American critic gave a 40-minute introduction to the movie, many left the theatre before the end, many hysterically laughed like the joker out of fear and two girls were sobbing their hearts out (borderline screaming) at the end credits.
It's amazing how a 50-year-old movie can still do this to people.
isnt this movie from '74?
Rated Connor 5, normal 6.4
A very good, atmospheric horror movie that leaves a lot of the gore implied. You can see how it lays the groundwork for future slasher films (particularly from the 80’s and 00’s), and aesthetically it probably inspired a ton of metal bands. It’s very well directed, and as an exercise in building tension I’d argue it’s absolutely fantastic. It feels low budget, but that only adds to the overall atmosphere. I also like this idea of the movie being a metaphor for the food chain, essentially illustrating how messed up nature, butchery and cannibalism are. However, that idea is spelled out a little too much in the first act, making some of the revelations in the third act more predictable. What holds me back from loving it is the fact that the characters are underwritten, and the acting is just okay. Still, it strikes that balance of being edgy without going overboard, which is a balance that most of the films this inspired didn’t hit. There’s a maturity and depth here that’s lacking in something like the Saw franchise.
7.5/10
Prime Video didn't have subtitles for this film so I'm just going to pretend I could understand 70% of the films dialog...
It's a classic so as a horror fan it's kind of a must-watch. It's not really scary and the murders that take place are fairly pathetic, I even found myself laughing at certain parts.
if you want a genuinely horrific movie I'd say find something else, but if you want a cheesy 70's horror movie to watch while passing the time I'd recommend it.
Generations will come and go and this movie will still remain scary af. It's the documentary feel to it.
This is classic horror. I have seen Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2006 but the original is scary. Although not gory or slick as the 2006 version is this version is raw and realistic in a sense….. very scary…. Great watch
Not to be confused with all its wacky sequels, "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" is one of the subtlest exploitation films I had the pleasure to watch so far. I expected it to be one of those classic splatter films with guts flying everywhere, but was surprised to find out that all the violence is only suggested and left to the viewer's imagination. All we get to see is the characters' reactions with hysterical closeups, disturbing sound effects, and confused camerawork. Even though the illusion sometimes gets spoiled by the unnatural acting and dialogues, the rough and gritty cinematography conveys a sense of rawness and reality that almost made everything look like a documentary. Even though I have a feeling that most of the film's beauty came out unintentionally, probably as a lucky consequence of its budget limitations, it aged reasonably well and still hasn't lost its unique atmosphere. It might not be enough for new viewers, but its impact on the slasher genre is undeniable.
An iconic, highly disturbing film that walks a fine line between parody and masterpiece
Such a simple premise, yet so effective.
I think that's my only complaint about this classic, is how minimal and straight-forward the film's story is. Now -- that's not to say that's a bad thing, 'cause it works enough for this. What many others have already commented is how The Texas Chain Saw Massacre very much goes for a documentary-style of filmmaking. It opens with a stock narrator telling us what's about to happen, as if implying to the viewers, that the events that are shown, really happened. The gritty and dark grainy photography Hooper shoots come off as archival footage, like this is actual footage of a real sequence of events. Also, what I noticed throughout, was the inclusion of rather unnecessary details in quite a few scenes. Why would we need to see someone get out of a car, go back inside the gas station to turn off the light and close the door, and then get back in the car? That's not important to the story. In most films, you'd cut that right out. But these small and left-in touches add to the documentary quality. This is something that newer Texas Chainsaw films are missing, as they go for a much more cinematic look, as opposed to this real-life cinematography. Going slightly off-topic, this is why James Cameron, for the 2012 restoration of Titanic, bumped up the aspect ratio of his film to 16:9 and color corrected the movie differently, to give his film about the Titanic a more television-like documentary facade. I bet most of you didn't even think about that.
But as for this beast of a movie, which spawned many sequels, video games, books, spin-off movies, Halloween Horror Nights mazes, and etc, what makes this gruesome feature so inciting? Why was it such a phenomenon and became possibly the most recognized horror icon in history? Some point at the "Based On A True Story" gimmick that the marketing team strategized, and while the movie is very loosely based on real serial killer, Ed Gein, most of the movie is fiction. I think the gruesome depiction of someone getting sliced up with a chainsaw, which hadn't really been seen on film before, was captivating and exciting for viewers. This is most likely why this extremely low-budgeted 16mm production went on to make over 35 million at the box office over the course of 8 years. Who wouldn't go see the one disgusting horror film you just gotta see? And Leatherface's costume is just so gross, but brilliant. A cannibal who wears his victims' faces as masks? Fucking grotesque, but amazing. Can I also just mention the bleak and fucked-up set design? Notice at the final dinner scene, the chair Sally's sitting in, the arm rests are literally just human arms. Awesome. Nowadays, the feature is a slight dated compared to some horror films, in terms of pacing and editing, but The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is just as engrossing and fast-paced as you can get. I did not feel the run-time at all in this, despite it's sometimes slow-pace and scenes that have no much going on. Just like Jaws, which came out a year later, the movie starts out slow, with an energetic group of friends just taking a ride through Texas, and the movie accelerates to an insane chase sequence, eventually the movie just turning into an absolute nightmare. The claustrophobic and up-close tight photography makes for some deeply disturbing imagery. What also helps this movie over some others is the pitch-black visuals at night. In most other productions, in order for the audience to see what's going on at night, the crew could be using a low-light camera to ever-so slight brighten up the night sequences just so you could see. In this film thought, the night scenes are quite literally pitch-fucking-black. You can't see shit in this, which is probably the most realistic and frightening lighting; not knowing where Leatherface is going to show up makes for an even more tense atmosphere. The final scene at the dinner table and subsequent chase at the end are two of my favorite scenes in horror history. Sickening stuff. If you haven't checked out the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre yet, please do, for Tobe Hooper and Gunnar Hansen.
Highly recommended viewing for this October!
R.I.P. Tobe Hooper and Gunnar Hansen.
This is one of those films that is interesting from the beginning until the end. I didn't get bored once while watching thid film. The film is scary, gory and a true classic in the horror genre. The sounds used in this film (especially the chainsaw) were great. This is definitely one of the greatest horror films of all time and definitely a film I would recommend.
A true classic - started it's own sub-genre of horror!
If you want a new face then leather face is the guy to go to. I love old classic horrors, they just don’t make them the same anymore.
THE masterclass in low-budget horror.
The first of it's kind, this is the movie all slasher movies should want to be. Although, if a movie came out now with as much screaming as this one, I don't think it would go over very well.
VERY (!) brutal and gory old school horror flick that doesn't let you get your breath. As opposed to the rumors, this is NOT based on a true story...
The movie that started the genre.
A group of friends on a road trip found a house in the middle of nowhere, it's the typical horror story that we all are already used to, but this is The classic horror film! It's disturbing and it's really scary!
The three psychos of the family are very creepy and their performances are very believable, they really can scare you!
Perfect atmosphere, perfect pacing, strong acting and all seemed very real. I have to admit that my favorite horror films are films like this one, films that can disturb you and shock you psychologically not just shock you because of the gore that's in them.
A true classic!
Review by VicenteBlockedParent2020-04-02T21:38:47Z— updated 2022-03-02T19:42:21Z
A true horror movie, the most disturbing slasher film for sure. Leatherface is scary as hell, the sounds he makes and the way he behaves is horrifying. The same goes to that psychopath family of his, goddamn, what a bunch of crazy people.
The low-budget helped the film in my opinion. The atmosphere created is amazing, everything looks dirty, stinky and rotten. Also, the feeling of some super hot and unpleasant weather is present. Well, it's Texas so that's expected I guess, nice job. The movie has kind of a documentary tone, grainy and yellowish cinematography that raises every aspect of what the filmmakers were trying to achieve. The violence is not that graphical as you could expected, but is so brutal and raw that makes it more realistic. Not every kill scene has blood flying to your face or a limb being ripped off but your brain is there to work for you and fill the gap of what the damage has caused (meat hook, that's right, uh, chills). Simple, but so effective.
The last 30 minutes of this movie are pure insanity (that dinner scene). Almost non stoppable screams, insane laughter and chainsaw sounds that will haunt you (or at least leave you with your ear buzzing).