If you were not already aware, this is not a true story. Tobe Hooper purposely leads you to believe that it is. The closest thing to reality in this film is that Leatherface does some of the same things that real life killer Ed Gein (who inspired Psycho) did. That is all.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre follows a road trip of 5 friends: Sally and her wheelchair bound brother Franklin, her boyfriend Jerry, and 2 friends Pam and Kirk. They are going to Sally and Franklin’s grandfather’s grave, as it may have been vandalized and/or robbed. There has been quite a bit of that activity lately. During the trip they pick up a rather disturbing hitchhiker and end up having to ditch him. They pull into a gas station only to find out it has no gas, but is expecting a delivery later. They make it to an old family home and decide to hang out until they can go back for some gas. The events that follow are quite unnerving and horrific.
This film is truly a masterpiece from start to finish. Right from the start, you get the feeling that you are in for an unpleasant ride. Eerie music and images right away, John Larroquette’s disturbing narration and skeletal “art” all in the first 5 minutes of this thing really set the tone for the rest of it. It also has this grainy, kind of documentary look too it as well, as if to back up the claim that this is a true story, but it also sort of implants the idea that this is completely believable (which it actually is; nothing in it is the remote bit fantastical or implausible). I should at this point mention that I bought this on Blu-ray, which has been restored and remastered, but still has that grainy look intact, which is good. This film perfectly balances gore and suspense. Not too much of either one. I really cannot accurately describe the level of terror in this film without swearing: Fucking disturbing. Sally’s incessant screaming through the latter part of the film really intensifies the terror. Marilyn Burns was fantastic as Sally, almost forcing her fear through the screen. Leatherface, the one that wields the chain saw, does not fuck around either. He doesn’t lumber and mysteriously disappear for a few minutes, he chases you down. I also loved that you continuously hear the chain saw, even when off camera, and you can tell how close Leatherface is by how loud the chain saw is. I wouldn’t say the acting is horrible, but it is not the best. However, that fits in just right with the documentary feel of this film. And, can I just say that the end of this film is awesome. It doesn’t wrap a bunch of story up, it just stops where it stops. Other than mentioning that the deaths were quite gruesome, I do not wish to get in to who dies and how. I want you (if there is anyone left who hasn’t seen this yet) to watch them all unprepared. During one of the killings, I did clench my teeth scowl my face a bit as it was quite brutal. If you have not seen this, I urge you to.
Many people consider Tobe Hooper’s classic horror to be one of the best ever made. Wes Craven, Steven King just to name a couple. It has its obvious influence on films like Halloween and House of 1000 Corpses and many many others. Even today, it holds up as a violent, brutal, horrible and yet completely engrossing film.
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