Leatherface's Texas Chainsaw Massacre

I don't know why I jokingly tell my boyfriend to not take up an offer of BBQ from a very friendly gas station clerk. Of course, I tell him this jokingly, since we live in an over populated Californian suburb. Which, of course, no one is friendly enough to even offer.

I am awkwardly sitting in the middle of my college library trying to figure out what to say about this movie. I have never in my life wanted to watch Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but I did it and in the dark. The 1974 classic horror movie has changed my perspective on cannibalistic horror flicks, and these are the types of movies I crave for. Cannibalistic horror films are not only creepy, but they bring a new type of gore to the screen. A type of gore that I like to see more in modern movies. I am still unsure why no one has tried to make a horror universe, like Marvel or DC has done.

The 1974 classic starts off slow, and I mean really slow. The movie is only eighty-four minutes long, so with a mass most being a cliché group of teenagers losing each other in the middle of nowhere in Texas it kind of loses its attractiveness. It took almost thirty minutes to introduce Leatherface and his insane brother, whose name has currently lost me. Don't get me wrong, I am in love with the Friday the 13th films, and those are just jammed packed with cliché teenagers. It is hard to watch a classic horror film that doesn’t have this cliché. But, this movie had something that others had but not enough of it. I am talking about the gore. The practical effects that seems all too realistic. To me, that is what makes or breaks a horror movie. For someone who found Leatherface absolutely terrifying, I have found a place in my heart for the monster. Which is weird, because he still creeps me out. These movies brought me the satisfaction that only a handful of horror movies have, The Belko Experiment being one of them.

Since then, I have watched the second movie in the franchise. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 was just as chilling as the first. The movie was categorized as a Horror-Comedy, an odd choice since I found the movie to be purely horror with slight awkward humor. Other directors need to make horror movies like Tobe Hooper did. Not to mention the absolutely brilliant acting done by Gunnar Hansen, the star of the franchise, Leatherface.

With this being said, with the recent horror movies being released in the theaters, you never know how much gore or violence you are going to see. Like the Sinister films. They did not have the blood and guts that I wanted, but they had those chilling almost realistic films that the writer found in the attic. Texas Chainsaw Massacre brought that same realistic feel. I don't know why I waited so long to enjoy it. It was amazing, sent chills down my spine, and left me wanting to see more of the disgusting looking family. After rewatching the movie, I now have so many new ideas for horror films Hollywood needs to be making! Why aren't more violent films with Leatherface being made? We need to see more Leatherface adaptations, and thankfully there are so many great Texas Chainsaw films to watch. Not Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, because I have watched that and it sucked. If you want to watch a good cozy horror movie, Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one you and your friends need to watch.