The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - A Movie Review

You are going to have a disturbing day. Well, that doesn’t sound like a good horoscope.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre scared audiences when it was first released to theaters in 1974. Traveling along the roads of Texas, a group of friends encounters nightmarish cannibalistic events carried out by three psychotic people.

I have always told people when asked that I was never going to watch The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Little by little as I curiously started watching clips of scenes, I found myself watching this horrifying film. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre goes down in history as one of the most iconically disturbing horror films that was a greater nightmare to film aside from witness.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre feels so genuinely creepy that I truly believed I was viewing the events of an actual frightening murder story. Unknown actors were cast to create a genuine unknowing atmosphere for audiences. I applaud every actor in this film for conveying maniacal psychos and hysteria to the extreme.

Marilyn Burns, Allan Danziger, Paul A. Partain, William Vail, and Teri McMinn were great in their performances. Overall, I am not sure what to think about their characters. Most of them exist only to get killed in very gruesome murder sequences. Most of the late Burn’s performance was running, screaming, and reacting to the nightmare-inducing horrors. That was not easy.

Other than Burns, the only character that really stood out to me was Franklin (Partain). He is wheelchair-bound. His friends outcast him for his disability. Instead of making him a helpless character, I feel like he was given a positive influence. Part of me wonders what the film would have been like if he was the last remaining member of the group.

Leatherface has influenced horror villain history. He was downright terrifying wearing those creepy cannibalistic masks over his face. I have to give credit to the late Gunnar Hansen for the way he created his character. Deciding that Leatherface is mentally handicapped, Hansen spent his time with people who were mentally handicapped to create someone who audiences have a difficult time relating to him.

Honestly, I had mixed feelings for Leatherface. I never thought I would. The way I interpreted his character, Leatherface is misunderstood only going through with most actions because he was told to. That being said, he is downright terrifying in the climax of the film with his chainsaw.

Edwin Neal and Jim Siedow are downright maniacal in their sickening behavior. That very unpleasant dinner climax marked history in filming. Due to the immense hot Texas weather, filming reportedly went on for 24 hours. I wouldn’t blame the actors for going out of their minds.

Cinematography is a character of its own in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Aside from recording gorgeous location shots of Texas, the film displays images that nobody wants to see. The film does not want audiences to forget that these crazed people are cannibals who enjoy taxidermy. Sound incorporates gut-wrenching noises that make you want to hit the mute button.

The late Tobe Hooper succeeded in bringing one of the most frightening, nightmare-inducing, and sickening films to the big screen. Surprisingly, for its name, there is not much gore. Hooper made it that way so audiences would feel a sense of dread especially during the final twenty minutes of the film.

I’ll warn you, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is not for the faint of heart. Watch it with your own discretion. This movie rattles your skin. Even though I was expecting most parts because I watched various clips beforehand, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a very unsettling film.