This is where the modern slasher was born, the 1974 original Texas Chainsaw Massacre directed by Tobe Hooper.  This movie predated Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm’s Street, and Halloween. You will never see a grittier film from the era that this genre has to offer.

I will keep the plot synopsis short, since I imagine most of you are familiar with the basic story elements at the very least. Five youths are on a road trip to visit an old farm house where their friend grew up. Along the way they start to encounter quite a strange mix of people. The killer from the movie, “Leatherface” (played by Gunnar Hansen) is only loosely based on habits from the very strange psychotic Ed Gein.

The film has the old fashioned tension that keeps one on the brink of utter discomfort throughout the last hour of the film. Just when you think that the situation could not get any worse for the group of “survivors,” – they seem to find themselves in a more awful dilemma. I found myself tempted to look away from the screen during some of the sicker moments, but the film draws you in and does not let go until the credits roll. I compare it to that inherent instinct every human has to look at the scene of an accident as they drive by. This is not to say that the cringe inducing moments are gory, there are absolutely no “buckets of blood” techniques used in this movie, so do not think I am referring to the common “torture porn” trend that is consuming the modern horror genre. Rather, the disturbing moments in this film are more cerebral in nature and do not rely on gross-out, in-your-face gore.

The cinematography is incredible and refreshing when compared to the current methods of shooting a horror film. There are no quick, nauseating cuts (which I like to refer to as “meth-editing”) that distract from the story or scenery. The camera work is very simple, but effective in its own right. In fact, the last reel of the movie is one of the greatest parting shots in the history of cinema; it will forever be ingrained in my memory as it is truly haunting.

The development of the movie has some interesting facts that I would like to mention:

• Tobe Hooper claims to have generated the idea of this film while being stuck in a crowded hardware store. When looking for a way out, he spotted a chainsaw.
• John Dugan who portrayed the grandfather, was so displeased with the makeup process first time around that he refused to ever go through it again meaning that all of the scenes involving him (the lengthy dinner scene) were completed in one shooting schedule. They filmed for 36 hours straight to accomplish this task.
• The dinner scene involving the character Sally (played by Marilyn Burns) called for her finger to be cut until it bled. Her finger was actually cut because they could not get the tube to spill the fake blood.
• The film was so low budget that they only had enough money for one shirt for the Leatherface outfit. It had been dyed and could not be washed which Gunnar Hansen wore for the entire four week shoot. Crew was stated as saying that nobody would eat lunch with him towards the end of filming.
• $60,000 budget
• John Larroquette provided his voice for the opening narration. His payment was a marijuana joint.

I recommend this film to not only horror fans, but cinema lovers in general. I understand that many people may have only seen the 2003 remake directed by Marcus Nispel and produced by Michael Bay. I am still surprised by the similarities the remake has with the the version from 1974. Nispel did not go out of his way to change too much from Hooper’s version. However, the remake is very stylized and contains a large portion of “meth-editing.” If you are looking for some extraordinary scares as well as some insight into how to make a terrifying feature, look no further than the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Have a better one!

-Deckard