Welcome back to Masterpieces of Horror Theatre. Let me first talk a little on the unexpected direction this took. I was already going to look at four Tobe Hopper films since at least last December. There were several reasons, including their relative infamy in his filmography. His tragic death a few weeks ago was unexpected in this regard. So, given my already set plans, I decided to make this look a tribute to the late director and his works. I will do the same to another director that died this year, and I was already planning on looking at some of his works. So, to begin this year off, let's look at The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
Texas Chainsaw was the brainchild of Tobe Hopper, a filmmaker working at the University of Texas at Austin. He had based on the concept on the sensationalist material that local San Antonio news had been reporting on at the time, the Ed Gein murders (notably also the inspiration for Psycho), and the general aftermath of the Watergate Scandal. He and associate Kim Hinkel wrote the script, and created "Vortex, inc." to produce the film. Hopper cast unknown local actors or friends (including a young John Larroquette to do the narration at the beginning). With a budget of around $60,000, the shoot was marked with difficulties, having to film in the hot Texas summer, and dealing with problems with the effects, which caused many of the actors literal pain (Edwin Neal stated filming was worse than his tour in Vietnam). When it was finally finished, the editing took an additional 80,000. The budget eventually came to $300,000. The film was distributed by Bryston Distribution, a New York based company with... shady connections. The film turned out to be a massive success, earning 10x it's initial budget. While received with mixed reviews initially, it has come to be seen as one of the scariest horror films ever made, and started off a franchise that continues to this day (with Leatherface to be released in late October this year, and no, I will not be covering it).
The film opens with a text crawl stating that it is based on a true story (it isn't), before showing two propped up corpses being photographed while news coverage blares out, discussing a grave robber in the area. Five friends, Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns), her paraplegic brother Franklin (Paul A. Pertain), Jerry (Allan Danzinger), Pam (Teri McMinn), and Kirk (William Vail) are traveling to the grave of Sally grandfather to ensure that his grave wasn't disturbed. They continue on to the old Hardesty homestead, when they pick up a hitchhiker(Edwin Neal) near an old slaughterhouse. The hitchhiker acts very strangely, graphically recalling the process by which cows were killed, and cutting himself. The hitchhiker than cuts Franklin, prompting his ejection from the car. They try to stop for gas afterwards, but the attendant (Jim Siedow) states that there won't be gas until morning. They decide to stay at the homestead until the gas comes. Jerry and Pam head out in search of a water hole Franklin told them about, and comes across a home with a generator. When Jerry tries to get ahold of the resident, he finds a strange assortment of cow and human skulls on the wall. When he tries to get a closer look, the resident, Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) kills him. Pam goes inside as well, and finds the bone motif extends to the furniture. Leatherface kills her as well. The remaining friends soon find themselves at the mercy of Leatherface, and find there are more horror to this strange Texas backdrop than meets the eye.
This film is about violence. It is about how deeply ingrained violence is in American culture, without us realizing. From the background news broadcasts in some scenes to the depictions of slaughterhouse killings, the film connects the violence promoted by the media and the actions of Leatherface. It asks if these murders are entirely surprising, given this climate. The violence in this film isn't actually that graphic (more implied than anything else), because the film is more about the culture surrounding it. It helps that the setting is isolated and barran. The kind of place that you might see on a road trip, but never stop at. It underscores how ingrained this sort of violence is, even without the media. The setting also provides an almost dreamlike reality, warped and distant, which only increases the terror of the situation. What also makes this film effective in its horror is Leatherface. The sheer terror of his killings is offset by his childlike demeanor. It seems that he isn't entirely cognizant of his actions, which makes him scarier. He is like a more proactive Norman Bates. The acting is solid the whole way through, and the twist is probably the worst kind (I mean that in a good way)
It's short. Only an hour and 23 minutes. While it gets the most effective scares out of that time, it feels like more could've been put in. The ending feels rushed. It's harrowing, sure, but it feels abrupt. The final dispatch of Leatherface feels like a letdown. I was expecting something more memorable than what actually happens. There are a couple of moments I felt needed a little more explanation.
I can say that I can agree with most: this is one of the great horror films. You can see how it changed the genre, made a more visceral experience than most were used to. It also is an interesting film in itself, exploring how violence and culture are intertwined. If you like horror, this will not disappoint, but it is also an interesting cultural touchstone of the 1970's. It is rarely brought up as one of those social commentary films of that era, which is a shame, because its themes have a sort of resonance even to this day.
Next time we jump forward to the mid-80's as we look at Tobe Hopper's space epic Lifeforce.
Texas Chainsaw was the brainchild of Tobe Hopper, a filmmaker working at the University of Texas at Austin. He had based on the concept on the sensationalist material that local San Antonio news had been reporting on at the time, the Ed Gein murders (notably also the inspiration for Psycho), and the general aftermath of the Watergate Scandal. He and associate Kim Hinkel wrote the script, and created "Vortex, inc." to produce the film. Hopper cast unknown local actors or friends (including a young John Larroquette to do the narration at the beginning). With a budget of around $60,000, the shoot was marked with difficulties, having to film in the hot Texas summer, and dealing with problems with the effects, which caused many of the actors literal pain (Edwin Neal stated filming was worse than his tour in Vietnam). When it was finally finished, the editing took an additional 80,000. The budget eventually came to $300,000. The film was distributed by Bryston Distribution, a New York based company with... shady connections. The film turned out to be a massive success, earning 10x it's initial budget. While received with mixed reviews initially, it has come to be seen as one of the scariest horror films ever made, and started off a franchise that continues to this day (with Leatherface to be released in late October this year, and no, I will not be covering it).
The film opens with a text crawl stating that it is based on a true story (it isn't), before showing two propped up corpses being photographed while news coverage blares out, discussing a grave robber in the area. Five friends, Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns), her paraplegic brother Franklin (Paul A. Pertain), Jerry (Allan Danzinger), Pam (Teri McMinn), and Kirk (William Vail) are traveling to the grave of Sally grandfather to ensure that his grave wasn't disturbed. They continue on to the old Hardesty homestead, when they pick up a hitchhiker(Edwin Neal) near an old slaughterhouse. The hitchhiker acts very strangely, graphically recalling the process by which cows were killed, and cutting himself. The hitchhiker than cuts Franklin, prompting his ejection from the car. They try to stop for gas afterwards, but the attendant (Jim Siedow) states that there won't be gas until morning. They decide to stay at the homestead until the gas comes. Jerry and Pam head out in search of a water hole Franklin told them about, and comes across a home with a generator. When Jerry tries to get ahold of the resident, he finds a strange assortment of cow and human skulls on the wall. When he tries to get a closer look, the resident, Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) kills him. Pam goes inside as well, and finds the bone motif extends to the furniture. Leatherface kills her as well. The remaining friends soon find themselves at the mercy of Leatherface, and find there are more horror to this strange Texas backdrop than meets the eye.
This film is about violence. It is about how deeply ingrained violence is in American culture, without us realizing. From the background news broadcasts in some scenes to the depictions of slaughterhouse killings, the film connects the violence promoted by the media and the actions of Leatherface. It asks if these murders are entirely surprising, given this climate. The violence in this film isn't actually that graphic (more implied than anything else), because the film is more about the culture surrounding it. It helps that the setting is isolated and barran. The kind of place that you might see on a road trip, but never stop at. It underscores how ingrained this sort of violence is, even without the media. The setting also provides an almost dreamlike reality, warped and distant, which only increases the terror of the situation. What also makes this film effective in its horror is Leatherface. The sheer terror of his killings is offset by his childlike demeanor. It seems that he isn't entirely cognizant of his actions, which makes him scarier. He is like a more proactive Norman Bates. The acting is solid the whole way through, and the twist is probably the worst kind (I mean that in a good way)
It's short. Only an hour and 23 minutes. While it gets the most effective scares out of that time, it feels like more could've been put in. The ending feels rushed. It's harrowing, sure, but it feels abrupt. The final dispatch of Leatherface feels like a letdown. I was expecting something more memorable than what actually happens. There are a couple of moments I felt needed a little more explanation.
I can say that I can agree with most: this is one of the great horror films. You can see how it changed the genre, made a more visceral experience than most were used to. It also is an interesting film in itself, exploring how violence and culture are intertwined. If you like horror, this will not disappoint, but it is also an interesting cultural touchstone of the 1970's. It is rarely brought up as one of those social commentary films of that era, which is a shame, because its themes have a sort of resonance even to this day.
Next time we jump forward to the mid-80's as we look at Tobe Hopper's space epic Lifeforce.
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