The Texas Chains Saw Massacre (UE)
| release date | October 1 1974 |
| studio | Dark Sky Films |
| director | Tobe Hooper |
| writer | Tobe Hooper |
| starring | Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, Paul Partain, Gunnar Hansen, John Dugan |
| rating | R |
| tagline | Who will survive and what will be left of them? |
| site | thetexaschainsawmassacredvd.com |
| trailer 1 | Trailer #1 |
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‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ is THE watershed horror film. Everything from the documentary feel to the claustrophobia created inside the crazed family’s farmhouse, this film fires on all horrifying cylinders relentlessly until the credits roll. Director Tobe Hooper created a cinematic masterpiece, and Gunnar Hansen created a horror icon unmatched by any other actor to try and don the persona of Leatherface. This film makes all of the subsequent ‘Chainsaw’ movies pale and whither up in comparison. One of my favorite movies of all-time.
My favourite TCM film-while the 2nd & 3rd are very good,they are not a patch on this one in superiority. From the fantastic performances of Jim Siedow,Ed Neal,Paul Partain & Marilyn Burns to Gunnar’s stark portrayal of the dumb cannibalistic killer who you never quite know what he’s thinking or feeling-this is a pure horror masterpiece! It shows that a minimal budget does not mean minimal shocks. After all these years the buzz remains strong,severe & still has the capacity to send shivers through me. The sound score &luna/solar visuals are very intensely strong too. I am not easily impressed so Tobe Hooper must have done something right.
This movie is amazing. The 2nd is just… stupid. The 3rd is good. The Next Generation is also… stupid. This is one of the greatest movies ever made.
This was the best horror movie evr. do think halloween got more appreciation when this was much more terrifying. Leatherface is a relentless running killer you have to force urself to get vaway from. you csn judt jog away from michael myers. This is one of the best movies ever made. in my opinion the best classi there is.
The Best and still number 1 HORROR Film of All Time
This is it! The king of all horror movies. Why do I say that? Let’s take a closer look at this masterpiece. First off, there is absolutely no commercial value here, no target audience, no comic relief, and no happy ending. This movie had only one thing on it’s mind – scare the people who watch it as much as possible! It’s the kind of movie that says “I’m not going to pretty myself up for you – you’re going to have to deal with I’m showing you.” Add to that, there is hardly any gore in this very gritty flick. Most people swear there is but when you go back and watch it you will see that there isn’t that much. It’s atmosphere is so effective and ugly that it will make your mind see the worst case scenario. Plus it has the coolest title ever for a horror movie. Priceless.
Classic
One of the great classics.
Im probably one of the few people who actually enjoyed part 2 more than the original. and i also feel the remake is better than this one.
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ha i seen this when when i was 19 and i think it’s a masterpiece i love the creepy Cinematography!
I hate when people say halloween started the slasher genre when it didnt THIS and BLACK CHRISTMAS did it and more times better. I liked his movie alot but i dont know why i think the remake was more intense and scary(please no rude comments)but this was one was also that(but a bit less)and it had atmosphere, horror, leatherface for the first time, suspense, you care for the characters(except for the annoying guy in the wheelchair) and the ending is quite interesting so for the halloween fans am sorry to tell that your favorite is just a big copy-cat.
Great movie. Stark atmosphere and soundtrack (or lack thereof) really make the movie, in my opinion. Effective and brutal without relying on excessive or graphic gore. Deservedly classic.
I don’t think any single horror movie scene (and I’ve seen a lot of them), has disturbed me more than when he hung that chick on the meathook. Fuckin’ intense. I’ve seen a lot more violence and a lot more gore, but that really freaked me. Ditto all the other great reviews. Great movie.
What do the words “Crushing Disappointment” mean to you personally? Think about that one for a second. Certainly in your long list of disappointments, there is bound to be a new release film you saw that didn’t fit the awesome-amazing-godly vision you anticipated in your head. However, reading reviews of older films, I rarely see this term used. If someone dislikes an older film, they say something like: “It’s just the most overrated movie of all time.” But very rarely do I ever see anyone have the audacity to say an older film is completely worthless, then give an intelligent reasoning for their opinion, even if they were completely disappointed with the older film. Maybe this is because we as a society have some sort of ludicrous respect for older films, even when they don’t deserve it. Though I was not completely disappointed with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre–far from it–I will give intelligent reasoning as to why those blind-eyed by nostalgia need to realize this film has not aged in golden perfection. Also, I’ll try to help those who were completely disappointed with this film to understand why it isn’t total trash.
Because I lived in a semi-sheltered household, I didn’t grow up on horror movies. In my recent years, I count this as a blessing, because I can review films without any nostalgic bias whatsoever. Nostalgia is the problem with so many reviews I read of this movie. Someone who saw The Texas Chain Saw Mass cure at the age of 5 and went in their pants is going to grow up proclaiming to the masses that it is “THE scariest movie of all time!” While, in opposite, a 20-year-old man viewing the film for the first time is going to say that “Hostel was more terrifying than this cheesy crap!” because Hostel is more modern and he can relate to it more. It’s all a matter of perspective. Personally, I didn’t see anything scary about this movie whatsoever. I can, however, see how someone would think that. Just because something is old and was effective to an older audience does not mean it’s effective to a modern audience. If you want to live in absurd denial that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the scariest movie of all time, no exceptions, then may I ask who is being more immature: you, or the “kids” you claim no nothing about horror?
In the opposite spectrum, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is in the top 5 most important horror films of all time, like it or not. That isn’t an opinion. In its time, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was a purely original idea, and to this day there has never been a film like it. While some will argue that it’s far “inferior” to the “superior” remakes, they fail to see that the original was far more groundbreaking. The remakes strayed from the original plot and pumped it full of clichés. The original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre gave built a far more complete atmosphere and refused to explain any of the events that transpired in the film, except in the opening monologue. This is a far more original form of storytelling, and, to me, and most other people, is far more effective. It is inarguably more realistic.
But what The Texas Chain Saw Massacre doesn’t have is flawless production value. Compared to movies today, this is almost like watching an indie YouTube video. The production value has aged, and it’s important to understand that. Hooper’s directing is still very technical and well-done, but that just can’t blot out the deeply aged edge. For example, it’s very obvious that Hooper was trying to shoot for a PG-rating initially. The lack of on-screen gore is very annoying at times, because by today’s standards, it’s incredibly tame, even if it was on-screen. Also, the acting from the secondary characters is very unbelievable, even laughable, at points. I personally can appreciate all this lack of polish, because it’s far more unsealing than the clean-cut politically-correct remakes.
Overall, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre may not hold up to the blockbuster status, but it doesn’t have to. It wasn’t meant to. It was one of the first examples of pure, raw, anti-stylistic intensity captured on film. That’s what its legacy is built around. That’s why The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was so important in its time.
Like it or not, find it cheesy or unnerving, find it scary or laughable, you can’t deny that the film still has something that very few other movies–modern or not–don’t have. Intensity. Uncertainty. Confusion. Originality. Even if you find the film purely disappointing, can you name a whole lot of other horror movies that have these characteristics? I can count them on one hand. And The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the granddaddy of them all.
perfection in all its madness!!!
A good start in a good series. But i didnt care for the family in this one. The hitchhiker is too wierd and the i didnt care for the scene with grandpa. But im being picky. I like the warning in the beginning, gets you scared before you even watch it. Endings good too.
THE BEST
A Masterpiece, everything about the movie is perfect.
The Doc feel to it, great backdrop, tense atmosphere, and overall great sense of realism.
the greatest exploitation film ever made.
terryfing in its own little way.
second scariest film i have ever seen.
leatherface creeps the shit out of me.
the chainsaw gave me nightmares.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (controversial when it was first released) is one of the greatest movies ever made.
Classic horror movie.
Arguably the best title given to a horror film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the movie that broke the rules of horror in its time and succeeded greatly. Tobe Hooper is a genre mastermind. It surely won’t scare the modern audience as much as it scared its audience of the 70′s, but it’s a classic so watch it anyway. Just imagine your reading a history book about horror films.
I know people call Halloween as the most infuencial horror film of all time, but based on the horror films that I have seen, the premise of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is more used today than any other classic horror movie. The remake was pretty good, but after watching this, the remake felt unnecessary.
A classic, no it is not perfect and yes there are things I dont like about it but it went against the odds, pushed the envelope (remember and consider when this was made) and was original and ahead of its time…that is true horror ladies and gentlemen
The true definition of terror.This movie makes you want to take a shower after viewing it.It’s gritty,raw,unnerving,and realistic.Superior on every level.No matter how many remakes ,sequels,or prequels they cram down our throats ,will never touch this film.Masterpiece indeed!
Hands down..my favorite movie of all times def. #1 on my list…
gotta love this
This is 10x more scarier than the orignal Halloween.
Bizarre and brutal. Poster says it all
this movie is so real to me that everytime I watch it i’ll think about it a long time, I will never walk in someone’s house or even knock on a stranger door, this is the grandfather of all horror movies so I give this 5 skulls and to note on my other 2 previous reviews I rated them 4 skulls but after the review it posted only 2 skulls, I guess it’s messed up or i’m a dumbass one, now I see what i’ve done!!!
TRUE CLASSIC !!!! The Best Slasher Film there is by far. One of my All Time Favorites.
Classic Love This Film.
THEE Greatest horror film ever made, hands down. Creeps and crawls into your brain like a demented nightmare. Made me a horror addict – FO LIFE!
by far the best horror movie ever made in my opion. i still remember seeing it the first time @ a friends house in elementary school it scared the crap out of me and i thought it was real for years come. over the years i’ve watched it hundreds of times and will probably continue to do so b/c it never gets old watching such a great film!
a ridiculous film – an utter waste of time and power watching it.
I suggest you best be leaving this review up here – if I don’t like it, don’t you dare remove this review because I said so.
Grow some balls and let this film be shown up for what it is – a piece of trash – this is my review, so it still better be here when I look again.
Got it ? good.
A brillant Horror film you want to see trash go watch rob zombies Halloweens.
Classic 70′s indie masterpiece.
Classic.
Perhaps the first film of it’s kind. It is a classic, but I just couldn’t get INTO it the way that some other movies of it’s day allow. This, coupled with the near laughable Leatherface’s quick blow to the head with a hammer after opening a metal door on several of the victims, just lost it for me all together.
This is the most disturbing scary movie I’ve seen, that I’ve liked. I’ve seen plenty of disturbing and shocking flicks, but this one was actually really good and impressive.
A genuine scare. Man, this one’s hard to watch.
“The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” really does not need any explanation given to it. It’s classic horror and if you are a horror fan, you aren’t really a proper one if you haven’t seen this one yet. To be fair, it took me a fair long while to get my hands on it, I was waiting for it to come on the telly, but I got fed up of waiting and decided to just buy it to coincide with my “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2″ (which is completely different, but good in its own way.) The title may be eye-catching, but it has some incredible content to warrent that title.
“The Texas Chain saw Massacre” is just full of so many classic moments, from the hitch hiker scene to Kirk’s death, from the dinner scene to leatherface’s insane chainsaw ballet, it’s incredibly iconic. It’s also one of the very few films that has managed to scare me. Some people might laugh at it in places, but to me (and many others it seems) it’s just completely terrifying. “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” has this unique raw feeling, which seperates it from other films, because it doesn’t feel like a film, it feels real and almost documentary-like. It’s surreal insanity also makes for unsettling viewing because it feels like a nightmare. There’s a choking atmosphere of dread throughout, which probably shines through because the cast actually went crazy in that unbearable baking heat.
The lighting and cinematography are both impressive too. The final scene makes excellent use of the piercing morning sun, which gives this horrible edge to the images (a good kind of horrible) and the dinner scene is terrifyingly intense with the sharp sounds and close-ups of Marilyn’s eyes. The chainsaw chase sequence is probably one of my favourite scenes in horror movie history. It completely renders that horrific feeling of being chased by someone with a chainsaw. The lack of music in that scene also adds to its stark realism. This film is way ahead of its time.
Gunnar Hansen and the rest of the cannibal clan are also uncomfortable actors to watch. Gunnar’s movements are brutal and scary, as he sort of stomps around and moves in a very animalistic way unlike Michael Myers or Freddy Kruger who are both slight fellows. Leatherface is very scary villain. Grandad is also pretty disturbing with the unnatural make-up and abnormal behaviour. “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is also responsible for one of the most annoying characters in film history. Franklin. The wheelchair man. His high-pitched texan voice and irritating behaviour are both funny and annoying! But I think that he contributes to the film in a good way.
Sound is used effectively as well, with the ambient noises of the abattoir playing in the background, and the piercing stings to highlight the imagery being used. Everything from the sound of the chainsaw to Marilyn’s excellent vocal screaming all works perfectly to construct some realistic and scary footage! The ending is also beautifully done, and leaves you thinking, “what the hell have I just witnessed?”
Some might say “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” is slow to build-up but I disagree. There’s an atmospheric scene with the hitchiker and a brilliant build-up to the obscure events that follow. It’s a nightmarish and terrifying film that will always stay with you. It also seems to get better with every viewing, and acts as more of an experience than your average horror film. It’s genuinely scary and quite simply a classic. If you haven’t seen it yet, just go onto “Amazon” and click “Buy”. It’s worth your time.
I loved this movie because it’s so simple and realistic. You just believe more on this than in the “found-footage” movies.