The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) Review

 

After making sure one of their grandfathers’ graves wasn’t disturbed, a group of friends falls victim to a family of cooky Texan cannibals.

One of the biggest elements that makes this film such a classic is the overall tone and feel of the movie. It’s shot on such a low budget and has such a greedy, scrappy feel that it feels like you’re almost watching old family movies that went horribly wrong.

The group of friends may seem stereotypical by today's standards, but you can definitely see their influence on future character archetypes in slasher films. Interesting characters, our brother and sister Sally and Franklin Sally may seem stereotypical at first, but when things start getting wild, she really knows how to sell the fear and must’ve needed a lot of cough syrup to soothe her mouth after all that screaming. 😂

Franklin may come off as a bit loud and overly talkative to some people, but I feel kind of sympathetic for him, and I understand his loneliness, and he is the only character who seems to think something creepy is going on.

But let’s talk about the most iconic thing about this movie, Leatherface himself… I like this movie. He’s not a surgical slasher, like going around trying to get teenagers; he’s really just trying to get food ready for his family, and you can kind of feel his frustration and nervousness about lying to not upset his family… It’s an interesting take for a character who wears people’s skin as his own face; it’s just something you didn’t expect and adds an interesting wrinkle to him as a character.

For a movie with the title “Chainsaw Massacre,” there isn’t a whole lot of blood and gore for the film.

The rest of the cast is good and strong for unknowns; my favorites are the father-son team of “The Cook” and “The Hitchhiker.” They’re so authentically cooky and creepy, while also being kind of funny in a sitcom way. Plus, at the climax, when things are really going off the rails, their almost “Sanford and Son” banter adds an uncomfortable aftertaste to two already insane scenes.

I love the cinematography; I can’t think of another movie that captures the hot and sizzling feel of heat like this movie does.

I saw a behind-the-scenes documentary that they went to a local veterinarian and slaughterhouse to get the bones for all the crazy furniture and art pieces, and whoever put them together was really creative.

The soundtrack is very odd, but in an intentional way that really helps emphasize the craziness of the situation and the characters.

I quite enjoy the pacing; it had a good buildupand quite the explosive payoff.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a true “lightning in a bottle” film; it captures a true feeling of insanity and wildness unlike any other film, it has enjoyable heroes and fun and iconic villains, and it has an ending that will stand the test of time. I give the film five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. It works too well; there’s a reason I’ve never been to Texas… I mean, cannibals are one thing, but that heat—now that’s too much. 😂