Post by lazario on Jul 11, 2008 13:33:10 GMT -5
Some idiots may have expected it to be like Saw and that's why they liked the '03 remake (dumb 2 year olds!), or expected it to be bloodier like Friday the 13th. Or expected limbs to go flying and big rooms of people to be vivisected and splattered all over the wall... And therefore, they weren't impressed.
Well, fuck them.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is about tension and oppression and insanity. Therefore, if it works on those levels, it's done its' job as much as it ever needed to. But wait! It actually does a lot more than just that. One look at the film by an intelligent person who knows their horror, shows just how much detail was put into the film. This is a visionary horror film with more than just scares in mind.
Because everyone knows - you can't scare everyone. Different things scare different people. The only things that transcend into universal fear are the destruction of society, the diminishment of hope, and... having to run hard for your frickin' life!
And The Texas Chainsaw Massacre works overtime to do all of those things. Using a fairly documentary-like style (akin to Wes Craven's brilliant, shocking, and hard to sit-through 1972 classic: The Last House on the Left) to highlight the film's realistic quality, and show us up, close, and personal a group of people trapped in a van for hours on a swelteringly hot day, driving themselves to their worst nightmare, unwittingly arriving at hell.
This film was made in an era where low budget horror had to use intelligence for its' survival. It wasn't part of an industry. It wasn't made with the promise of direct-to-DVD, or even of a big spread or glowing review in Fangoria magazine. This was the era of - get your movie seen in grindhouse theaters or get AIP to buy it, or it's dead. The Village Voice couldn't help you. There was no "2-Thumbs Up" from Siskel & Ebert. There was no Miramax. No Anchor Bay. No Ain't-It-Cool News, or Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In, or Arrow In the Head, or Mutant Reviewers from Hell. Nobody cared what Stephen King or Clive Barker had to say. And whatever conventions there were? Probably still catered to the monster-movie fans / lovers of the Universal classics, William Castle, Val Letwon, and Hammer Studios.
So, what happened to the Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Well, drive-in theaters would play anything, whether it was tested in mainstream theaters (like The Exorcist) or not. So, this movie has to make some money back. Well, it blew the minds of so many people, New Line Cinema (then-known for their release of John Waters' movies, Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble) picked it up and put it out again, in real theaters.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Here are just A FEW of the reviews of the film:
Roger Ebert - "a real Grand Guignol of a movie", "it's well-made, well-acted, and all too effective", "simply an exercise in terror", "is scary and unpalatable. But the movie is good technically with its special effects, and we have to give it grudging admiration on that level", "bizarrely effective performances", "(is) really a lot better than the genre requires"
Leonard Maltin - "3 (out of 4) stars"
Slant Magazine, Eric Henderson - "4 (out of 4) stars" "uniquely unsettling", "absolutely perverted", "anarchic, cynical hysteria—it's bizarre and dark-as-hell gallows humor", "maintains a level of miasmic, grimy funk that is just about unparalleled in horror cinema", "impressive", "the film fully earns him (director Tobe Hooper) a place alongside the greatest malaise-shredding horror mavericks"
Philadelphia City Paper - "if you haven't seen it in a while, here's a reminder: It's really f***ing scary" "the gritty physicality of Texas Chainsaw is all too terrifyingly real", "it's a chilling portrait of a nation with nowhere to hide, where selfish hippies are preyed upon by maniac rednecks in a world devoid of order. Hysterical, excessive and, oh yes, a masterpiece"
The Austin Chronicle, Mike Emery - "still packs a punch with its rough look and disturbing overtones", "(a) twisted foray into the heart of the Lone Star State. Here, what was perceived as the most stable of institutions, the American family, is the beast. With that, it's no coincidence that the scariest scene in the film takes place at a dinner table" "horrid yet engrossing"
DVD Verdict, Patrick Naugle - "One of the most horrifying films of all time, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has gone from 16mm independent film to full-blown horror classic. Tobe Hooper's nightmarish vision from 1974 is a grim and unsettling tale that paved the way for such indie fare as Halloween and Re-Animator", "it relies upon atmosphere and timing to implement the scares, thoroughly engrossing the audience in a world more terrifying than they can possibly imagine", "realistic", "this is a very good horror film filled with images of terror that will make you stare at the ceiling in the dark just before you fall asleep"
The Video Graveyard - "4 (out of 4) stars", "a stylish (and pretty nifty) little film. Truly a classic"
The Cavalcade of Schlock, Brian J. Wright - "this is one creepy skin-crawler of a movie", "shocking and horrifying", "It's all stark and ugly and unrelenting, just a pure assault of terror terror and more terror, certainly living up to the wonderful tagline, "Who will survive and what will be left of them?", "loaded with a lot of excellence and style, guaranteed to haunt you for quite some time. If you haven't seen it yet, where have you been?"
Zombie Keeper - "3 and a half (out of 4)" "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the fore-fathers of the slasher genre. I truly believe if this movie wasn't made, we might not have seen movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, or Friday the 13th", "if you're at all a fan of horror, and I suspect you are or you wouldn't be reading this, go rent or buy this movie. Trust me, it won't disappoint."
SF, Fantasy, and Horror - "4 (out of 5) stars" "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre redefined horror by stripping it of all classical motive", "has the jagged ripped-open edge of a bad acid trip", "Tobe Hooper seems almost to have set out to wear down one's nerves from the outset"
The Terror Trap - "Has there ever been a movie with a more terrifying title than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Those four words can send chills up your spine" "relies on suspense and an unrelenting claustrophobia that doesn't let up", "(a) chilling score", "(an) excellent cast", "What a movie! The years have not diminished the power of this one and I would not dare to watch this alone. It's a tangible horror (film)", "it leaves you breathless!", "it makes for great nightmares!"
Horror DVD's - "Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a masterpiece. It's an unrelenting terrifying no holds barred film that relies more on setting and atmosphere than over the top gore", "a rollercoaster of horror each scene more horrific than the next", "The tension that builds during the film is excellent and really drives the film", "It's a highly effective and relentless horror film that is very unique and at times disturbing"