[131] It was also voted the scariest movie of all time in a 2018 list by Consequence of Sound[132] and voted the best horror movie of all time in a 2018 list by Esquire. The most well known is Ed Gein, who stole bodies from the cemetery and used the skin and bones to make articles of clothing, furniture, masks and trophies. [156] She placed it in a lineage of violent films that depict women as weak and incapable of protecting themselves. [122] In a 2005 Total Film poll, it was selected as the greatest horror film of all time. The film was marketed as being based on true events to attract a wider a… The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was banned in several countries, and numerous theaters stopped showing the film in response to complaints about its violence. Each family member is their own character with their own feelings and their own personalities. [183], 1974 US horror film directed by Tobe Hooper, This article is about the 1974 film. [155] Another study, investigating gender-specific perceptions of slasher films, involved 30 male and 30 female university students. [166] After the retirement of BBFC Director James Ferman in 1999, the board passed the film uncut for theatrical and video distribution with an 18 certificate, almost 25 years after the original release. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a vile piece of sick crap…It is a film with literally nothing to recommend it: nothing but a hysterically paced slapdash, imbecile concoctions of cannibalism, voodoo, astrology, sundry hippie-esque cults, and unrelenting sadistic violence as extreme and hideous as a complete lack of imagination can possibly make it”. THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE is a film that will stay with you for life. It's Tobe Hooper's great directing that pelts the viewer with suspense. He is revealed to be alive when he sucks blood from a cut on Sally's finger. "[94] Critic Robin Wood found it one of the few horror films to possess "the authentic quality of nightmare". [19][21], Many of the cast members at the time were relatively unknown actors—Texans who had played roles in commercials, television, and stage shows, as well as performers whom Hooper knew personally, such as Allen Danziger and Jim Siedow. [127] In 2010, as well, The Guardian ranked it number 14 on its list of the top 25 horror films. There is a reason why this film is so respected among horror fans. He tries to hit her with a hammer, but he is too weak. [89], It has often been described as one of the scariest films of all time. It screened nationally in the United States as a Saturday afternoon matinée and its false marketing as a "true story" helped it attract a broad audience. Two siblings and three of their friends en route to visit their grandfather's grave in Texas fall victim to a family of cannibalistic psychopaths. The bad news is that the movie is most definitely based on a real-life murderer. (1974). They stumble upon a nearby house, and Kirk calls out for gas, entering through the unlocked door, while Pam waits outside. [90] Rex Reed called it the most terrifying film he had ever seen. 85 of 117 people found this review helpful. Sally Hardesty, her paraplegic brother Franklin, and their friends, Jerry, Kirk, and Pam visit the grave of the Hardestys' grandfather to investigate reports of vandalism and grave robbing. [150][153][154] The specific case of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre provides support for this argument: three men are killed in quick fashion, but one woman is brutally slaughtered—hung on a meathook—and the surviving woman endures physical and mental torture. The film follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. To get Texas Chainsaw Massacre items in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, you must purchase The Texas Chainsaw Massacre bundle from the store for 2,400 COD Points or roughly $20 USD. Its plot concerns a family of cannibals living in rural Texas, who abduct customers from their gas station. The limited budget forced Hooper to film for long hours seven days a week, so that he could finish as quickly as possible and reduce equipment rental costs. The cinematography is raw, and the violence is unflinching. A distributor apparently restored the offending material, and at least one theater presented the full version under an "R". [25] For her last call-back he requested that she wear short shorts, which proved to be the most comfortable of all the cast members' costumes. [8] Art director Robert A. Burns drove around the countryside and collected the remains of cattle and other animals in various stages of decomposition, with which he littered the floors of the house. [174] In the game, the player assumes the role of Leatherface and attempts to murder trespassers while avoiding obstacles such as fences and cow skulls. A ragtag group of Pennsylvanians barricade themselves in an old farmhouse to remain safe from a horde of flesh-eating ghouls that are ravaging the East Coast of the United States. A court judgment instructed Bryanston to pay the filmmakers $500,000 (about $2,600,000 inflation-adjusted), but by then the company had declared bankruptcy. Strangely, some even walked out of the theaters on the previews for this thing. [23] Teri McMinn was a student who worked with local theater companies, including the Dallas Theater Center. OK, here's the good news: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is technically fictional. [173], In 1982, shortly after The Texas Chain Saw Massacre established itself as a success on US home video, Wizard Video released a mass-market video game adaptation for the Atari 2600. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American slasher film directed by Tobe Hooper and written and co-produced by Hooper and Kim Henkel. [35] The house was not cooled, and there was little ventilation. [23] Henkel called McMinn to come in for a reading after he spotted her picture in the Austin American-Statesman. When they refuse to pay, he burns the photo, and slashes Franklin's left arm with a straight razor. Leatherface attacks the truck with his chainsaw, and, when the driver stops to help, he knocks Leatherface down with a pipe wrench, causing the chainsaw to cut his leg. [84], — Roger Ebert, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times[78], Critics later frequently praised both the film's aesthetic quality and its power. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre True Story. [140], Robin Wood characterizes Leatherface and his family as victims of industrial capitalism, their jobs as slaughterhouse workers having been rendered obsolete by technological advances. Along with its strange ties to the holiday season, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre also owes its existence to two real individuals. "[80] Patrick Taggart of the Austin American-Statesman hailed it as the most important horror film since George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968). Many people refuse to watch this movie in the first place because of what they've heard and because of the title. She attempts to flee, but Leatherface catches her and impales her on a meathook, making her watch as he butchers Kirk with a chainsaw. "[144], In Kim Newman's view, Hooper's presentation of the Sawyer family during the dinner scene parodies a typical American sitcom family: the gas station owner is the bread-winning father figure; the killer Leatherface is depicted as a bourgeois housewife; the hitchhiker acts as the rebellious teenager. [59], After its initial British release, including a one-year theatrical run in London,[60] The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was initially banned on the advice of British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) Secretary Stephen Murphy, and subsequently by his successor, James Ferman. [139] "If Psycho began an exploration of a new sense of absurdity in contemporary life, of the collapse of causality and the diseased underbelly of American Gothic", he writes, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre "carries this exploration to a logical conclusion, addressing many of the issues of Hitchcock's film while refusing comforting closure". Hooper produced the film for less than $140,000 ($700,000 adjusted for inflation)[3] and used a cast of relatively unknown actors drawn mainly from central Texas, where the film was shot. Hooper limited the quantity of onscreen gore in hopes of securing a PG rating, but the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rated it R. The film faced similar difficulties internationally. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. When a 12-year-old girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two priests to save her. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is one of the most important horror films of all time. [38] Burns's costume was so drenched with stage blood that it was "virtually solid" by the last day of shooting. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1), a film which strangely barely uses a chainsaw and prefers the use of a hammer, was banned in 1974 from cinemas in the UK. So they provide a good starting place for ambitious would-be filmmakers who can't get more conventional projects off the ground. [54][55][56] Instead, it was originally rated "X". "[112] Don Sumner called The Texas Chain Saw Massacre a classic that not only introduced a new villain to the horror pantheon but also influenced an entire generation of filmmakers. [52] Among independent films, it was overtaken in 1978 by John Carpenter's Halloween, which grossed $47 million.[53]. [81] Variety found the picture to be well-made, despite what it called the "heavy doses of gore". [78][79] Donald B. Berrigan of The Cincinnati Enquirer praised the lead performance of Burns: "Marilyn Burns, as Sally, deserves a special Academy Award for one of the most sustained and believable acting achievements in movie history. Gunnar Hansen did a great job of playing Leatherface, sculpting a faceless killer who slew not for fun but for survival. 1974's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was loosely inspired by a number of real-life events that caught the attention of Hooper. The hitchhiker recognizes Sally and taunts her. View production, box office, & company info. In 1976, it won the Special Jury Prize at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival in France. ; Tobe Hooper's original is still the best. One by one, they wander into the murderous clutches of Leatherface and Two siblings and three of their friends en route to visit their grandfather's grave in Texas fall victim to a family of cannibalistic psychopaths. Observing that it managed to be "horrifying without being a bloodbath (you'll see more gore in a Steven Seagal film)", Bruce Westbrook of the Houston Chronicle called it "a backwoods masterpiece of fear and loathing". The crew covered its walls with drops of animal blood obtained from a local slaughterhouse. [52] In 1976, it won the Special Jury Prize at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival in France. It is considered to be the first of the 1970s slasher films, and originated a great many of the clichés seen in countless later low-budget slashers. Leatherface and the hitchhiker bring down one of the desiccated bodies from upstairs, that of their Grandpa. "[104][105] According to Bill Nichols, it "achieves the force of authentic art, profoundly disturbing, intensely personal, yet at the same time far more than personal". Melody is a 25-year old San Francisco moneymaker who drags her younger teenage sister with her to Texas on a business trip, out of fear of leaving her alone in the city. The cinematography is raw, and the violence is unflinching. [31] Hansen later recalled, "It was 95, 100 degrees every day during filming. [36] The on-screen blood was real in some cases,[37] such as the scene in which Leatherface feeds "Grandpa". While briefly acknowledging the events of the preceding two sequels, its plot makes it a virtual remake of the 1974 original. For subsequent films, see, I definitely studied Gein ... but I also noticed a murder case in. [11] The idea of using a chainsaw as the murder weapon came to Hooper while he was in the hardware section of a busy store, contemplating how to speed his way through the crowd. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the hitchhiker, the proprietor, and Leatherface. [34] Most of the filming took place in the farmhouse, which was filled with furniture constructed from animal bones and a latex material used as upholstery to give the appearance of human skin. [141] He states that the picture "brings to focus a spirit of negativity ... that seems to lie not far below the surface of the modern collective consciousness". The driver flees, and Sally escapes in the back of a passing pickup truck as Leatherface maniacally flails his chainsaw in the air in anger and defeat. In the ensuing struggle, she breaks free, leaps through a window, and flees to the road. [164][165] The British Board of Film Classification had long since refused a certification for the uncut theatrical version and in 1984 they also refused to certify it for home video, amid a moral panic surrounding "video nasties". [35], The special effects were simple and limited by the budget. [61][62] While the British ban was in force the word "chainsaw" itself was barred from movie titles, forcing imitators to rename their films. Linda Gross of the Los Angeles Times called it "despicable" and described Henkel and Hooper as more concerned with creating a realistic atmosphere than with its "plastic script". [159] Nonetheless—citing its feverish camera moves, repeated bursts of light, and auditory pandemonium—Stommel asserts that it involves the audience primarily on a sensory rather than an intellectual level. Dark Sky Films' US 40th Anniversary Edition was nominated for Best DVD/BD Special Edition Release at the 2015 Saturn Awards. The film follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. Forget about the sequels and remakes etc. [64] The following year the BBFC passed The Texas Chain Saw Massacre for release with an 18 certificate (indicating that it should not be seen or purchased by a person under 18),[65] and it was broadcast a year later on Channel 4. [29] The small budget and concerns over high-cost equipment rentals meant the crew filmed seven days a week, up to 16 hours a day. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) original movie Imdb Five friends visiting their grandfather's house in the country are hunted and terrorized by a chain-saw wielding killer and his family of grave-robbing cannibals. [73][74][75] In Sweden, it would also symbolize a video nasty, a discussed topic at the time. After several minutes were cut, it was resubmitted to the MPAA and received an "R" rating. Years later Bozman stated, "We made a deal with the devil, [sigh], and I guess that, in a way, we got what we deserved. [19] Eventually the producers sued Bryanston for failing to pay them their full percentage of the box office profits. [23], Icelandic-American actor Gunnar Hansen was selected for the role of Leatherface. Afterwards, they decide to visit the old Hardesty family homestead. [93] It is a work of "cataclysmic terror", in the words of horror novelist Stephen King, who declared, "I would happily testify to its redeeming social merit in any court in the country. In the US, it was first released on videotape and CED in the early 1980s by Wizard Video and Vestron Video. He borrows Franklin's pocket knife and cuts himself, then takes a single Polaroid picture of Franklin, for which he demands money. [22][23][24] Involvement in the film propelled some of them into the motion picture industry. [23] The scene in which Leatherface kills Kirk with a chainsaw worried actor William Vail (Kirk). Directed by Tobe Hooper. [19], On August 28, 1974, Louis Peraino of Bryanston agreed to distribute the film worldwide, from which Bozman and Skaaren would receive $225,000 (about $1,200,000 inflation-adjusted) and 35% of the profits. Due to the film's violent content, Hooper struggled to find a distributor, but it was eventually acquired by Louis Perano of Bryanston Distributing Company. [95], Based on 61 reviews published since 2000, the review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes reports that 89% of critics gave it a positive review, with an average score of 8.11/10. With darkness falling, Sally and Franklin set out to find their friends. The spiritual sequel to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise takes place 47 years later. [87] In Hick Flicks: The Rise and Fall of Redneck Cinema, Scott Von Doviak commended its effective use of daylight shots, unusual among horror films, such as the sight of a corpse draped over a tombstone in the opening sequence. The ideas and iconography of, While the original theatrical release poster and many references to the film render its title as, CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (, List of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre characters, banned for periods in many other countries, Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, "Marilyn Burns dies at 65; starred in 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre, "The Texas chain saw massacre : prev. [129] It was also voted the scariest movie of all time in a 2017 list by Complex[130] and voted the best horror movie of all time in a 2017 list by Thrillist. The group forces him out of the van and drive on. 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