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Film Details:
Directed by Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist, The Mangler) Written by Starring Review: by Melissa (e-mail your faithful reviewer) Some 28 years after its first release, I finally saw the notorious Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It's a very interesting film, especially when being viewed in this post-Blair Witch Project era. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre succeeds because it deliberately blurs the line between fictional film and documentary. The blurring is nowhere near as complete as it is with Blair Witch, but Chainsaw's "true story" opening, documentary-like style, and no-name actors certainly evokes a gritty, realistic sort of horror. What is it about? Have you been living in a cave? Four teens stumble across a house in rural Texas. Said house includes one maniac with a chainsaw. One teenager becomes mincemeat. Rinse. Repeat. Is it gruesome? Yes, but not in ways that you might think. There's almost no blood shown during the entire movie. Acts of violence are usually implied rather than overtly seen. At one point, a character is placed on a meat hook, and it's one of the most squeamish moments I've had during movie watching in a long while -- yet you don't actually see anything. For a slasher flick, this film is remarkably subdued. Is it scary? It's pretty good, actually. In fact, it's leagues ahead of most slasher flicks. The pacing is compact, and the plot takes some good turns, so it keeps viewers on their toes. What I think works best about this movie, though, is its shoestring budget, which brings out some really interesting "improvisational" details. For instance, much of the blood seen on the movie screen is actually quite real -- the lead actress took quite the beating from running through underbrush and knife-wielding actors, so a lot of the cuts on her are really bleeding, and that gruelling experience comes out in her acting. This was a trend-setting film back in 1974, and I'm happy to see that it has withstood the test of time. If you have never seen it, make sure you have a look. It makes for great lights-out, jump-out-of-your-chair, 1 AM movie watching. DVD Details: Widescreen This film was shot on crappy 16 mm film stock almost 30 years ago, so it doesn't look so hot on DVD. However, I imagine it looks as good as it's ever going to look. Focus instead on the nifty extras. Further Information: |
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