“The sound of a chainsaw can be spine tingling….the power of a chainsaw can be spine splitting!”

A simple drive through a rural area of Texas leads to a horrific nightmare for all those involved in the iconic horror classic, 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.   Written and directed by Tobe Hooper (Eaten Alive, Poltergeist) and co-written by Kim Henkel, the film is considered by many to be the “pioneer” of what has become known as the “slasher” genre of horror.  Not only is the film terrifying, but it is widely known to be one of the toughest movies to be filmed.  Shot with a low budget and filmed in the relentless heat of the Texas summer, the actors had to endure grueling conditions during the six week filming period.  Being a Texas native myself, I can totally empathize with the cast on that one!

THE PLOT

The story follows young Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) and her wheelchair-bound brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain) as they travel to a recently vandalized rural cemetery where their grandfather is buried, out of concern that his gravesite has been vandalized as well.  Accompanied by Sally’s boyfriend Jerry (Allen Danziger), her best friend Pam (Teri McMinn), and Pam’s boyfriend Kirk (William Vail), the group has no idea of the horror that’s in store for them.  After discovering that the grave is untouched, the group decides that since they’re in the area, they’ll check out Sally and Franklin’s old family home, which is now abandoned.

Along the way, they notice a strange looking man trying to thumb a ride.  Although reluctant, they decide to pick him up out of sympathy due to the terrible heat outside.  What follows is a very strange and chaotic scene that ends with the group quickly giving him the boot.  As they stop for gas and food a little way down the road, they discover that the weird hitchhiker (Edwin Neal) has somewhat “marked” the van.  While they have stopped, they meet the shop owner (Jim Siedow) and are warned that they shouldn’t be messing around that area, being that they are strangers in a not so friendly place.  When they finally arrive at the old home, little do they know that in a nearby farmhouse lies a dark and evil secret guarded by the deranged chainsaw wielding maniac, Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen)!  An innocent drive soon turns into a rollercoaster of tension and terror, with fear and a fight for survival being taken to a whole new level.

SHOULD YOU SEE IT?

Loosely based on the real life story of Ed Gein, the notorious Wisconsin murderer, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a classic and pretty terrifying movie.  Relying on gritty camerawork, shocking imagery, very believable acting from the cast, and almost no gore, it still stands today as one of the most iconic horror movies of all time.  Labeled as the 2^nd scariest film ever made (The Exorcist – 1^st) by Entertainment Weekly, it really tests the viewing audience’s nerves and fear tolerance.  Being a Texan myself, and one who was definitely affected by the film, I’ll always feel a little uneasy by the sound of a chainsaw firing up!