IHR induction #2: "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974, Tobe Hooper)

Well, as if there aren't already enough thoughts on this film floating around the interwebz, here are some more.

First of all, I love the unintentional hilarity of reading Flixter's official plot summary of this movie: "Once abattoir workers, the decay of the Southern rural economy has left them unemployed..." Man, talk about missing the point of the movie. The thing that really strikes you about "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" is its complete and total lack of a coherent arc. There is no conventional story or character passages to speak of, no three-act structure, and no stereotypical victory of good over evil. This story just exists, and is merely there for the watcher to enjoy the ride. And while there's no doubt been literally hundreds of horror films to come along since its 1974 debut date that are gorier and more gruesome, this movie just has this crummy ability to CREEP you the fuck out.

My own brief, brief plot synopsis for the culturally challenged: A group of perfectly normal (well, with the exception of one) teenage kids head off across the very, very rural areas of Texas in search of one of the teens' grandfather's graves. And man, do they ever pick the wrong route. First picking up an incredibly creepy hitch-hiker, the kids eventually stumble upon the ultimate nightmare house and the secret of the beef jerky that they bought at a cruddy gas station.

One can't help but compare this movie to its 2003 remake. It tried - I won't fault Bay, Platinum Dunes and company for NOT putting their best foot forward. But this story is not one that can be repeated with all the slickness and production values of the Bay-produced machine. The story is far from a masterpiece, the special effects are far from polished, and the acting is far from refined...and that's just the way I like it. Director Hooper makes this crap look like somebody's home movie, and as an ungodly story of cannibalism, homemade meats, and some crazy guy who walks around with human skin covering his face unfolds, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" feels like something that just might be going on at this very moment...or likely in a nightmare starring you. The stuff happening on the screen may not be especially scary, but it certainly opens up your mind to conjure up things that ARE.

As for the villain himself, what makes Leatherface immortal is that the script paints him as someone who is totally at peace with what he's doing. Unlike Freddy, he doesn't deliberately pause or make grand gestures, as if he knows what he's doing is incredibly evil and/or badass. He just does them, and that just makes his actions that much more unsettling and disturbing.

I'll leave with these parting thoughts - I've heard more than a few acquaintances (and not just normal people, but fellow horror nerds) who berate this film as "overrated" and "cheesy." I believe that this is a film that you either respond to IMMEDIATELY and love, or you just don't get it at all. An online friend of mine once said that a lot of it depends on the viewer's age when you first see it, and how many horror films you've seen before it. I agree wholeheartedly. I myself was an impressionable 11-year-old when I first saw this movie, and was scared shitless not only by Leatherface but by Marilyn Burns' constant soul-wrenching screaming at the end. It's true - nobody screams quite like Marilyn Burns.