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After watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) and I can say that if what you are looking for is a cheesy, horrifying and raw 70's exploitation horror film, Texas Chainsaw is the one for you.
The opening is fantastic. The way it is constructed is masterful. But once the film actually starts, it's pretty boring. In fact, the first 25 minutes is boring. Nothing of interest happens, no interesting characters, no interesting plot points. Nothing. Just our main characters driving and talking. And during that 25 minutes is a scene featuring a hitchhiker that went on way too long, what felt like a 10 minute scene of a hitchhiker freaking out our main characters could of been cut down to 3 or 5 minutes.
But at the 25 minute mark, this film really starts moving. Little hints are dropped cluing the characters into what is going to happen beautifully. Not too on-the-nose but enough to make you nervous. And even though there are no characters that are interesting or relatable, that flaw is somewhat forgivable since Texas Chainsaw is more about the plot than characters. The violence in this movie blew my mind. Not because of how graphic it was, it was the fact that the film grossed me out and made me feel very uncomfortable despite not showing much on screen. That just shows how imagination is far scarier than what you see on screen, and Tobe Hooper does a fantastic job of that. In general, Tobe Hooper does a brilliant job. He is by far the best part of this movie. His documentary style filmmaking can be seen as amateur, but it improves the film because it makes it seem more real and unpredictable. He gives the film a sense of urgency and rawness. The bulk of the film flies past so quick it shocked me when the film was done.
The acting is okay. Not bad but not great. And as I said, this film is not a character piece. It is about a crazy guy chasing down people with a chainsaw. Great acting would be great but it's not needed. I must also praise the score. It's limited but it is so effective. There is a particular piece of score in the film that sends chills down my spine. My only other problem is that the 3rd act drags quite a bit and gets repetitive. But that flaw is minor.
Overall, this film is not one of the best films ever made. Not even one of the best horror films ever made. But it is one of the most effective and disturbing ones out there. To me, it wasn't very scary but it was something that is even harder to pull off. Horrifying. It is a true horror movie, a movie that disturbs you and makes you feel icky and nervous. If you don't like low-budget 70's horror, I can almost guarantee you will not like it. But I enjoyed it for it's simplicity, direction, music, cinematography, handling of the violence but most of all for it's fantastic ability to unnerve you and give you a sense of disgusting unease. But it is unfortunately let down by a 1st act that I struggled to get through, mediocre acting and characters and a slightly long 3rd act.
The opening is fantastic. The way it is constructed is masterful. But once the film actually starts, it's pretty boring. In fact, the first 25 minutes is boring. Nothing of interest happens, no interesting characters, no interesting plot points. Nothing. Just our main characters driving and talking. And during that 25 minutes is a scene featuring a hitchhiker that went on way too long, what felt like a 10 minute scene of a hitchhiker freaking out our main characters could of been cut down to 3 or 5 minutes.
But at the 25 minute mark, this film really starts moving. Little hints are dropped cluing the characters into what is going to happen beautifully. Not too on-the-nose but enough to make you nervous. And even though there are no characters that are interesting or relatable, that flaw is somewhat forgivable since Texas Chainsaw is more about the plot than characters. The violence in this movie blew my mind. Not because of how graphic it was, it was the fact that the film grossed me out and made me feel very uncomfortable despite not showing much on screen. That just shows how imagination is far scarier than what you see on screen, and Tobe Hooper does a fantastic job of that. In general, Tobe Hooper does a brilliant job. He is by far the best part of this movie. His documentary style filmmaking can be seen as amateur, but it improves the film because it makes it seem more real and unpredictable. He gives the film a sense of urgency and rawness. The bulk of the film flies past so quick it shocked me when the film was done.
The acting is okay. Not bad but not great. And as I said, this film is not a character piece. It is about a crazy guy chasing down people with a chainsaw. Great acting would be great but it's not needed. I must also praise the score. It's limited but it is so effective. There is a particular piece of score in the film that sends chills down my spine. My only other problem is that the 3rd act drags quite a bit and gets repetitive. But that flaw is minor.
Overall, this film is not one of the best films ever made. Not even one of the best horror films ever made. But it is one of the most effective and disturbing ones out there. To me, it wasn't very scary but it was something that is even harder to pull off. Horrifying. It is a true horror movie, a movie that disturbs you and makes you feel icky and nervous. If you don't like low-budget 70's horror, I can almost guarantee you will not like it. But I enjoyed it for it's simplicity, direction, music, cinematography, handling of the violence but most of all for it's fantastic ability to unnerve you and give you a sense of disgusting unease. But it is unfortunately let down by a 1st act that I struggled to get through, mediocre acting and characters and a slightly long 3rd act.