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Here’s my review of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00hey everyone it's me Bo back here on the film scene investigation channel in this
00:19video I'm going to be reviewing the controversial 1974 motion picture the
00:25Texas Chainsaw Massacre this is a movie that I watched many years ago and yeah
00:33always thought of it very fondly before we jump into the review if you haven't
00:41already please do consider subscribing your support is greatly appreciated so
00:46the Texas Chainsaw Massacre directed by the late Toby Hooper was this
00:54independently made 70s horror movie that really has become one of the ultimate
01:01cult classics in modern cinema produced for under 1 million dollars this film
01:09was Hooper's third feature as director the movie was released over 45 years ago and
01:17in that time has gained an enormous amount of popularity and spawned several sequels
01:24it's almost become a horror staple alongside the likes of Halloween and the
01:31Friday the 13th franchise now I first came across the Texas Chainsaw Massacre when
01:39it first appeared on DVD back in 2002 the film had been unfairly banned here in the
01:48UK for over 20 years before it got an official release at that time I heard
01:55about the film from my cousin Anthony but I've never seen the trailer or anything like
02:01that I mean don't forget this was pre-YouTube so pulling up videos on your
02:08phone was yeah just non-existent so yeah from what I heard I was intrigued and kind of
02:15unsure what to expect so the film followed a group of young adults as they traveled
02:22through rural Texas in search of a family grave eventually their van ran out of gas which led them to
02:32seek help from the locals in the area they stumbled upon an old run-down farmhouse in the
02:42middle of nowhere I remember watching it for the first time and just thinking to myself
02:49you know guys you really shouldn't go in there you know without being invited first it just seemed
02:57like the wrong idea but then again this group seemed to be massively naive chaos then ensued when the group
03:09discovered the house belonged to a family of cannibals which included the chainsaw-wielding maniac
03:14Leatherface played by actor Gunnar Hansen in his debut role the Leatherface character brought a whole new
03:24level of brutality to the big screen he was this towering man smeared in blood and wearing a mask made of human skin
03:35I mean just visually it was a really frightening look and aesthetic and just like other horror icons like Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger the Leatherface character has become a legendary figure in the world of horror
03:56So once Leatherface showed up the teens were systematically killed off until there was only one left that being Sally played by the late Marilyn Burns
04:09she soon found herself kidnapped by the family of cannibals and forcibly made to attend this macabre family dinner
04:20you know one of the most scariest aspects of this movie was the pure randomness of the whole disgusting situation
04:32the family never planned this you know they never set out to go on a killing spree and hunt down teenagers
04:42this group just found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time
04:49in the lead up to the murders Sally and the group showed this blind faith towards people they encountered during their road trip
05:00but this approach ultimately got them in serious danger
05:06I don't know I just think these days teenagers in that kind of situation wouldn't be so eager to pick up hitchhikers or to roam around people's property without them knowing
05:24but back in the 70s you know the early 70s especially it was a different time and people had different attitudes
05:34people back then were generally more trusting towards others
05:39so the random uncompromising terror that the group experienced definitely scared audiences stiff
05:47and made them second guess their trust in society
05:51let's take a moment to reflect on the actors that starred in the film
05:56many of the cast were relatively unknown some of whom Toby Hooper knew personally
06:03for many it was their big opportunity to break into the film industry
06:08you know these group of actors were hungry for success
06:12and that perseverance and determination definitely showed on screen
06:18while some actors did better than others
06:22I really felt that everyone was really trying hard to do their best work
06:27given the lack of experience on set it's actually quite surprising just how well things turned out
06:34not only was the Texas Chainsaw Massacre a gruelling horror to watch
06:39but the making of the movie was also very difficult
06:44the long shoot days the high humidity and the limited production budget all took their toll on the cast and crew
06:52the actors especially were at risk of severe dehydration which only made matters worse
07:01by all accounts it was one hell of a grind so massive respect to the cast and crew for continuing to work in such unbearable conditions
07:13while the whole cast were solid in their respective roles
07:18I did think that Marilyn Burns delivered a standout performance as Sally
07:24the lone survivor of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre
07:30throughout the movie we saw her character experience some truly terrible things
07:36but somehow some way she kept on fighting and eventually escaped
07:42while she survived it was clear she was emotionally and mentally broken
07:49that was very telling in the last moments of the movie
07:53when we saw Sally sitting in the back of a pickup truck completely covered in blood
07:58after escaping the clutches of Leatherface she began manically laughing to herself
08:05I must say it was very creepy to see Sally react the way she did
08:14I mean she had completely lost it
08:17she couldn't grasp the fact that she'd actually survived
08:22like it was all too much for her to handle
08:26I know some people call that survivor's guilt
08:29and yeah definitely seen that way
08:33really great work from the late Marilyn Burns who is very believable in her role
08:39as someone the audience could get behind and easily root for
08:45it's safe to say that the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is far from your average gory slasher
08:53there were ideas and themes inserted into the story
08:58you know that had real significance
09:01one aspect I don't see many people talk about
09:05would be the family's declined mental state
09:08and how they represented the continued decline of the American dream
09:14and nuclear family
09:16we meet this dysfunctional cannibalistic family isolated from the outside world
09:24but what you have to remember is they didn't start out that way
09:30the family were led into this madness due to the rising technological revolution
09:37here's a family that used to run a successful slaughterhouse
09:43they used to be happy but eventually got replaced by machines
09:48they had practically been left behind
09:53society seemed to have forgotten about them
09:58and they were left to rot
10:00and they did
10:01they did rot
10:02and they were left to their own devices
10:05and we see the results of that play out in this movie
10:10you know the hidden meaning behind the Texas Chainsaw Massacre
10:13was that the family's downfall was a symbolic acknowledgement
10:18of the death of the American spirit
10:21and the loss of traditional values
10:24the rapidly changing America that we saw post-World War II
10:30was always going to create new winners and new losers
10:33and this family were sadly caught up in the crossfire
10:38of course I'm not trying to condone cannibalism or anything like that
10:44but I'm just merely pointing out the deeper meaning behind the gory violence that we saw on screen
10:52given the limited budget Toby Hooper was working with
10:59credit to him and cinematographer Daniel Pearl
11:03who created some compelling imagery for the film
11:06there were some interesting camera angles and extreme close-ups that were used
11:13that made the film feel a lot more dynamic
11:17you know one of my favourite visuals of the whole entire film
11:22would be at the very end when Leatherface goes crazy
11:26after unsuccessfully catching Sally
11:30Leatherface was upset that Sally escaped
11:34and started manically waving his chainsaw around as the sun rose in the background
11:43the camera work was brilliantly executed as it closed in on Leatherface
11:48spinning around on the dusty road
11:51the framing was perfect and you know in a way it kind of captured the beauty and the horror in one single shot
11:59and I don't know whose exact idea it was I assume it was Toby Hooper's
12:04but the idea behind implementing the handheld camera movements
12:09just made the whole thing feel like a documentary
12:13yeah very simple but it just works so well
12:16and such a enthralling way to end your movie
12:21the score produced by Toby Hooper and musician Wayne Bell
12:26was extremely atmospheric and ominous
12:31there's no denying that it played a major factor in helping the movie create tension
12:37and more to the point
12:40it was used sparingly and just at the right times
12:45now a lot of horror movies these days and you know throughout the years
12:49have had this tendency to repeatedly use overly dramatic scale music
12:56I can't be dealing with that but with Detective's Chainsaw Massacre
13:01that wasn't the case
13:03we were presented with this bleak minimalist set design
13:10that complemented the ugliness the film showcased
13:14Toby Hooper made a massive contribution towards the film's music and whole aesthetic
13:22and massive credit to him
13:24to my knowledge
13:26unlike fellow horror director John Carpenter
13:30Hooper I don't believe had a musical background
13:34so the fact that he was so involved with the score
13:37yeah just very impressive all things considered
13:41and so dislikes for Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974
13:51my main dislike for the movie would be the slow pacing that we saw at the beginning
13:57now don't get me wrong I understand what Hooper was doing establishing the characters and their surroundings
14:07it's just I find myself re-watching the Texas Chainsaw Massacre
14:12and generally fast forwarding through the first 15 minutes
14:17yeah it's safe to say that it does take a while for things to get going
14:25it's only really when Leatherface shows up that the pace really picks up and everything starts to fall into place
14:36you know it's not really a huge issue and given this was a product of the 70s
14:44having movies start slow was kinda the norm back then
14:49I just think in retrospect
14:55Toby Hooper could have easily have removed maybe 5 to 10 minutes of footage from the beginning
15:03and had Leatherface appear much sooner
15:07and so ratings for Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974
15:13I'm going to be rating this movie a solid 8 out of 10
15:19you know the Texas Chainsaw Massacre was this pioneering horror that should be praised for its significance in 70s cinema
15:29the movie obliterated genre conventions and pushed boundaries to new levels not seen at the time
15:39the movie was this unsettling portrait of a depraved sadistic family
15:46that made you question whether families like theirs could actually exist in this world
15:52after repeat viewings of this movie it did get me thinking about the other victims that the family may have killed
16:02and separately to that would Sally ever be able to fully recover from her traumatic experience
16:10because not everything was explained
16:12and it made the viewer think deeper about the story and its aftermath
16:18which I really liked
16:20yeah I mean the Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a movie that I do come back to every few years
16:26it has this uniquely dark tone that very few films have been able to achieve
16:35I mean even the Texas Chainsaw Massacre sequels that came later
16:40were never really able to successfully capture the same vibe
16:44making this entry in the series a real standout
16:47now I'm sure a lot of you guys have seen this movie
16:50and if you have please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below
16:54does this movie deserve high praise?
16:56and for those who have not seen it definitely do so
17:01it's a high recommendation from me
17:04well that's all from me today guys in this video
17:08hope you have enjoyed it
17:09it has been really nice to reflect on this awesome slasher from the 70s
17:14I of course will be back next week with more cult movie reviews
17:17take care everyone and yeah
17:19bye bye
17:34bye bye
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