The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
The original movie poster
Directed by	Tobe Hooper
Produced by	Tobe Hooper Lou Peraino
Written by	Kim Henkel Tobe Hooper
Starring	Marilyn Burns Gunnar Hansen Edwin Neal Allen Danzinger Paul A. Partain Jim Siedow Teri McMinn
Music by	Wayne Bell Tobe Hooper
Distributed by	Bryanston Distributing Company New Line Cinema (1983 Re-release) Blue Dolphin
Release date(s)	October 1, 1974
Running time	83 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$83,532 (estimated)
Gross revenue	$36,000,000 (US Box Office)
Followed by	The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film written, directed and produced by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel. The film features Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Edwin Neal and Paul A. Partain. The plot revolves primarily around a group of friends who embark on a road trip in rural Texas, only to fall victim to an inbred family of cannibalistic men, including the chainsaw wielding Leatherface. Hooper produced the film on a relatively small budget of $125,000^[1] and grossed $36 million at the box office in the United States — making it one of the most profitable independent films in cinema history.^[2] The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was strongly criticized at the time of its release for its graphic content by critics which lead to the film being banned by various countries. Although, first time viewers of the film may be surprised that the film contains little graphic violence or gore. While it is not the first of its specific genre, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre influenced subsequent films in the sub-genre. The film has since spawned four sequels, and a remake.

Plot

Bickering siblings Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) and wheelchair-bound Franklin (Paul A. Partain) visit their grandfather's grave in a cemetery in rural Texas with their companions, Sally's boyfriend Jerry (Allen Danziger), his friend Kirk (William Vail), and Kirk's girlfriend Pam (Teri McMinn) after hearing that the graveyard has been vandalized and corpses have been constructed into figures. While driving to the Hardesty's now deserted former house they encounter a skinny, mechanical-looking, heat-struck, crazy hitchhiker. However, after he torments them and threatens Franklin with violence they kick him out of the van.

The Hitchhiker slashing his hand.

Running low on gas, the group pull over at a Gulf filling station/barbecue, where the strange looking owner says that they won't have any fuel until later that afternoon. Upon learning where the teens are going, the owner advises them against going there. The group finally arrives at the Hardesty farm. Following Franklin's directions to a childhood swimming hole, Kirk and Pam set off to find it while the others stay at the old house. Finding the swimming hole dried up, Kirk and Pam hear the sound of a gas-powered generator which attracts them to a farmhouse nearby. While there they encounter a camouflaged junkyard of vehicles and finally discover the house. Kirk investigates to inquire about buying gasoline and is eventually attacked by a huge man, named Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) with a sledgehammer while Pam is outside. Pam then enters searching for Kirk, but also falls prey to Leatherface, and is hung onto a meat hook. As night approaches, Sally, Franklin and Jerry become restless waiting, so Jerry searches for Pam and Kirk. He also becomes one of Leatherface's victims. As night falls, Leatherface, aware that there are more people around, searches for the remaining group while Sally and Franklin search for the house. Their cries attract Leatherface, who bursts upon them and he instantly attacks Franklin with a chainsaw, repeatedly driving it through his body. Sally flees through a forest, cutting herself on branches before finding the house. She enters it, but leaves upon discovering that it belongs to Leatherface. With the maniac relentlessly pursuing her, Sally runs all the way back to the gas station. On arrival, Leatherface apparently disappears while she appeals to the gas station owner for help. Instead, he attacks her with a broom, throws a burlap sack over her and bundles her into his truck. This character, known only as the "Old Man," is now revealed to be Leatherface's eldest brother. He takes her straight back to the farmhouse, reaching the driveway at the same time as the hitchhiker, who is also Leatherface's older brother. Sally is taken into the house and tied to a chair. When they remove the sack, she and the hitchhiker recognise each other, and he immediately taunts her. He and Leatherface then bring down the withered figure of "Grandpa" (John Dugan) from the upstairs bedroom, slicing open Sally's finger so he can suck the blood from it — she then passes out. She awakens to find herself in a horrific dinner scene where the true extents of their insanity are revealed with their banter. The hitchhiker repeatedly exclaims that the Old Man is just the "cook," and that he and Leatherface handle all the killing. The scene culminates with the family trying to get Grandpa to kill her with the sledge, after claiming that he was the best killer in the world at one point. The grandfather repeatedly drops the hammer yet still manages to give Sally a head wound with assistance from Leatherface. A family argument erupts that gives Sally the opportunity to escape by jumping out the window. As dawn approaches, Sally flees the house and attempts to escape onto the highway. The knife-wielding hitchhiker and the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface give chase. Just as the hitchhiker reaches her and begins slashing at Sally, an eighteen wheeler truck suddenly appears and accidentally runs him down. The truck driver stops and gets out, only to be confronted by Sally being chased at close quarters by Leatherface. As she and the driver climb into the truck, Leatherface attacks the vehicle with the chainsaw. Escaping through the other side of the cab, the driver throws a large wrench at Leatherface which catches him in the head, knocking him down and causing him to cut his right leg. The truck driver flees down the road. As Leatherface rises to his feet and limps after Sally, a pickup truck arrives on the scene. Sally manages to hop in the back of the truck, leaving the film to finish with a shot of Leatherface in the middle of the road, wielding the chainsaw in a psychotic dance of frustration.

Production

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre's initial basis stems from true events — 1950s serial killer Ed Gein, who served as the inspiration for two other horror films, Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) and Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs (1991).^[3][4][5] Along with the killings of Gein, Hooper also claims that the idea derives from Hooper's account of being in the hardware section of a crowded store, thinking of a way to get out through the crowd, he spotted the chainsaws.^[4]The idea arose in the early 1970s while he was a college professor and documentary cameraman in his native Austin, Texas. The film was distributed and produced through Bryanston Distributing Company. Most of the financing for this film came from the profits of the hugely successful Deep Throat (1972), a previous adult film the production company had financed. An estimated $83,532(USD) was raised.^[6] Most of the props were acquired legally from the location. Hooper also claims the human skeleton in the house at the end of the film was a real human skeleton. They used a real one because a human skeleton from India is far cheaper than a fake plastic skeleton.^[7] Scenes were filmed on location in Texas; the gas station scenes were filmed in the rural town of Bastrop, which is located about thirty miles southeast of Austin, while the cemetery scenes were filmed in Leander. Some scenes were also filmed in Austin. Since the film was released, the location used as the Sawyer family house has changed completely. It is now an open field, with no indication there ever was a house there. The house itself allegedly has been relocated and is used as a restaurant in Kingsland, Texas. Special effects were fairly simple and likewise limited by the budget. The blood shown was often real, as the cast members were accidentally harmed during filming. For example, Marilyn Burns index finger was actually cut with a razor because there were difficulties getting the fake blood to come out of the tube behind the blade. Burns' costume was so drenched in fake blood, that it was virtually solid on the last day of the shoot.^[8] Filming took place between July and August of 1973, under the fake working title Stalking Leatherface, and budget limitations caused the shoot to be in strict chronological order.^[8] The small budget led Hooper to shoot with 16mm Ektachrome. The completed film ultimately benefited from the decision, as many fans and critical film historians claim the gritty look gives the film a "documentary-style feel," something resembling an exploitation film.[citation needed] Upon the completion of post-production, Bryanston Distributing Company found it difficult to secure a distributor willing to market the film considering its graphic content. Interestingly, Hooper reportedly wanted the complete uncut print of the film to earn a PG rating by the MPAA, who declined the request.^[8] The limited budget curtailed the ability of Bryanston Distributing Company to hire well-known actors. The cast consisted of actors native to or living in Texas who had previous roles in commercials, television shows and stage, as well as acquaintances of Hooper. Involvement in the film propelled many cast members into the motion picture industry. The lead role of Sally went to the then unknown actress Marilyn Burns. Burns previously had appearances on stage and while attending the University of Texas at Austin, she joined its film commission board. For the role of Leatherface, Icelandic-American actor Gunnar Hansen was cast. In preparation for his role, Hansen decided that Leatherface was mentally retarded and never learned to talk properly, so he went to a school for the mentally challenged and watched how they moved and listened to them talk to get a feel for the character.^[4] Many of the other cast members had little or no acting credits whatsoever prior to being cast.

Reception and release

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The Texas Chain Saw Massacre premiered on October 1, 1974 in Austin, Texas, almost a year after it was actually filmed. Nationally, it was shown as a Saturday afternoon matinée film and attracted an audience consisting of pre-teens and adolescents, but found success with a broader audience after it was falsely marketed as being a "true story".^[9] The film was released uncensored by the MPAA film rating system and with an R rating. The film earned a major reaction in later weeks by word of mouth. TV Guide called it "An intelligent, absorbing, and deeply disturbing horror film that is nearly bloodless in its depiction of violence" and Empire Magazine called it "The most purely horrifying horror movie ever made".^[10] Mike Emery of the Austin Chronicle called it "Horrifying, yet engrossing... But the worst part about this vision is that despite its sensational aspects, it never seems too far from what could be the truth." and Chicago Reader said "the picture gets to you more through its intensity than its craft, but Hooper does have a talent."^[11] Critics have later called it one of the scariest movies ever made.^[12] The Texas Chainsaw Massacre grossed an estimated $30 million in the United States, making it one of the most successful independent films, until being overtaken by Halloween (1978). It was translated into more than 25 languages and released across Europe, Canada and, because of controversy, not until 1982 in Australia.^[13] The film was voted the greatest horror movie of all time on Total Film's list of the 50 Greatest Horror Movies of All Time ^[14], as well as on Empire Magazine's 50 Greatest Horror Movies of All Time, and on Premiere Magazine's Top 10 Horror Films of All Time. It was also voted the second scariest movie of all time on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 25 Scariest Movies of All Time and voted #5 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments^[15]. It was additionally featured on Time Magazine's list of the Top 25 Scariest Movies of All Time and on Premiere Magazine's list of the 25 Most Shocking Moments in Movie History. The film became infamous in Sweden after scenes from the movie were shown on the debate show Studio S, causing a moral panic. People wanted the film to be banned and censored. This came at the same time that more people got home video players. People said that with VHS players you couldn't control which movies children could see, which resulted in people wanting The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to be banned. Actually, the Studio S show only caused more people to go out and see the movie instead of the reaction they had wanted. Reviewers disliked the film's gory special effects. Critic Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times believed that it was well-acted, well-directed and effective; but claimed it became too gratuitously violent and seemed "weird" in parts. ^[16] Although the plot was falsely commercialized as a "true story", families were drawn away from Texas, to find a safe and loving neighborhood to live in. Entertainment Tonight broadcasters announced that "134 families moved out of Austin, Texas. That is only one eighth of the families who moved out of Austin, Texas, and that eighth is one twentieth of families who moved out of Texas into another state."

Release

The film was allegedly so effective and horrifying that people walked out of sneak previews. The movie was also banned or delayed in many countries, and where it was released, it was frequently edited. It was not released in Australia until the early 1980s, but it was never banned there. It was banned in the United Kingdom largely on the authority of then-BBFC secretary James Ferman, but saw a limited cinema release thanks to various city councils. Censors attempted to cut it for the purposes of a wider release in 1977 but were unsuccessful. It was released on videotape and CED disc in the 1980s by Wizard Video and Vestron Video, but banned in 1984 during the moral panic surrounding video nasties. In 1999, after the retirement of Ferman, the BBFC passed the movie uncut on cinema and video, with the 18 certificate, almost 25 years after its original release.^[17]

Influence

• The documentary feel has helped with the film’s success. The film opened to a large amount of controversy, but despite this, it became a smash hit in the United States. The film is also considered an innovator of the genre, pre-dating Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). It has received much praise from critics, mainly because its gritty and unsettling background that made it seem real.
• The Museum of Modern Art was sent a print of the film for their collection. Because the print was never returned to the sender, the museum cites the work as worthy enough to be among its collection.
• At Universal Orlando's and Universal Studios Hollywood's Halloween Horror Nights 2007 there were Haunted Houses based on the film included titled The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Flesh Wounds and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Back In Business

Adaptations

Main articles: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (video game) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (comics)

The cover to Leatherface #1, the first in a series of comics based on the film series

Shortly after The Texas Chain Saw Massacre established itself as a success on home video in 1982, a mass market video game adaptation was released for the Atari 2600 by Wizard Video.^[18] In the game, the player takes on the role of the movie's chainsaw-wielding villain Leatherface and attempts to murder trespassers while avoiding obstacles such as fences and cow skulls.^[19] As one of the first horror-themed video games, Texas Chainsaw Massacre caused a great deal of controversy when it was released, and sold poorly due to many game stores refusing to carry it.^[20] Wizard Video's other commercial release, Halloween, had a similar reception, and the limited number of copies sold have made them both highly valued items amongst Atari collectors.^[21] In addition, several comic books based on the franchise were made in 1991 by Northstar Comics entitled Leatherface. They were licenced the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise to Avatar Press for use in new comic book stories, the first of which was published in 2005. In 2006, Avatar Press lost the license to DC Comics imprint, Wildstorm, who have since begun publishing new stories based on the franchise. The series of comics feature none of the main characters seen in the original film (exempting Topps Comics Jason vs. Leatherface series) with the exception of Leatherface, however the 1991 "Leatherface" miniseries was loosely based on the third Texas Chainsaw Massacre film. Said writer Mort Castle, "The series was very loosely based on Texas Chainsaw Massacre III. I worked from the original script by David Schow and the heavily edited theatrical release of director Jeff Burr, but had more or less free rein to write the story the way it should have been told. The first issue sold 30,000 copies."^[22] Kirk Jarvinen drew the first issue, and Guy Burwell finished the rest of the series. The comics, not having the same restrictions from the MPAA, had much more gore than the finished film. The ending, as well as the fates of several characters, was also altered. An adaptation of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was planned by Northstar Comics, but the never pulled through.^[23]

Additional films

Main article: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (film series)

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre spawned three direct sequels, a spin-off, as well as a remake with its own prequel. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 (1986), the long awaited sequel picks up where the predecessor left off, and is the only sequel to be directed by Hooper. It centers around the same family of cannibals, with the exception of "The Hitchhiker", who is replaced by his similar-looking brother, "Chop Top", who was away in Vietnam for the first film. Despite changing several aspects of the original film and sequel, the third film, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990), is often considered the best sequel in the series, but only in its uncut version which was finally released on DVD format in 2003. The fourth film, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994), was a major critical and commercial flop, and today is often considered one of the worst films ever made and is perhaps responsible for being the last sequel, so far, in that series. A fifth film called All American Massacre was made by Tobe Hooper's son but was never finished only ending at a short twenty minutes it revolves around Chop Top instead of Leatherface. The 2003 remake spawned a prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), which became a moderate success; however it bears no relation to the original, simply being a prequel to the remake.

Notes

• It reportedly took 27 hours to film the famous dinner scene.
• Marilyn Burns was actually cut and bruised many times during the chase scenes.
• The saw was a 1970's Poulan 306A that had a piece of tape over the name plate.
• The film's other titles were: Headcheese, Leatherface, and Stalking Leatherface, then one of the filmmakers came-up with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Marilyn Burns stated in an interview that another proposed title of the movie was Scum of the Earth, which she stated "I dont want to be in a movie called Scum of the Earth."

References

External links

• Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) at the Internet Movie Database
• Detailed film review with screencaps
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Visit to the Film Locations

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