10 Ways The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Still Holds Up | ScreenRant
Director Tobe Hooper's sophomore effort, 1974's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, earned him a spot in the pantheon of horror auteurs. A raw grindhouse work made on what could only be charitably described as a shoestring budget, there's a brutal, horrific honesty to the film that has allowed it to remain in the public consciousness for nearly fifty years.
From the innovative cinematography of Daniel Pearl to the cutting, harsh sound effect of Wayne Bell, few films are as memorable as this genre-defining classic. While numerous sequels and reboots have been attempted, none could match the gravitas of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre film.
10 Cinematography
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is often remembered for its unfiltered, unrefined presentation, and the guerilla approach to cinematography elicits a sense of immersion not often seen in movies of the era. Decades before The Blair Witch Project would more or less put viewers in the shoes of a group of ill-fated documentarians, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre managed to evoke that same sense of horrifying realism.
Daniel Pearl, the film's cinematographer, is also to be commended for including some unique perspectives and approaches not often seen in lower-budget films of the time, and the viciously close-up quick cuts during the dinner scene are borderline avant-garde.
9 Nuanced Villains
As strange as it may seem, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre deserves praise for the realistic and relatively nuanced portrayal of its villains. While films that would follow in its footsteps tended to offer up mute blank-slate serial killers, the Sawyer family is engaging, atypically talkative—two of the four family members are, at least—and undeniably disturbed.
Leatherface, in particular, seems to be more afraid of his film's protagonists than they are of him, with a poignant shot halfway through the movie illustrating how cut up he seems to be about those he's cutting up.
8 Art Direction
As per ScreenRant, part of the inspiration for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre came from real-world serial killer Ed Gein, who was infamous for defiling the corpses of his victims. Disgusting though it may be, the film's art director, Robert A. Burns, took these macabre ideas and ran with them, turning the Sawyer house into a twisted, sadistic hellscape.
Yet, this is partially what kept moviegoers hooked; the skeletal sofas and human skin centerpieces are simultaneously shockingly real and unimaginably terrifying, and most viewers likely can't make it through the film's final act without feeling at least slightly sickened.
7 Subtle Soundtrack
In stark contrast to the heavy metal-driven soundtrack of the 2003 remake, the music made to accompany the original version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is relatively subdued, especially for a horror film. It forgoes the typical harrowing orchestral score for a much grimier industrial tone which perfectly fits the film's plot.
Even during the film's most pulse-pounding moments, little can be heard save for the whir of a chainsaw and the screams of a potential victim. Few films today would dare to include such an understated soundtrack, but The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is all the better for it.
6 Proto-Slasher Villain
1974 was a big year for the horror genre, as both Black Christmas and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre would help to usher in the age of the slasher villain. Though it would be a few years before Michael Meyers would popularize the concept, Leatherface undoubtedly helped to lay the groundwork.
A masked villain hellbent on hacking up hapless teens is inherently scary, but Leatherface's lack of humanity made him all the more horrifying. Masked, apparently inhuman entities would become a staple of the horror genre in the late '70s and early '80s.
5 Made The Most Of A Small Budget
Budgetary concerns are a near-constant production factor for horror filmmakers, as studios tend to be unwilling to risk spending too much on potentially niche films destined to receive R ratings. The landscape of cinema was drastically different nearly fifty years ago, but that doesn't change the fact that Hooper and company had very little money to work with.
Yet, that's part of what makes the film so endearing today; modern horror movies are often held back by PG-13 restrictions or are forced to make major concessions based on their budget, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre proves that incredible horror films can still be made with extremely limited resources.
4 Doesn't Rely On Gore
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has a reputation for gore and violence, and, while later entries in the franchise would live up to those notions, the 1974 original is relatively tame given the gruesome subject matter it explores.
Strangely enough, according to ScreenRant, Tobe Hooper was actually hoping for a PG rating from the MPAA, which explains the lack of emphasis on extreme gore. Not only did the film not receive that rating, but it was branded with an infamous X rating and had to undergo several recuts just to land an R rating.
3 Slow-Burn Approach
Modern horror movies typically begin with a fairly quick pace and a few scares to hold the attention of audiences, but The Texas Chainsaw Massacre takes a much slower approach, leaving viewers to stew until the villains finally reveal themselves.
While the first-act buildup may be a bit of a bore for some, there's enough subtle terror simmering beneath the surface to captivate keen viewers. Establishing an atmosphere of fear can be difficult in any medium, and Tobe Hooper's sophomore project takes the time to do it the right way.
2 Ambiguous Ending
Ambiguous endings are in vogue as of late, but, decades before horror films like Midsommar and It Follows debuted, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre had theatergoers scratching their heads.
After escaping the most macabre family meal ever committed to film, Sally Hardesty evades pursuit by Leatherface and escape in the bed of a passing truck. While that seems relatively cut and dry, there is no follow-up scene explaining what happened to the twisted Sawyer family, and, until the 1986 sequel was released, fans were left guessing.
1 Outshines The Sequels/Reboots
Movies like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th were seemingly developed with a near-endless slew of sequels in mind, but the same can't be said about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Though the first film features a fairly open-ended conclusion, there wouldn't be another installment in the series for twelve years.
After that, the horror franchise would be subject to a number of failed sequels, reboots, and reinterpretations. While a few attained small cult followings, none were as revered as Hooper's groundbreaking classic.