Before Jason Voorhees, before Freddy Krueger, before Michael Myers, there was Leatherface. Tobe Hooper's 1974 horror masterpiece The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), isn't just another slasher film, it is perhaps the first slasher film ever to be made.
The film stars Marilyn Burns as Sally Hardesty, a young woman who travels across Texas with her invalid brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain) and a group of friends to their grandfather's graveyard after hearing reports of grave-robbing in the area. Finding their grandfather's remains undisturbed, Sally and her friends pull into a gas station only to learn that pumps are empty, and that the gas truck will not be arriving until tomorrow. From there, the gang stop off at the Hardesty's grandparents old house where they intend to stay until the gas truck arrives the next day.
However, their idyllic summer is interrupted with all sorts of crazed and murderous characters, including a mentally-disturbed hitchhiker (Edwin Neal) and his older brother, a chainsaw-wielding maniac named Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen). One by one, the Sally and her friends are slaughtered by Leatherface until Sally is the only one left.
Although The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is often labeled a "slasher film", the truth is there is very little blood and gore to be found (possibly because Hooper had originally intended to get a PG-rating for his film). Hooper's film instead focuses on atmosphere, creating an almost apocalyptic feeling that exist throughout the entire movie. The villains who populate the film are grotesque and unpredictable, and there's a sense that the actors playing them aren't even actors but real psychopaths that Hooper had casted for the roles.
Ultimately, Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre isn't just a frightening film, it's also a weird and anxious experience that will leave any viewer feeling dirty or uncomfortable after watching it. It is a grotesque and horrifying story that not only invented the slasher genre, but remains unsurpassed in terms of being strange and beautiful at the same time.
Find the nearest Blockbuster near your home so you can rent this film almost immediately. Or, if you prefer that movies came to you instead, set up a Netflix account and start your ordering as soon as possible.
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