#46 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

A while ago I watched John Carpenter's Halloween. Remember my verdict for that film? "The acting and cast are mediocre, the plot is extremely basic, the production values are pretty low and, most likely, you won't get scared watching it." I wasn't expecting a masterpiece or even a good movie. I just wanted to see how influential Halloween was to the slasher genre. And that's the exact same reason why I decided to take a peek at Texas Chainsaw Massacre, since it came out 5 years earlier than the former and now I'm confident this is the true granddaddy of the genre.

"Oh gee I wonder what the plot is like." Two brothers and a bunch friends go investigate the graves of their grandparents because of some reports of grave robbing and vandalism. Along the way they run into a mysterious and creepy hitchhiker, and run out of gas. Having to wait an entire day for thef uel to arrive to the gas station, they decide to spend the night in... an abandoned house- Really? What a bunch of retards! You had to dick around a decrepit, old mansion, of all places? Surprise, there's a madman running around with a chainsaw killing people and wearing their skins as a mask (hence the name, "Leatherface").

         

Cliché number 1, lack of survival instincts: check.

Like Halloween, there is nothing memorable about the characters. By the end of the film, tell me if you can remember the name of at least one of the characters. Nope? It doesn't help that I can't recognize any of the actors. Not even the madman on the chainsaw was that interesting. I mean, Micheal Myers at least had a backstory, for fuck's sake. Cliché number 2, forgettable characters and villian: check. I'll give Leatherface credit for being truly creepy for today's standards: Myers has aged terribly, but Leatherface's gory weapon of choice keeps it at least unsettling. Cliché number 3, faceless, stalking mass murderer, check.

I also have to recognize the fact that I was creeped out at moments. It's not scary by any means, but some of the images still hold up as somewhat disturbing despite the low budget. The protagonist stumbling into the room with all the skeletal remains, the disfiguration of Leatherface's first victims, or the final scene come to mind.

        

Cliché number 4, gory or unsettling imagery: check.

In the end, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, along with Halloween, is only worth watching if you want to see how influential it was to horror films. The acting is a little better though still mediocre, it still can be a little shocking, and introduced most of the clichés we've seen billions of times. Though it does lack sexual innuendos and a couple of other things... Come on, Texas came before.