The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Director: Tobe Hooper
Starring: Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Allen Danziger

Synopsis:
A group of young people on a road trip encounter a rash of grave desecrations, a disturbed hitchhiker and a lot more trouble than they bargained for.

Impressions:
As is the case with many films, I saw the remake first, but perhaps that's better for the remake's sake. With its fairly low budget and largely no-name (at least at the time) cast, this feels far more real than the more slickly produced remake. Contrary to what you might think, this movie doesn't really rely on blood and gore. A lot of it is rather understated, which can have a much more powerful effect.

Watching older horror films highlights a lot of what's gone wrong with the genre. I'm not the only one to carp on the overuse of blood and gore (desensitize the audience and it loses all meaning), unlikable characters (the whole rooting for the killer thing is supposed to be ironic and a little twisted, not the intended formula), and overwrought hooks (simple is best). This movie does a good job of bringing us a mixed bag of a cast and then dialing up the tension, giving a few moments of punctuation, then ratcheting it up to get us to the climax.

If you want a gritty, well-made horror flick, this is worth seeing.

Rating:
Watch It