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20. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - Tobe Hooper made an excellent film here, one that is deservedly a classic. Of course, that doesn't mean it is perfect, just groundbreaking and interesting. I find that I appreciate this movie more now than I did when I first saw it in my late teens. Back then, the terrible acting and the aged special effects were enough to turn me off (possibly influenced by the fact that the others with me were loudly unappreciative and I wanted to fit in). Now, though, I see a lot more in the movie. There is a great deal of realism in the details, from the makeup job on Gunnar Hansen to the way that the father goes back into the store to turn out the lights. Also of mention is the loud generator near the house drowning out sounds from neighbor's ears. The house is a bizarre and filthy mess inside, but it is one that makes sense for these particularly troubled souls.
Jim Siedow, as the father, is more terrifying than any of the other family members, quite honestly, although he is clearly the least dangerous. His abrupt swings in mood and tone and his giggling about Grandpa being the best killer are frankly disturbing. It is interesting that only the hitchhiking son is played with any clear malice (making it gratifying when he dies in such an abrupt fashion). Leatherface is (in my eyes) unable to understand the difference between cattle and people in his simple mind and the father just doesn't seem connected to the same reality as the rest of us. Grandpa, of course, is more of a creature of instinct at this point than intellect...the dark holes of his eyes are clearly empty, though he recalls something when the killing tool is placed in his hand. That may just be muscle memory, though.
The facial shots of the screaming victim are hilariously over the top and yet still frightening. I think that is really the key aspect of this movie. The documentary style allows things to stray so firmly into over-the-top black comedy yet still bring a sense of horror to the entire situation. You are not so much gratified and exhilarated by the final escape as simply exhausted. This is definitely something I want to add to my movie collection permanently.
21. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - This is a craftsmanlike modern horror film. Unfortunately, the script is much better than the delivery. There is some gruesome blood and guts, along with a few genuine startle/scare moments, but nothing that strays too far from formulaic. The characters are interestingly written, although based on the standard 1980s horror movie teenager archetypes. Unfortunately, the demented family from the original is expanded to a demented neighborhood. Unnecessary characters are simply thrown in to make the point of "oooh...scary redneck weirdos in on the whole thing", which is mostly boring and even further from realistic than the original.
Also missing from the original is the dark humor. It has been replaced by excessive gore and shock value, which is a poor trade. This doesn't mean that the special effects are poor, by any stretch, just that the relentless realistic torture is over the top in a bad way. Not to mention that the depths of the house are so clearly set designed that I almost laughed at the precisely artistic disarray of body parts and tools. And it was all so clearly built for great camera angles!
Complaints aside, this is a brutal roller coaster ride. The shabby aftertaste left by the inadequacies of the direction, overpopulation of nuts and set work bring the grade down, but as a thrill ride it is still worth seeing once...
Jim Siedow, as the father, is more terrifying than any of the other family members, quite honestly, although he is clearly the least dangerous. His abrupt swings in mood and tone and his giggling about Grandpa being the best killer are frankly disturbing. It is interesting that only the hitchhiking son is played with any clear malice (making it gratifying when he dies in such an abrupt fashion). Leatherface is (in my eyes) unable to understand the difference between cattle and people in his simple mind and the father just doesn't seem connected to the same reality as the rest of us. Grandpa, of course, is more of a creature of instinct at this point than intellect...the dark holes of his eyes are clearly empty, though he recalls something when the killing tool is placed in his hand. That may just be muscle memory, though.
The facial shots of the screaming victim are hilariously over the top and yet still frightening. I think that is really the key aspect of this movie. The documentary style allows things to stray so firmly into over-the-top black comedy yet still bring a sense of horror to the entire situation. You are not so much gratified and exhilarated by the final escape as simply exhausted. This is definitely something I want to add to my movie collection permanently.
21. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - This is a craftsmanlike modern horror film. Unfortunately, the script is much better than the delivery. There is some gruesome blood and guts, along with a few genuine startle/scare moments, but nothing that strays too far from formulaic. The characters are interestingly written, although based on the standard 1980s horror movie teenager archetypes. Unfortunately, the demented family from the original is expanded to a demented neighborhood. Unnecessary characters are simply thrown in to make the point of "oooh...scary redneck weirdos in on the whole thing", which is mostly boring and even further from realistic than the original.
Also missing from the original is the dark humor. It has been replaced by excessive gore and shock value, which is a poor trade. This doesn't mean that the special effects are poor, by any stretch, just that the relentless realistic torture is over the top in a bad way. Not to mention that the depths of the house are so clearly set designed that I almost laughed at the precisely artistic disarray of body parts and tools. And it was all so clearly built for great camera angles!
Complaints aside, this is a brutal roller coaster ride. The shabby aftertaste left by the inadequacies of the direction, overpopulation of nuts and set work bring the grade down, but as a thrill ride it is still worth seeing once...
