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Rating: "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is the second film by Tobe Hooper and it is his absolute masterpiece. In my humble opinion, it's also one of the coolest horror films of all time—copied, recopied, and over-copied but never surpassed.
Film from 1974. The Western cinematography of both Europe and America in the 70s produced films that were quite gory and bloody, psychedelic, and deliberately provocative, in stark contrast to the common morality, openly clashing with the middle-class propriety and conservatism of that era.
THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (this magnificent original title) fully embraces this trend, and in its (so to speak) small way (the only thing small was the budget), it goes even further... it dares to inaugurate a new branch in the panorama of horror cinema.
After the legendary and ever-popular icons of the bloodsucking vampire, the dark side/pure evil present in everyone magnificently represented by that lovable rogue known as MISTER HYDE, the werewolf, the modern zombies, not to mention the DADDY of them all, that good devil SATAN, and then ghosts, etc., here comes the horror born of marginalization, born of rejection, the revenge of the outcasts and sub-humans...and the "vomit of the rejected" is decidedly acidic and lethal.
Inspired by true events, namely by Ed Gein "the butcher of Plainfield" http://www.serialkiller.it/serialkiller.aspx?aree_id=1&sottoaree_id=9&lang=ita&contenuti_id=151 it actually only draws inspiration from this macabre affair and rather steals some "decorative details" just to embellish the apartment a bit...but it tells another story entirely.
It's one of those countless films where we find a group of young guys and girls taking a nice little trip out of town, not realizing they're actually walking shish kebabs, BLEEDING steaks, quarters of beef to be hung alive on a hook because I, LEATHERFACE, will hang you alive, slam the door shut, and screw it, out of sight, out of mind... how many youngsters will good JASON slaughter just a few years later, but believe me, all the FRIDAY THE 13TH films aren't worth 5 minutes of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.
I don't like recounting the plot or, worse, some scenes (though I just did; I'm such a jerk, haha). In particular, we're talking about one of the most badass horrors ever. I've already said it—it's an immortal classic! Horror enthusiasts will have seen it multiple times; newcomers have at least heard its name, so I don't want to surprise anyone.
It's a nasty, insane, brilliant, disturbing, disquieting, even at times amusing film.
...let's not mention Niespel's sequels, which might not even be that bad, but come on... first you make me eat Swiss chocolate and then after 30 years you buy me the one from the discount store and say it's the same?
...THE CHAINSAW IS THE FAMILY!
Unmissable, 1000 stars.
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