Texas Chainsaw Massacre

House of Horrors Presents

"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a vile piece of sick crap...It is a film with literally nothing to recommend it: nothing but a hysterically paced slapdash , imbecile concoctions of cannibalism, voodoo, astrology, sundry hippie-esque cults, and unrelenting sadistic
violence as extreme and hideous as a complete lack of imagination can possibly make it".
-Stephen Koch,
Harper's, November 1976

So you may be asking yourself, " why put up such a negative review of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre"? Sure I could have posted a positive review, but it wouldn't help to demonstrate the power of this film. Koch's review so exquisitely illustrates the evident foundations of this film (i.e. cannibalism, sadists, etc). He saw the film "THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE" without actually seeing the film. The title flashed up on the screen and his mind went blank. The next thing he remembered was leaving the theater with a mess in his pants. Koch went in with blinders for this film and they lead him down the misguided path of this review.

Well, enough of that on with the page. I was just about to start my freshman year of college and over the summer had purchased my first VCR. Just before I left for school, I had begun to slowly work my way through every horror title at my local video store. Before video my horror viewing had been limited to a double dose on Saturday afternoon of "Creature Double Feature" or if I could stay up "Saturday Night Dead". A few years early my parents had gotten cable, but a majority of the day's horror rarely showed up on cable and when it did it was so watered down that I hardly knew it was suppose to be scary. Also, the nearest theater was about 20 miles away, so I rarely made it there. I still considered myself a horror fan, even thought my experience was limited to bad 50's and 60's horror flicks and watching the Universal classics about a million times.

Off I went to school. In this strange new environment, I was scared shitless and homesick, horror was my security blanket. It was right around Halloween when my school was running a theme week of horror in the video theater. As I looked at the schedule, I saw a listing for "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre". I had heard people talk about how scary this movie was, so I marked my calendar. When I saw this movie, I knew I was really hooked, horror would always be my first love. I saw TCM everyday during that week. What an awesome movie.

It is a one of the scariest movie ever made. I would highly recommend this film to anyone who hasn't seen it or who wants to get into horror, plus all horror fans, go re-visit this classic again and see if you don't piss your pants. E-mail me.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The story begins with five innocent kids on their way to checkout reports of grave robbing. As Sally, (Marilyn Burns) her invalid brother Franklin, and three friends head out to inspect the gravesite of her family, they are soon side tracked on the ultimate journey of terror. One by one, they wander into the murderous clutches of Leatherface and his trusty chainsaw. The poster reads: "Who will survive and what will be left of them?" In this case, not much, and what is...well, becomes the main course.

Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the quintessential horror movie of all time, and along with "Night of the Living Dead" and "The Exorcist" helped establish the modern era of horror. Gunnar Hansen's performance as Leatherface would eventually serve as the prototype for many of the slashers of the late 70's and early 80's. Daniel Pearl's magical cinematography helped capture the tension of the moment and transfer the fear to the audience. The atmosphere was accented by a well-placed, spooky soundtrack co-composed by Tobe Hooper, echoing the screams of Sally's terror. This movie is definitely not for the weak, although by today's standards it's not as controversial as when it was original released in 1974.

The original name for the film was "Headcheese" and also, "Leatherface". It wasn't changed to TCM until the movie was about to be released.
Tobe Hopper was originally shooting for a PG rating for this film.
The film is banned in the United Kingdom although it has recently be given a cinema release.
People actually walked out on previews of the film.
Spawned three sequels, none nearly as awesome as the first. The second one is good and stars Dennis Hooper, the third is alright with Ken Foree from "Dawn of the Dead".
TCM is based on the story of the serial killer, Ed Gein. Leatherface was based somewhat on Gein.
Leatherface wears three masks in the film; the "killing mask", the "old lady mask", and the "pretty woman mask".
"The Gone with the Wind" of horror movies"....Monarch Film Studies.
The narrator at the beginning of the film is none other than John Larroquette of "Night Court" fame.

Buy Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its' sequels at Reel.com

Buy Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Family Portrait at Reel.com

Checkout Blackest Heart Media's new Texas Chainsaw Massacre T-shirt.

Checkout "Murder is Meat: An Illustrated Guide to Cannibal Culture", a great book that looks at TCM and other Cannibal films.

Checkout the new LEATHERFACE action figure by McFarland Toys. Their are two versions "PG-13" (without bloody) and "R" (bloody)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre
on the Tube in June

Sorry ... there are no scheduled airings of this film on any
Nationally Televised Stations,
check your local listings for more details or if you know of one email us.

Information taken from the
Horror Movies TV Schedule

Click on box cover for these recommendations

Click on image to navigate our other
"Texas Chainsaw Massacre " pages. Navigate the Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Tobe Hooper Page and Leatherface's FBI File
coming soon!!!

The BBFC has classified THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE as '18' without cuts.

The notoriety of the film may owe a lot to its original rejection by the BBFC in 1975. It was passed for viewing in Europe, the USA, Australia and other countries. It received a GLC license in the 1970s and was most recently shown in central London in 1998 under a license from Camden Council. There is, so far as the Board is aware, no evidence that harm has ever arisen as a consequence of viewing the film. For modern young adults, accustomed to the macabre shocks of horror films through the 1980s and 1990s, THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE is unlikely to be particularly challenging. Unlike more recent examples of the genre, violence in THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE is throughout implied rather than explicit. By today's standards, its visual effects may seem relatively unconvincing.

Possibly the most notorious feature is the relentless pursuit of the 'Final Girl' throughout the last half hour or so of the film. The heroine in peril is a staple of the cinema since the earliest days. It is nonetheless legitimate to question the unusual emphasis THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE places on the pursuit of a defenseless and screaming female over such an extended period. The Board's conclusion, after careful consideration, was that any possible harm that might arise in terms of the effect upon a modern audience would be more than sufficiently countered by the unrealistic, even absurd, nature of the action itself. It is worth emphasizing that there is no explicit sexual element in the film, and relatively little visible violence.

Andreas Whittam Smith - President
Robin Duval - Director

Click here to visit the "official" page of TCM director and creator Tobe Hooper. I am the webmaster!!!!!

Click here to visit the "official" page of the original LEATHERFACE Gunnar Hansen.

TX 25 (Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 25th Anniversary) is being made by Unapix entertainment. Click here for the Press Release.

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