The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

This article is about the 1974 film. For the other films with the same name, see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (film series).

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The original movie poster
Directed by	Tobe Hooper
Written by	Kim Henkel Tobe Hooper
Produced by	Tobe Hooper Lou Peraino
Starring	Marilyn Burns Gunnar Hansen Edwin Neal Allen Danzinger Paul A. Partain Jim Siedow Teri McMinn
Music by	Wayne Bell Tobe Hooper
Distributed by	Bryanston Distributing Company New Line Cinema (1983 Re-release) Blue Dolphin
Release dates	October 1, 1974
Running time	83 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$83,532 (estimated)

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American horror film, written, directed and produced by Tobe Hooper and Kim Henkel, who had writing credits. The film features a cast of many non-professional actors, including Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Edwin Neal and Paul A. Partain. The film, despite its label as excessively graphic, does not rely so much on explicit gore to generate terror in the audience as it does on pacing, suspense, the deserted location and dramatic tension.

The plot of the film revolves primarily around a group of friends on a road trip in rural Texas. The purpose of the road trip is to visit the hometown of Sally and Franklin's father in order to check on their grandfather's grave after reports of grave robbing. After their van runs low on gas, the group of friends visits the childhood home of Sally and Franklin's father where they are attacked by a family of cannibalistic men, including the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface.

The film was an independent production, produced on a budget of just $83,532 and went on to gross $36,000,000 at the US box office in 1974 — making it the most successful independent film ever until surpassed by Halloween in 1978. While it is not the first of its specific genre, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre influenced subsequent films in the sub-genre. The film is the first of four Chainsaw films (completed or pending) directed by Hooper and Henkel. In 2003, it spawned a remake.

Plot

Bickering siblings Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) and wheelchair-bound Franklin (Paul A. Partain) visit their grandfather's grave in a cemetery in rural Texas with their companions, Sally's boyfriend Jerry (Allen Danziger), his friend Kirk (William Vail), and Kirk's girlfriend Pam (Teri McMinn) after hearing that the graveyard has been vandalized and corpses have been constructed into figures. While driving to the Hardesty's now deserted former house — they encounter a skinny, mechanical-looking, heat-struck, crazy hitchhiker. However, after he torments them and threatens Franklin with violence — they kick him out of the van.

File:TexasHitchhiker.gif

The Hitchhiker slashing his hand.

Running low on gas, the group pull over at a Gulf filling station/barbecue, where the strange looking owner says that they won't have any fuel until the next morning. Upon learning where the teens are going, the owner advises them against going there. The group finally arrives at the Hardesty farm. Following Franklin's directions to a childhood swimming hole, Kirk and Pam set off to find it while the others stay at the old house. Finding the swimming hole dried up, Kirk and Pam hear the sound of a gas-powered generator which attracts them to a farmhouse nearby. While there they encounter a junkyard of vehicles and finally discover the house. Kirk investigates to inquire about buying gasoline and is eventually attacked by a huge man, named Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) with a sledgehammer while Pam is outside. Pam then enters searching for Kirk, but also falls prey to Leatherface, and is hung onto a meat hook.

As night approaches, Sally, Franklin and Jerry become restless waiting, so Jerry searches for Pam and Kirk. He also becomes one of Leatherface's victims. As night falls, Leatherface, aware that there are more people around, searches for the remaining group while Sally and Franklin search for the house. Their cries attract Leatherface, who bursts upon them and he instantly attacks Franklin with a chainsaw, repeatedly driving it through his body. Sally flees through a forest, cutting herself on branches before finding the house. She enters it, but leaves upon discovering that it belongs to Leatherface. With the maniac relentlessly pursuing her, Sally runs all the way back to the gas station. On arrival, Leatherface apparently disappears while she appeals to the gas station owner for help. Instead, he attacks her with a broom, throws a burlap sack over her and bundles her into his truck. This character, known only as the "Old Man," is now revealed to be Leatherface's eldest brother. He takes her straight back to the farmhouse, reaching the driveway at the same time as the hitchhiker, who is also Leatherface's older brother.

Sally is taken into the house and tied to a chair. When they remove the sack, she and the hitchhiker recognise each other, and he immediately taunts her. He and Leatherface then bring down the withered figure of "Grandpa" (John Dugan) from the upstairs bedroom, slicing open Sally's finger so he can suck the blood from it — she then passes out. She awakens to find herself in a horrific dinner scene that culminates with the family trying to get grandpa to kill her with the sledge. A family arguement errupts that gives Sally the opportunity to escape.

File:Texaschainsawmassacre1.jpg

Leatherface, after Sally escapes, in the film's infamous final scene

As dawn approaches, Sally flees the house and attempts to escape onto the highway. The knife-wielding hitchhiker and the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface give chase. Just as the hitchhiker reaches her and begins slashing at Sally, an eighteen wheeler truck suddenly appears and accidentally runs him down. The truck driver stops and gets out, only to be confronted by Sally being chased at close quarters by Leatherface. As the woman and the driver climb into the truck, the killer attacks the vehicle with the saw. Escaping through the other side of the cab, the driver throws a large wrench at Leatherface which catches him in the head, knocking him down and causing him to cut his right leg. The truck driver flees down the road. As Leatherface rises to his feet and limps after Sally despite his injury, a pickup truck arrives on the scene. Sally finds time to enter the back of the truck, leaving the film to finish with a shot of Leatherface in the middle of the road, wielding the saw in a psychotic dance of frustration.

Connection to actual events

This film, like the films Psycho (1960), Deranged, and The Silence of the Lambs (1991), was inspired by Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein. Gein did wear human skin, but he acted alone and did not use a chainsaw. The interior of the house, particularly the macabre living room filled with bones, was also based on the crime scene notes describing the inside of Gein's home. The film's opening claims the events are factual, a use of the false document technique. (Filming was from July 15, 1973 to August 14, 1973, while the opening narrative claims that the events took place on 18 August 1973.) Libraries in Burkburnett, Texas and nearby Wichita Falls regularly receive requests for copies of newspaper articles related to the events.

Production history

The initial idea and basis for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre derives from Tobe Hooper, although not real, who claims to have got the idea for the film while standing in the hardware section of a crowded store, thinking of a way to get out through the crowd, he spotted the chainsaws. The idea arose in the early 1970s while he was a college professor and documentary cameraman in his native Austin, Texas. The film was distributed and produced through Bryanston Distributing Company. Most of the financing for this film came from the profits of the hugely successful Deep Throat (1972), a previous adult film the production company had financed. An estimated (USD)$83,532 was raised. Most of the props were acquired legally from the location. Hooper also claims the human skeleton in the house at the end of the film was a real human skeleton. They used a real one because a human skeleton from India is far cheaper then a fake plastic skeleton.

The small budget dictated much of the production process. In a documentary on the making of the film, Edwin Neal stated that he read for the part acting like an eccentric nephew of his and that, luckily for him, that was exactly what Tobe Hooper was looking for.

Scenes were filmed in several locations in Texas; the Gas station scene was filmed in the rural town of Bastrop, which is located about thirty miles south-east of Austin, while the cemetery scenes where filmed in Leander. Some scenes where also filmed in the city of Austin. Since the film was released, the location used as the Sawyer family house has changed completely. It is now an open field, with no indication there ever was a house there. The house itself allegedly has been relocated and is used as a restaurant in Kingsland, Texas. Special effects were fairly simple and likewise limited by the budget. The blood shown was often real, as the cast members were accidentally harmed during filming. For example, Marilyn Burns index finger was actually cut with a razor because there were difficulties getting the fake blood to come out of the tube behind the blade. Burns costume was also so drenched in fake blood, that it was virtually solid on the last days shoot.

Filming took place between July and August of 1973, under the working title Stalking Leatherface, and was shot in chronological order like many independent productions. The small budget led Hooper to shoot with a 16MM Ektachrome. The completed film ultimately benefited from the decision, as many fans and critical film historians claim the gritty look gives the film a "documentary-style feel", something resembling an exploitation film. Upon the completion of post-production, Bryanston Distributing Company found it difficult to secure a distributor willing to show the film with the gruesome scenes intact. Hooper reportedly wanted the complete uncut print of the film to earn a PG rating by the MPAA, however they declined due to the violent and gory content.

The limited budget curtailed the ability of Bryanston Distributing Company to hire well-known actors. The cast consisted of Texas actors who had previous roles in commercials, television shows and stage, as well as acquaintances of Hooper. Involvement in the film propelled many cast members into the motion picture industry.

The lead role of Sally went to the then unknown actress Marilyn Burns. Burns had appearances on stage and while attending the University of Texas at Austin, Burns joined its film commission board. For the role of Leatherface, Icelandic-American actor Gunnar Hansen was cast. In preparation for his role, Hansen decided that Leatherface was mentally retarded and never learned to talk properly, so he went to a school for the mentally challenged and watched how they moved and listened to them talk to get a feel for the character. Many of the other cast members had little or no acting credits whatsoever prior to being cast.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was Hooper's first feature-length film. However, he had experience working on documentaries while a film student at the University of Texas at Austin. Hooper's decision to direct The Texas Chain Saw Massacre essentially launched his career as a horror director. He took the helm with many other horror films including the iconic Poltergeist (1982). Hooper featured human taboos as key themes, particularly cannibalism, which had rarely been a part of American horror films before the release of the film; with the exception of Night of the Living Dead (1968).

Music

The eerie and disturbing music score of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was not composed for the film—much of it came from the sounds an animal would hear inside a slaughterhouse. So far, there has been no official release of the film's soundtrack or score. It features several independent songs by Texas artists, and was composed by Hooper and Wayne Bell.

Reception and release

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre premiered on October 1, 1974 in Austin, Texas, almost a year after it was actually filmed. Nationally, it was shown as a Saturday afternoon matinée film and attracted an audience consisting of pre-teens and adolescents, but found success with a broader audience after it was falsely marketed as being a "true story". The film was released uncensored by the MPAA film rating system and with an R rating.

The film earned a major reaction in later weeks by word of mouth. TV Guide called it "An intelligent, absorbing, and deeply disturbing horror film that is nearly bloodless in its depiction of violence" and Empire Magazine called it "The most purely horrifying horror movie ever made". Mike Emery of the Austin Chronicle called it "Horrifying, yet engrossing... But the worst part about this vision is that despite its sensational aspects, it never seems too far from what could be the truth." and Chicago Reader called it "the picture gets to you more through its intensity than its craft, but Hooper does have a talent."

Critics have later called it one of the scariest movies ever made. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre grossed an estimated $30 million in the United States, making it one of the most successful independent films, until being overtaken by Halloween (1978). It was translated into more than 25 languages and released across Europe, Canada and because of controversy, not until 1982 in Australia. This film was listed at #5 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments, ranked at #2 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 100 Scariest Films of All Time, ranked at #1 on Empire Magazine's 50 Greatest Horror Movies of All Time and is ranked at #1 on Premiere Magazine's Top 10 Horror Films of All Time.

The film became infamous in Sweden after scenes from the movie were shown on the debate show Studio S, causing a moral panic. People wanted the film to be banned and censored. This came at the same time that more people got home video players. People said that with VHS players you couldn't control which movies children could see, which resulted in people wanting The Texas Chain Saw Massacre to be banned. Actually, the Studio S show only caused more people to go out and see the movie instead of the reaction they had wanted.

Reviewers disliked the film's gory special effects. Critic Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun-Times believed that it was well-acted, well-directed and effective; but claimed it became too gratuitously violent and seemed "weird" in parts.

Although the plot was falsely commercialized as a "true story", families were drawn away from Texas, to find a safe and loving neighborhood to live in. Entertainment Tonight broadcasters announced that "134 families moved out of Austin, Texas. That is only one eighth of the families who moved out of Austin, Texas, and that eighth is one twentieth of families who moved out of Texas into another state."

Release

The film was allegedly so effective and horrifying that people walked out of sneak previews. The movie was also banned or delayed in many countries, and where it was released, it was frequently edited. It was not released in Australia until the early 1980s, but it was never banned there. It was banned in the United Kingdom largely on the authority of then-BBFC secretary James Ferman, but saw a limited cinema release thanks to various city councils. Censors attempted to cut it for the purposes of a wider release in 1977 but were unsuccessful. It was released on videotape and CED disc in the 1980s by Wizard Video and Vestron Video, but banned in 1984 during the moral panic surrounding video nasties. In 1999, after the retirement of Ferman, the BBFC passed the movie uncut on cinema and video, with the 18 certificate, almost 25 years after its original release.

Influence

The documentary feel has helped with the film’s success. The film opened to a large amount of controversy, but despite this, it became a smash hit in the United States. The film is also considered an innovator of the genre, pre-dating Halloween (1978), Friday the 13th (1980), and A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). It has received much praise from critics, mainly because its gritty and unsettling background that made it seem real.

The Museum of Modern Art was sent a print of the film for their collection. Because the print was never returned to the sender, the museum cites the work as worthy enough to be among its collection.

Adaptations

Main articles: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (video game) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (comics)

The cover to Leatherface #1, the first in a series of comics based on the film series

Shortly after The Texas Chain Saw Massacre established itself as a success on home video in 1982, a mass market video game adaptation was released for the Atari 2600 by Wizard Video. In the game, the player takes on the role of the movie's chainsaw-wielding villain Leatherface and attempts to murder trespassers while avoiding obstacles such as fences and cow skulls. As one of the first horror-themed video games, Texas Chainsaw Massacre caused a great deal of controversy when it was released, and sold poorly due to many game stores refusing to carry it. Wizard Video's other commercial release, Halloween, had a similar reception, and the limited number of copies sold have made them both highly valued items amongst Atari collectors.

In addition, several comic books based on the franchise in 1991 by Northstar Comics entitled Leatherface, they where licenced the Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise to Avatar Press for use in new comic book stories, the first of which was published in 2005. In 2006, Avatar Press lost the license to DC Comics imprint, Wildstorm, who have since begun publishing new stories based on the franchise. The series of comics feature none of the main characters seen in the original film, with the exception of Leatherface, however the 1991 "Leatherface" miniseries was loosely based on the third Texas Chainsaw Massacre film. Said writer Mort Castle, "The series was very loosely based on Texas Chainsaw Massacre III. I worked from the original script by David Schow and the heavily edited theatrical release of director Jeff Burr, but had more or less free rein to write the story the way it should have been told. The first issue sold 30,000 copies." Kirk Jarvinen drew the first issue, and Guy Burwell finished the rest of the series. The comics, not having the same restrictions from the MPAA, had much more gore than the finished film. The ending, as well as the fates of several characters, was also altered.

Additional films

Main article: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (film series)

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre spawned three direct sequels, a spin-off, as well as a remake with its own prequel. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 (1986), the long awaited sequel picks up where the predecessor left off, and is the only sequel to be directed by Hooper. It centers around the same family of cannibals, with the exception of "The Hitchhiker", who is replaced by his similar-looking brother, "Chop Top", who was away in Viet Nam for the first film. Despite changing several aspects of the original film and sequel, the third film, Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III (1990), is often considered the best sequel in the series, but only in its uncut version which was finally released on DVD format in 2003. The fourth film, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994), was a major critical and commercial flop, and today is often considered one of the worst films ever made and is perhaps responsible for being the last sequel, so far, in that series. A fifth film called All American Massacre was made by Tobe Hooper's son but was never finished only ending at a short twenty minutes it revolves around Chop Top instead of Leatherface. The 2003 remake spawned a prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), which became a moderate success; however it bears no relation to the original, simply being a prequel to the remake.

Notes

• It took 36 hours to film the famous dinner scene.
• Marilyn Burns was actually cut and bruised many times during the chase scenes.
• The film's other titles were: Headcheese, Leatherface, and Stalking Leatherface, then one of the filmmakers came-up with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

External links

• Texas Chainsaw Massacre Tribute Site
• Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) at IMDb
• Detailed film review with screencaps
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre: A Visit to the Film Locations