Review by Nia Edwards-Behi
What’s left to say about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre that hasn’t already been said? The film is one of those behemoths that looms over the rest of the horror genre, a classic hailing from that dangerous frontier of American horror filmmaking in the 1970s, and its impact and intensity have barely faded since. So much has already been said about the film, from the history of its intensive production, to its distribution difficulties, to its censorship issues, to its influence on the genre as a whole.
For the benefit of those who may have lived under an up-ended armadillo the past 40 years, a synopsis: under a blazing Texas sun a group of young people travel together in a cramped van. Sally Hardesty, and her wheelchair-bound brother Franklin, have brought their friends Jerry, Pam and Kirk along for the ride to check up on their grandfather’s grave, which they’ve been informed has been desecrated. Deciding to take in the old Hardesty home too, along the way the travellers pick up a hitchhiker, whose talk of slaughterhouse work grows increasingly strange, until he cuts himself and attacks Franklin with his own penknife. Having ejected the hitchhiker from the van the group drives to the Hardesty home in order to wait for the only visible petrol station to receive a delivery of more fuel. Pam and Kirk go off in search of a local watering hole to swim, but upon finding it dry they investigate a nearby house in search of fuel. When they do not return, Jerry goes looking for them, only to fail to return to the Hardesty homestead himself. Sally and Franklin are forced into the dark night to search for their friends, but when they stumble upon the mask-wearing, chainsaw-wielding hulk of a man called Leatherface, both their fates are sealed.
It almost seems a little unnecessary to avoid spoilers when discussing a film such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, because surely – surely! – everyone’s seen it? Apparently not – in advance of going into production on the 2003 remake (yes, let’s all take a moment to consider that the remake came out over a decade ago), Platinum Dunes conducted market research which showed that their target demographic – young males, obviously – had overwhelmingly heard of, but not actually seen, the film. Could it be that the immense (sub)cultural standing of the film works against it in a new context, whereby perhaps for some a film can be so ubiquitous it becomes invisible? This is one of those films whose reputation precedes it, and perhaps for some the reputation is enough. Often a film turns out to be less than its reputation might suggest – less shocking, less inventive, less frightening – but this is not the case with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which is so much more.
I’ve written extensively (or might that be excessively?) about a film I find to be very similar, in some ways, being The Last House on the Left. Like Craven’s film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre emerges as a product of its era, a visceral and nihilistic response to the real-world violence and tumult of the USA in the early 70s. For all its intensity, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is somehow less cruel to its youths than The Last House on the Left, despite the prolonged torment Sally is subjected to. However, it is never the less an intensely downbeat film. The film’s ending sees its heroine escape the clutches of Leatherface, but this is no triumph: her anguished, iconic screams don’t really instil the audience with hope that she might recover from her ordeal. The nihilism which infuses The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is better counter-balanced by its sense of humour than The Last House on the Left. The humour is pitch-black, however, and it might take a very particular GSOH to chuckle at Grandpa’s attempts to bludgeon his dinner guest.
This is, of course, the new 4K restored release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and indeed the film’s never looked better (the restoration might be a little wasted on my own PS3-and-slightly-old-TV set up, though). I’m one of those people who can love a film without necessarily being able to notice any miniscule changes made too it, so all I can really accurately say about the restoration is that it looks fantastic, and the whites of Sally’s eyes have never been whiter. This release comes with a glut of extra features, a lot of which have appeared on previous releases of the film, but it also includes extensive new extras too, my particular highlight is the new set of outtakes and deleted scenes, made all the more eerie for their lack of sound. Even if you already own previous releases of the film (like I do), this new release has a lot to recommend it.
With recent news that we’re soon to be subjected to yet another foray into this franchise, this release is a timely reminder of what a great and powerful film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre still is. If reports are correct then Maury and Bustilo are going to be taking us on a ride with young Leatherface, to uncover what made him the lumbering beast we know and love. Re-watching the original film reminded me that I really just don’t care what his origin is. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a film which makes you care about its very simple young protagonists, and makes you fear the villains out to get them. It’s easy to forget that the film is about Sally and her friends, not really about Leatherface and his family. They are and should be the focus of the story in order for Leatherface and his clan to be as effective as they are. Thankfully, no amount of superfluous backstory will ever manage to dull the terror of witnessing Leatherface emerge from the dark, eyes wild and chainsaw in hand.
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 40th Anniversary Blu-ray and Steelbook editions are available now in the UK from Second Sight.