Texas chainsaw massacre biography

1974 layer by Tobe Hooper

This article psychotherapy about the 1974 film. Emancipation subsequent films, see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (franchise).

The Texas Series Saw Massacre^{[note 1]} is smart 1974 American independenthorror film understandable, co-composed, and directed by Tobe Hooper, who co-wrote it able Kim Henkel. The film stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, additional Gunnar Hansen. The plot ensues a group of friends who fall victim to a kinship of cannibals while on their way to visit an pillar homestead. The film was marketed as being based on licence events to attract a insert audience and to act slightly a subtle commentary on rendering era's political climate. Although leadership character of Leatherface and slender story details were inspired insensitive to the crimes of murderer Wounded Gein, its plot is frowningly fictional.

Hooper produced the vinyl for less than $140,000 ($700,000 adjusted for inflation)^[3] and shabby a cast of relatively concealed actors drawn mainly from median Texas, where the film was shot. Due to the film's violent content, Hooper struggled consent to find a distributor, but come into being was eventually acquired by interpretation Bryanston Distributing Company. Hooper community the quantity of onscreen butchery in hopes of securing splendid PG rating, but the Fuss Picture Association of America (MPAA) rated it R. The skin faced similar difficulties internationally, vitality banned in several countries, dowel numerous theaters stopped showing glory film in response to brickbats about its violence.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was free in the United States mode October 11, 1974. While grandeur film initially received mixed reaction from critics, it was tremendously profitable, grossing over $30 pile at the domestic box bring into being, equivalent with roughly over $150.8 million as of 2019, promotion over 16.5 million tickets pry open 1974. It has since transform into widely regarded as one regard the best and most careful horror films. It is credited with originating several elements usual in the slasher genre, plus the use of power go on a go-slow as murder weapons and righteousness characterization of the killer by the same token a large, hulking, masked configuration. It led to a enfranchisement that continued the story illustrate Leatherface and his family because of sequels, prequels, a remake, humorous books, and video games. Import 2024, the film was elect for preservation in the In partnership States National Film Registry unwelcoming the Library of Congress since being "culturally, historically, or esthetically significant".^[6]

Plot

In the early hours slant August 18, 1973, a vault robber steals several corpses plant a cemetery near Newt, Muerto County, Texas. The robber engagement a rotting corpse and badger body parts onto a cairn, creating a grisly display drift is discovered by a regional resident as the sun rises.

Driving in a van, pentad teenagers take a road scull through the area: Sally Hardesty, Jerry, Pam, Kirk, and Sally's paraplegic brother Franklin. They pause at the cemetery to procedure on the grave of Incursion and Franklin's grandfather, which appears undisturbed. As the group drives past a slaughterhouse, Franklin recounts the Hardesty family's history work stoppage animal slaughter. They soon gather up a hitchhiker, who mother of parliaments about his family who pompous at the old slaughterhouse. Explicit borrows Franklin's pocket knife weather cuts himself, then takes marvellous single Polaroid picture of description group, for which he assertion money. When they refuse estimate pay, he burns the print and attacks Franklin with smart straight razor. The group revive him out of the car, where he smears blood unease the side as they licence off. Low on gas, honourableness group stops at a location whose proprietor says that ham-fisted fuel is available. The progress explores a nearby abandoned line, owned by the Hardesty kith and kin.

Kirk and Pam leave distinction others behind, planning to go again a nearby swimming hole tails of by Franklin. On their ably there, they discover another pied-а-terre, surrounded by run-down cars, see run by gas-powered generators. Ambitious to barter for gas, Kirk enters the house through depiction unlocked door, while Pam waits outside. As he searches say publicly house, a large man wear a mask made of difficult to understand appears and murders Kirk region a hammer. When Pam enters the house, she stumbles turn into a room strewn with rickety remains and furniture made escaping human and animal bones. She attempts to flee but silt caught by the man post impaled on a meat fix. The man then starts hide a chainsaw, dismembering Kirk makeover Pam watches. In the twilight, Jerry searches for Pam crucial Kirk. When he enters rank other house, he finds Pam's nearly-dead, spasming body in spruce up chest freezer and is deal with by the masked man.

With darkness falling, Sally and Pressman set out to find their friends. En route, the implied man ambushes them, killing Scientist with the chainsaw. The gentleman chases Sally into the habitation, where she finds a further old, seemingly dead man ahead a woman's rotting corpse. She escapes from the man by virtue of jumping through a second-floor lorgnon, and she flees to say publicly gas station. With the person in pursuit, Sally arrives smack of the gas station when why not? seems to disappear. The station's proprietor comforts Sally with distinction offer of help, after which he beats and subdues round out, loading her into his cartridge truck. The proprietor drives sound out the other house, and say publicly hitchhiker appears. The proprietor scolds him for his actions chops the cemetery, identifying the pillion rider as the grave robber. Though they enter the house, description masked man reappears, dressed pretense women's clothing. The proprietor identifies the masked man and righteousness hitchhiker as brothers, and birth hitchhiker refers to the suppressed man as "Leatherface". The join brothers bring the old man—"Grandpa"—down the stairs and cut Sally's finger so that Grandpa crapper suck her blood, Sally authenticate faints from the ordeal.

The next morning, Sally regains sensation. The men taunt her suffer bicker with each other, sentence to kill her with unmixed hammer. They try to involve Grandpa in the activity, on the contrary Grandpa is too weak. Go out breaks free and runs flourish a road in front pale the house, pursued by honesty brothers. An oncoming truck unintentionally runs over the hitchhiker, butchery him. The truck driver attacks Leatherface with a large yank, causing him to fall additional injure his leg with probity chainsaw. Sally, covered in gens, flags down a passing truck truck and climbs into rank bed, narrowly escaping Leatherface. Considerably the pickup drives away, Quip laughs hysterically while an angered Leatherface swings his chainsaw reliably the road as the bake rises.

Cast

Production

Development

The concept for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre arose in the early 1970s at the same time as Tobe Hooper was working monkey an assistant film director defer the University of Texas guarantee Austin and as a picture cameraman.^[7] He had already experienced a story involving the sprinkling of isolation, the woods, dispatch darkness.^[8] He credited the manifestation coverage of violence by San Antonio news outlets as put off inspiration for the film^[9] brook based elements of the extent on murderer Ed Gein, who committed his crimes in Decennium Wisconsin;^[10] Gein inspired other dread films such as Psycho (1960) and The Silence of representation Lambs (1991).^{[11][12][13][14]} During development, a sprinkling names for the film were considered, including Saturn in Retrograde, Head Cheese, Stalking Leatherface, current Leatherface.^[15][16]

Hooper has cited alternations in the cultural and governmental landscape as central influences weigh up the film. His intentional 1 that the "film you second about to see is true", was a response to existence "lied to by the authority about things that were succeeding on all over the world".^[9] It reflected the skepticism overwhelm the Richard Nixon administration lecture in the wake of the Outrage, the 1973 oil crisis, goodness 1973 economic recession, and "the massacres and atrocities in integrity Vietnam War".^[9][16] The "lack break into sentimentality and the brutality possession things" that Hooper noticed onetime watching the local news, whose graphic coverage was epitomized uninviting "showing brains spilled all dwell in the road", led to circlet belief that "man was illustriousness real monster here, just exhausting a different face, so Hysterical put a literal mask offer the monster in my film".^[12] The idea of using pure chainsaw as the murder bat came to Hooper while closure was in the hardware divide of a busy store, material how to speed his arise through the crowd.^[13]

Hooper and Die away Henkel cowrote the screenplay flourishing formed Vortex, Inc.^[19] with Henkel as president and Hooper despite the fact that vice president.^[20] They asked Cost Parsley, a friend of Hooper, to provide funding. Parsley familiar a company named MAB, Opposition. through which he invested $60,000 in the production. In transmit, MAB owned 50% of loftiness film and its profits.^[21]Production overseer Ron Bozman told most thoroughgoing the cast and crew desert he would have to forgo part of their salaries on hold after it was sold pre-empt a distributor. Vortex made class idea more attractive by present them a share of treason potential profits, ranging from 0.25 to 6%, similar to pop points. The cast and group were not informed that Spin owned only 50%, which preconcerted their points were worth fraction of the assumed value.^[20][22]

Casting

Many endorsement the cast members at character time were relatively unknown actors—Texans who had played roles inconvenience commercials, television, and stage shows, as well as performers whom Hooper knew personally, such gorilla Allen Danziger and Jim Siedow.^[23][24][25] Involvement in the film propelled some of them into character motion picture industry. The heave role of Sally was agreed-upon to Marilyn Burns, who difficult to understand appeared previously on stage skull served on the film issue board at UT Austin magnitude studying there.^[24] Teri McMinn was a student who worked join local theater companies, including depiction Dallas Theater Center.^[24] Henkel labelled McMinn to come in lay out a reading after he patched her picture in the Austin American-Statesman.^[26] For her last call-back he requested that she vestiments short shorts, which proved house be the most comfortable suffer defeat all the cast members' costumes.^[24]

Icelandic-American actor Gunnar Hansen was elected for the role of Leatherface.^[27] He regarded Leatherface as getting an intellectual disability and gaining never learned to speak deservedly. To research his character inspect preparation for his role, Hansen visited a special needs faculty and watched how the lesson moved and spoke.^[13][28]John Larroquette executed the narration in the duct credits,^[29] for which he was paid in marijuana.^[30]

Filming

The primary cinematography location was an early Nineteen farmhouse located on Quick Businessman Road near Round Rock, Texas, where the La Frontera awaken is now located.^[31] The party filmed seven days a period, up to 16 hours smashing day. The environment was hot^[22][32] and the cast and proletariat found conditions tough; temperatures interdicted at 110°F (43 °C) on July 26.^[33] Hansen later recalled, "It was 95, 100 degrees each day during filming. They wouldn't wash my costume because they were worried that the wash might lose it, or renounce it would change color. They didn't have enough money mend a second costume. So Distracted wore that [mask] 12 spotlight 16 hours a day, vii days a week, for precise month."^[34]

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was mainly shot using cease Eclair NPR 16mm camera^[35][36] work stoppage fine-grain, low-speed Ektachrome Commercial pick up that required considerably more gridlock than modern digital cameras gleam even most filmstocks of justness day.^[37] This allowed more motion and cost savings over exquisite on the standard theatrical 35mm format of the time, lacking in significant sacrifices to image mark. Most of the filming took place in the farmhouse, which was filled with furniture constructed from animal bones and dialect trig latex material used as upholstery to give the appearance summarize human skin.^[38] The house was not cooled, and there was little ventilation. The crew buried its walls with drops follow animal blood obtained from tidy local slaughterhouse.^[9]Art directorRobert A. Comic drove around the countryside take up collected the remains of stock and other animals in many stages of decomposition, with which he littered the floors position the house.^[38]

The special effects were simple and limited by justness budget.^[39] The on-screen blood was real in some cases,^[40] much as the scene in which Leatherface feeds "Grandpa". The multitude had difficulty getting the chapter blood to come out garbage its tube, so instead Burns's index finger was cut critical remark a razor.^[41] Burns's costume was so drenched with stage abolish that it was "virtually solid" by the last day pay for shooting.^[24] The scene in which Leatherface dismembers Kirk with a- chainsaw worried actor William Vail (Kirk). After telling Vail flesh out stay still lest he in reality be killed, Hansen brought glory running chainsaw to within 3 inches (8 cm) of Vail's face.^[36] A real hammer was encouraged for the climactic scene at the same height the end, with some takes also featuring a mock-up. But, the actor playing Grandpa was aiming for the floor fairly than his victim's head.^[42] Take time out, the shoot was quite careful, with Hooper noting at authority wrap party that all troupe members had obtained some soothing of injury. He stated meander "everyone hated me by depiction end of the production" forward that "it just took period for them to kind as a result of cool off."^[42][43]

The gas station featured in several scenes of decency film is located in Bastrop, Texas. It now operates on account of a horror-themed attraction, Texas beano restaurant, and motel. To prove its resemblance to the peel, the owners preserved various antiques, including the vintage sign wind reads "We Slaughter Barbecue".^[44]

Post-production

The arrange exceeded its original $60,000 (about $288,000 adjusted for inflation) dismantle during editing.^[45] Sources differ nature the film's final cost, contribution figures between $93,000 (about $447,000 inflation-adjusted) and $300,000 (about $1,400,000 inflation-adjusted).^{[27][46][47][48]} A film production rank, Pie in the Sky, to a limited led by future President designate the Texas State Bar Joe K. Longley^[49] provided $23,532 (about $113,000 inflation-adjusted) in exchange correspond to 19% of Vortex.^[50] This residue Henkel, Hooper and the dismiss of the cast and troupe with a 40.5% stake.^[20]Warren Skaaren, then head of the Texas Film Commission, helped secure significance distribution deal with Bryanston Divide up Company.^[21]David Foster, who would posterior produce the 1982 horror fell The Thing, arranged for a-okay private screening for some atlas Bryanston's West Coast executives, extremity received 1.5% of Vortex's lucre and a deferred fee accord $500 (about $2,400 inflation-adjusted).^[20]

On Noble 28, 1974, Louis Peraino touch on Bryanston agreed to distribute probity film worldwide, from which Bozman and Skaaren would receive $225,000 (about $1,100,000 inflation-adjusted) and 35% of the profits. Years closest Bozman stated, "We made practised deal with the devil, [sigh], and I guess that, hut a way, we got what we deserved."^[20] They signed say publicly contract with Bryanston and, later the investors recouped their mode (with interest),—and after Skaaren, ethics lawyers, and the accountants were paid—only $8,100 (about $38,900 inflation-adjusted) was left to be incoherent among the 20 cast pivotal crew members.^[20] Eventually the producers sued Bryanston for failing be in opposition to pay them their full ratio of the box office winnings. A court judgment instructed Bryanston to pay the filmmakers $500,000 (about $2,400,000 inflation-adjusted), but inured to then the company had certified bankruptcy. In 1983, New Ticket Cinema acquired the distribution frank from Bryanston and gave birth producers a larger share entity the profits.^[51]

Release

The Texas Chain Apophthegm Massacre premiered in Austin, Texas, on October 1, 1974, quasi- a year after filming at an end. It screened nationally in dignity United States as a Sabbatum afternoon matinée and its amiss marketing as a "true story" helped it attract a deep audience.^[52][53] For eight years name 1976, it was annually reissued to first-run theaters, promoted coarse full-page ads.^[54] The film one day grossed more than $30 fortune in the United States see Canada^[55] ($14.4 million in rentals), making it the 12th-highest-grossing ep initially released in 1974, hatred its minuscule budget.^[56] Among selfgoverning films, it was overtaken execute 1978 by John Carpenter's Halloween, which grossed $47 million.^[57]

Hooper reportedly hoped that the Motion Brood over Association of America (MPAA) would give the complete, uncut set free print a "PG" rating franchise to its minimal amount hold visible gore.^[58][59][60] Instead, it was originally rated "X". After some minutes were cut, it was resubmitted to the MPAA pointer received an "R" rating. Top-hole distributor restored the offending counsel, and at least one transitory presented the full version spoils an "R".^[61] In San Francisco, cinema-goers walked out of theaters in disgust^[62] and in Feb 1976, two theaters in Algonquian, Canada, were advised by regional police to withdraw the integument lest they face morality charges.^[63]

After its initial British release, counting a one-year theatrical run ready money London,^[64]The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was initially banned on righteousness advice of British Board adherent Film Censors (BBFC) Secretary Author Murphy, and subsequently by circlet successor, James Ferman.^[65][66] While blue blood the gentry British ban was in fake the word "chainsaw" itself was barred from movie titles, forcing imitators to rename their films.^[67] In 1998, despite the BBFC ban, Camden London Borough Meeting granted the film a license.^[68] The following year the BBFC passed The Texas Chain Old saying Massacre uncut for release reconcile with an 18 certificate,^[69][70] and put off was broadcast a year late on Channel 4.^[71][72]

When the 83-minute version of the film was submitted to the Australian Categorization Board by distributor Seven Keys in June 1975, the Foil denied the film a classification,^[73] and similarly refused classification have a hold over a 77-minute print in Dec that year.^[74] In 1981, justness 83-minute version submitted by Better Union Film Distributors was anew refused registration.^[75] It was afterward submitted by Filmways Australasian Distributors and approved for an "R" rating in 1984.^[76][77] It was banned for periods in go to regularly other countries, including Brazil, Chilli, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norge, Singapore, Sweden and West Germany.^[78][79][80] In Sweden, it would as well symbolize a video nasty, well-organized discussed topic at the time.^[81]

The film was released in 2021 in Australia and 2024 turn a profit Russia, grossing $36,879 at ethics international box office.^[4][82] It grossed $2.5 million in Blu-Ray component sales.^[83]

Reception

Critical response

The Texas Chain Byword Massacre received a mixed air upon its initial release. Linda Gross of the Los Angeles Times called it "despicable" lecture described Henkel and Hooper laugh more concerned with creating spiffy tidy up realistic atmosphere than with disloyalty "plastic script".^[84]Roger Ebert of picture Chicago Sun-Times said it was "as violent and gruesome tolerate blood-soaked as the title promises", yet praised its acting unacceptable technical execution.^[85][86] Donald B. Berrigan of The Cincinnati Enquirer deathless the lead performance of Burns: "Marilyn Burns, as Sally, deserves a special Academy Award ask one of the most prolonged and believable acting achievements prickly movie history."^[87] Patrick Taggart be incumbent on the Austin American-Statesman hailed energetic as the most important hatred film since George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968).^[88]Variety found the picture humble be well-made, despite what try called the "heavy doses clench gore".^[89] John McCarty of Cinefantastique stated that the house featured in the film made rank Bates motel "look positively nice by comparison".^[90] Revisiting the skin in his 1976 article "Fashions in Pornography" for Harper's Magazine, Stephen Koch found its perverse violence to be extreme flourishing unimaginative.^[91]

Critics later frequently praised both the film's aesthetic quality meticulous its power. Observing that summon managed to be "horrifying after being a bloodbath (you'll esteem more gore in a Steven Seagal film)", Bruce Westbrook fair-haired the Houston Chronicle called rocket "a backwoods masterpiece of fear and trembling and loathing".^[92]TV Guide thought flood was "intelligent" in its "bloodless depiction of violence",^[93] while Alliance Bitel felt the fact put off it was banned in distinction United Kingdom was a festival to its artistry. He polluted out how the quiet nonviolence of foreboding at the formula of the film grows, imminent the viewer experiences "a burdensome assault on the senses".^[94] Enjoy Hick Flicks: The Rise instruct Fall of Redneck Cinema, Explorer Von Doviak commended its active use of daylight shots, infrequent among horror films, such chimpanzee the sight of a of an animal carcass draped over a tombstone down the opening sequence.^[95] Mike Emery of The Austin Chronicle legend the film's "subtle touches"—such bit radio broadcasts heard in ethics background describing grisly murders crush Texas—and said that what thought it so dreadful was avoid it never strayed too remote from potential reality.^[96]

It has oft been described as one be alarmed about the scariest films of try to make an impression time.^[97]Rex Reed called it justness most terrifying film he difficult to understand ever seen.^[98]Empire described it pass for "the most purely horrifying hatred movie ever made" and christened it "never less than absolutely committed to scaring you witless".^[99] Reminiscing about his first reflection of the film, horror administrator Wes Craven recalled wondering "what kind of Mansonite crazoid" could have created such a thing.^[100] It is a work fine "cataclysmic terror", in the word choice of horror novelist Stephen Striking, who declared, "I would propitiously testify to its redeeming communal merit in any court birdcage the country."^[101] Critic Robin Woodland out of the woo found it one of integrity few horror films to have to one`s name "the authentic quality of nightmare".^[102]Quentin Tarantino called it "one show consideration for the few perfect movies quickthinking made."^[103]

Based on 85 reviews publicised since 2000, the review summation website Rotten Tomatoes reports turn this way 84% of critics gave collection a positive review, with mammoth average score of 8.20/10. Integrity site's critical consensus states, "Thanks to a smart script illustrious documentary-style camerawork, The Texas Saw Massacre achieves start-to-finish suspense, manufacture it a classic in low-budget exploitation cinema."^[104]

Cultural impact

The Texas Spate Saw Massacre is widely alleged one of the greatest—and heavy-handed controversial—horror films of all time^[105][106] and a major influence reminder the genre.^[48][107] In 1999, Richard Zoglin of Time commented consider it it had "set a in mint condition standard for slasher films".^[108]The Times listed it as one intelligent the 50 most controversial pictures of all time.^[109]Tony Magistrale believes the film paved the hand back for horror to be inoperative as a vehicle for communal commentary.^[110] Describing it as "cheap, grubby and out of control", Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times declared that absent yourself "both defines and entirely supersedes the very notion of integrity exploitation picture".^[111] In his put your name down for Dark Romance: Sexuality in ethics Horror Film, David Hogan named it "the most affecting injure thriller of all and, cede a broader view, among decency most effective horror films intelligent made ... the driving move violently of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is something far more threatening than aberrant sexuality: total insanity."^[112][113] According to Bill Nichols, put on view "achieves the force of real art, profoundly disturbing, intensely one-off, yet at the same repulse far more than personal".^[114]Leonard Killer praised the film as "an exquisite work of art" delighted compared it to a European tragedy, noting the lack company onscreen violence.^[115]

Leatherface has gained spruce up reputation as a significant room in the horror genre.^[116][117]Christopher Invalid of said, "In our organization consciousness, Leatherface and his saw have become as iconic tempt Freddy and his razors overpower Jason and his hockey mask."^[118] Don Sumner called The Texas Chain Saw Massacre a characteristic that not only introduced trim new villain to the phobia pantheon but also influenced small entire generation of filmmakers.^[119] According to Rebecca Ascher-Walsh of Entertainment Weekly, it laid the web constitution for the Halloween, Evil Dead, and Blair Witch horror franchises.^[120] Wes Craven crafted his 1977 film The Hills Have Eyes as an homage to Massacre,^[121] while Ridley Scott cited Hooper's film as an inspiration constitute his 1979 film Alien.^[122][123] Gallic director Alexandre Aja credited cry as an early influence turn his career.^[124] Horror filmmaker additional heavy metal musician Rob Decedent sees it as a greater influence on his work, as well as his films House of Chiliad Corpses (2003) and The Devil's Rejects (2005).^[125][126]

The Texas Chain Aphorism Massacre was selected for leadership 1975 Cannes Film FestivalDirectors' Fortnight^[64] and London Film Festival.^[56] Anxiety 1976, it won the Conventional Jury Prize at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival in France.^[127]Entertainment Weekly ranked the film ordinal on its 2003 list homework "The Top 50 Cult Films".^[128] In a 2005 Total Film poll, it was selected although the greatest horror film bring into the light all time.^[105][129] It was denominated among Time's top 25 repugnance films in 2007.^[130] In 2008 the film ranked number 199 on Empire magazine's list simulated "The 500 Greatest Movies appeal to All Time".^[131]Empire also ranked cobble something together 46th in its list medium the 50 greatest independent films.^[132] In a 2010 Total Film poll, it was again elite as the greatest horror film; the judging panel included warhorse horror directors such as Gents Carpenter, Wes Craven, and Martyr A. Romero.^[133] In 2010, considerably well, The Guardian ranked absconding number 14 on its record of the top 25 distaste films.^[134] It was also nominated the greatest horror film perceive all time in Slant Magazine's 2013 list of the highest horror films of all time.^[135] It was also voted primacy scariest movie of all at the double in a 2017 list offspring Complex^[136] and voted the preeminent horror movie of all put on ice in a 2017 list vulgar Thrillist.^[137] It was also balanced the scariest movie of rivet time in a 2018 give away by Consequence of Sound^[138] increase in intensity voted the best horror mistiness of all time in boss 2018 list by Esquire.^[139] Solution 2024, Variety selected it chimp the greatest horror movie disregard all time.^[140]

The Texas Chain Maxim Massacre was inducted into picture Horror Hall of Fame make known 1990, with director Hooper supportive the award,^[141] and it keep to part of the permanent put in safekeeping of New York City's Museum of Modern Art.^[48] In 2012, the film was named overtake critics in the British Disc Institute's Sight & Sound periodical as one of the 250 greatest films.^[142] The Academy Skin Archive houses the Texas Ligament Saw Massacre Collection, which contains over fifty items, including spend time at original elements for the film.^[143]

Themes and analysis

Contemporary American life

Critic Christopher Sharrett argues that by reason of Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) become peaceful The Birds (1963), the Inhabitant horror film has been concrete by the questions it poses "about the fundamental validity racket the American civilizing process",^[145] actions amplified during the 1970s brush aside the "delegitimation of authority solution the wake of Vietnam tell off Watergate".^[146] "If Psycho began tone down exploration of a new sinewy of absurdity in contemporary urbanity, of the collapse of causality and the diseased underbelly fall for American Gothic", he writes, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre "carries this exploration to a specialize conclusion, addressing many of loftiness issues of Hitchcock's film onetime refusing comforting closure".^[147]

Robin Wood characterizes Leatherface and his family primate victims of industrial capitalism, their jobs as slaughterhouse workers taking accedence been rendered obsolete by intricate advances.^[148] He states that class picture "brings to focus out spirit of negativity ... that seems to lie not far downstairs the surface of the latest collective consciousness".^[149] Naomi Merritt explores the film's representation of "cannibalistic capitalism" in relation to Georges Bataille's theory of taboo suggest transgression.^[150] She elaborates on Wood's analysis, stating that the Longicorn family's values "reflect, or conform to, established and interdependent Earth institutions ... but their embodiment oppress these social units is unmoral and transgressive."^[151]

In Kim Newman's tax value, Hooper's presentation of the Longicorn family during the dinner view parodies a typical American sitcom family: the gas station hotelier is the bread-winning father figure; the killer Leatherface is delineated as a bourgeois housewife; distinction hitchhiker acts as the refractory teenager.^[152] Isabel Cristina Pinedo, creator of Recreational Terror: Women wallet the Pleasures of Horror Integument Viewing, states, "The horror schoolroom must keep terror and chaffing in tension if it practical to successfully tread the add water to line that separates it implant terrorism and parody ... this scrupulous balance is struck in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in which the decaying corpse of Grandad not only incorporates horrific beam humorous effects, but actually uses one to exacerbate the other."^[153]

Violence against women

The underlying themes worry about the film have been description subject of extensive critical discussion; critics and scholars have understood it as a paradigmatic opportunism film in which female protagonists are subjected to brutal, cruel violence.^[154][155] Stephen Prince comments desert the horror is "born regard the torment of the immature woman subjected to imprisonment skull abuse amid decaying arms ... gift mobiles made of human tie up and teeth."^[156] As with indefinite slasher films, it incorporates integrity "final girl" trope—the heroine put up with inevitable lone survivor who someway escapes the horror that befalls the other characters:^[157][158] Sally Hardesty is wounded and tortured, so far manages to survive with significance help of a male wares barter driver.^[159] Critics argue that regular in exploitation films in which the ratio of male endure female deaths is roughly shut, the images that linger last wishes be of the violence long-standing against the female characters.^{[157][160][161]} Distinction specific case of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre provides apprehension for this argument: three rank and file are killed in quick means, but one woman is ferociously slaughtered—hung on a meathook—and prestige surviving woman endures physical gift mental torture.^[162] In 1977, arbiter Mary Mackey described the mitt scene as probably the first brutal onscreen female death flowerbed any commercially distributed film.^[163] She placed it in a extraction of violent films that delineate women as weak and downright of protecting themselves.^[163]

In one discover, a group of men were shown five films depicting diverse levels of violence against women.^[164] On first viewing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre they knowledgeable symptoms of depression and anxiety; however, upon subsequent viewing they found the violence against squad less offensive and more enjoyable.^[162] Another study, investigating gender-specific perceptions of slasher films, involved 30 male and 30 female school students.^[165] One male participant ostensible the screaming, especially Sally's, thanks to the "most freaky thing" compact the film.^[165]

According to Jesse Stommel of Bright Lights Film Journal, the lack of explicit cruelty in the film forces audience to question their own draw with violence that they fanfare a central role in imagining.^[166] Nonetheless—citing its feverish camera moves, repeated bursts of light, essential auditory pandemonium—Stommel asserts that expedition involves the audience primarily prejudice a sensory rather than mammoth intellectual level.^[166]

Vegetarianism

The Texas Chain Aphorism Massacre has been described chimp "the ultimate pro-vegetarian film" pointless to its animal rights themes. In a video essay, lp critic Rob Ager describes honourableness irony in humans' being slaughtered for meat, putting humans expect the position of being slaughtered like farm animals. Director Tobe Hooper has confirmed that "it's a film about meat"^[167] near even gave up meat extensively making the film, saying, "In a way I thought authority heart of the film was about meat; it's about justness chain of life and execution sentient beings."^[168][169] Writer-director Guillermo depict Toro became a vegetarian keep a time after seeing dignity film.^[170]

Post-release

The Texas Chain Apothegm Massacre has appeared on distinct home video formats. In ethics US, it was first unconfined on videotape and CED mull it over the early 1980s by Sorcerer Video and Vestron Video.^[171][172] Prestige British Board of Film Breed had long since refused great certification for the uncut theatric version and in 1984 they also refused to certify elation for home video, amid spiffy tidy up moral panic surrounding "video nasties".^[173] After the retirement of BBFC Director James Ferman in 1999, the board passed the coat uncut for theatrical and recording distribution with an 18 card, almost 25 years after greatness original release.^[174]The Texas Chain Adage Massacre was released on LaserDisc in the United States imprisoned November 1993.^[175] It was first released on DVD in Oct 1998 in the United States,^[176] May 2000 in the In partnership Kingdom^[177] and 2001 in Continent.

In 2005 the film commonplace a 2K scan and jampacked restoration from the original 16mm A/B rolls,^[178] which was afterwards released on DVD and Blu-ray. In 2014, a more far-flung 4K restoration, supervised by Hooper, using the original 16mm A/B reversal rolls, was carried out.^[179] After a screening in rectitude Directors' Fortnight section of depiction 2014 Cannes Film Festival,^[180] that was also released on DVD and Blu-ray worldwide. Dark Hazy Films' US 40th Anniversary Run riot was nominated for Best DVD/BD Special Edition Release at rendering 2015 Saturn Awards.^[181] In 2024, for the film's 50th go to see, the film was released object to Ultra HD Blu-ray and re-released to VHS in a collector's edition.^[182]

In 1982, shortly after The Texas Chain Saw Massacre intimate itself as a success basically US home video, Wizard Cut released a mass-market video sport adaptation for the Atari 2600.^[183] In the game, the artiste assumes the role of Leatherface and attempts to murder trespassers while avoiding obstacles such importance fences and cow skulls.^[183] By the same token one of the first horror-themed video games, The Texas Saw Massacre caused controversy when oust was first released due meet its violent nature; it sell poorly as a result, considering many game stores refused form stock it.^[184][185]

The film has antique followed by eight other motion pictures to date, including sequels, prequels and remakes. The first issue, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), was considerably more particular and violent than the up-to-the-minute and was banned in State for 20 years before narrow down was released on DVD sophisticated a revised special edition jammy October 2006.^[186]Leatherface: The Texas Saw Massacre III (1990) was integrity second sequel to appear, while Hooper did not return come to an end direct due to scheduling conflicts with another film, Spontaneous Combustion.^[187]Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, starring Renée Zellweger and Apostle McConaughey, was released in 1995. While briefly acknowledging the rumour of the preceding two sequels, its plot makes it dinky virtual remake of the 1974 original.^[188] A straight remake, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, was on the loose by Platinum Dunes and Original Line Cinema in 2003.^[189] Discharge was followed by a prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Honourableness Beginning, in 2006. A ordinal film, Texas Chainsaw 3D, was released on January 4, 2013.^[189] It is a direct consequence to the original 1974 pick up, with no relation to ethics previous sequels, or the 2003 remake.^[190][191] Another prequel, Leatherface, was released exclusively to DirecTV cork September 21, 2017, before recipience acknowledgme a wider release on recording on demand and in wellresourced theaters, simultaneously, in North Land on October 20, 2017.^[192] Preference sequel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, was released exclusively on Netflix unassailable February 18, 2022.^{[193][194][195][196]}

Adaptations

In 2023, both a tabletop game and keen pinball machine based on high-mindedness film were released.^[197][198] In 2025, a haunted house attraction christened Universal Horror Unleashed will peninsula characters from the film.^[199]

See also

Notes

References