Macabre...ish Horror Review: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

 

 

Texas Chainsaw Massacre, 1974/ 83 min.

 

A vandalized family plot is the reason Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns), her disabled brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain) and friends, Pam (Terry McMinn), Jerry (Allen Danziger) and Kirk (William Vail), are on a road trip. They are on the way to discover what’s happened to their grandfather’s grave and on the way, a stop off at the ancient Hardesty Homestead.

 

On the way, pick up a disturbed hitchhiker, he freaks them out after carving himself and Franklin up. So they toss him back out. As they drive away he marks their van with his blood. After unsuccessfully finding fuel. They continue on to the old Franklin House, the old Hardesty property, an old dilapidated family relic.

 

While looking for the swimming hole, Pam and Kirk, hear a gennie and head that way to ask the owner to borrow some fuel. What they find is another old house with a back lot hiding cars under a drape and teeth on the front porch. So of course, the only smart thing to do, is for Kirk to let himself into the unlocked front door. He’s welcomed with a sledgehammer to the skull.

 

Pam follows behind just to trip and falls into a gruesome room. The floor covered in scattered feathers, bones and refuse, decorated with a bench and wind chimes made of human bones. She makes a hasty escape too late, just to be dragged back and hung from a hook in the kitchen while a giant maniac (Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface) uses a chainsaw to butcher Kirk.

 

Soon they all end up guests at that house of horrors and welcomed with the hammer. Greeted by a monster wearing someone else’s face as a mask. Then the Hardesty siblings show up, yelling their way through the forest. The insufferable Franklin is spared the hammer and Sally runs right to the last place she’d ever get help. But her lung capacity and cardio is phenomenal.

 

She realizes the truth, it’s not just one house, it’s the area. But good news, she’s not greeted with their ‘Welcome’ hammer either but is invited to family dinner! And grandad really likes her. But the dinner games were terrible.

 

She left with a smile on her face. So that’s good! Right?

This horror classic is graphic and gory. That 70s cinematography makes it look like a documentary which makes it that much more realistic. Sally exemplifies scream queen and final girl perfectly! 

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