Texas chainsaw massacre biography

1974 tegument casing by Tobe Hooper

This article wreckage about the 1974 film. Lead to subsequent films, see The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (franchise).

The Texas Helotry Saw Massacre^{[note 1]} is neat 1974 American independenthorror film roll in, co-composed, and directed by Tobe Hooper, who co-wrote it considerable Kim Henkel. The film stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, promote Gunnar Hansen. The plot chases a group of friends who fall victim to a kinship of cannibals while on their way to visit an column homestead. The film was marketed as being based on correctly events to attract a insert audience and to act reorganization a subtle commentary on justness era's political climate. Although honourableness character of Leatherface and insignificant story details were inspired insensitive to the crimes of murderer Brisk Gein, its plot is chiefly fictional.

Hooper produced the ep for less than $140,000 ($700,000 adjusted for inflation)^[3] and euphemistic preowned 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 covenant find a distributor, but cry was eventually acquired by significance Bryanston Distributing Company. Hooper want the quantity of onscreen carnage in hopes of securing natty PG rating, but the Press Picture Association of America (MPAA) rated it R. The release faced similar difficulties internationally, build banned in several countries, extra numerous theaters stopped showing nobleness film in response to criticism about its violence.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was on the rampage in the United States theory October 11, 1974. While representation film initially received mixed receiving from critics, it was tremendously profitable, grossing over $30 mint at the domestic box control, equivalent with roughly over $150.8 million as of 2019, arrange over 16.5 million tickets just the thing 1974. It has since progress widely regarded as one rule the best and most wholesale horror films. It is credited with originating several elements everyday in the slasher genre, as well as the use of power attain as murder weapons and significance characterization of the killer importance a large, hulking, masked vip. It led to a poll that continued the story good deal Leatherface and his family say again sequels, prequels, a remake, hilarious books, and video games. Enjoy 2024, the film was preferred for preservation in the Common States National Film Registry get by without the Library of Congress introduce being "culturally, historically, or esthetically significant".^[6]

Plot

In the early hours ransack August 18, 1973, a mausoleum robber steals several corpses running off a cemetery near Newt, Muerto County, Texas. The robber handcuffs a rotting corpse and pristine body parts onto a shrine, creating a grisly display wind is discovered by a shut up shop resident as the sun rises.

Driving in a van, fin teenagers take a road splash through the area: Sally Hardesty, Jerry, Pam, Kirk, and Sally's paraplegic brother Franklin. They barge in at the cemetery to progression on the grave of Military foray and Franklin's grandfather, which appears undisturbed. As the group drives past a slaughterhouse, Franklin recounts the Hardesty family's history unwavering animal slaughter. They soon go up against up a hitchhiker, who alliance about his family who diseased at the old slaughterhouse. Prohibited borrows Franklin's pocket knife instruct cuts himself, then takes a- single Polaroid picture of magnanimity group, for which he insistency money. When they refuse elect pay, he burns the image and attacks Franklin with unembellished straight razor. The group bracing reserves him out of the car, where he smears blood introduce the side as they try off. Low on gas, ethics group stops at a position whose proprietor says that rebuff fuel is available. The committee explores a nearby abandoned villa, owned by the Hardesty lineage.

Kirk and Pam leave rank others behind, planning to summon a nearby swimming hole play a part by Franklin. On their restore there, they discover another scaffold, surrounded by run-down cars, pointer run by gas-powered generators. Hopeful to barter for gas, Kirk enters the house through nobleness unlocked door, while Pam waits outside. As he searches primacy house, a large man taxing a mask made of doubtful appears and murders Kirk second-hand goods a hammer. When Pam enters the house, she stumbles walkout a room strewn with wrecked remains and furniture made running away human and animal bones. She attempts to flee but enquiry caught by the man at an earlier time impaled on a meat in one`s clutches gre. The man then starts emerge a chainsaw, dismembering Kirk similarly Pam watches. In the crepuscular, Jerry searches for Pam stomach Kirk. When he enters excellence other house, he finds Pam's nearly-dead, spasming body in unadorned chest freezer and is stick by the masked man.

With darkness falling, Sally and Writer set out to find their friends. En route, the wearing a veil man ambushes them, killing Historiographer with the chainsaw. The male chases Sally into the council house, where she finds a as well old, seemingly dead man queue a woman's rotting corpse. She escapes from the man because of jumping through a second-floor looking-glass, and she flees to decency gas station. With the workman in pursuit, Sally arrives efficient the gas station when be active seems to disappear. The station's proprietor comforts Sally with birth offer of help, after which he beats and subdues on his, loading her into his pick-me-up truck. The proprietor drives forbear the other house, and rectitude hitchhiker appears. The proprietor scolds him for his actions officer the cemetery, identifying the pillion rider as the grave robber. Chimp they enter the house, position masked man reappears, dressed reaction women's clothing. The proprietor identifies the masked man and goodness hitchhiker as brothers, and probity hitchhiker refers to the implied man as "Leatherface". The deuce brothers bring the old man—"Grandpa"—down the stairs and cut Sally's finger so that Grandpa peep at suck her blood, Sally followed by faints from the ordeal.

The next morning, Sally regains knowing. The men taunt her promote bicker with each other, resolution to kill her with trig hammer. They try to contain Grandpa in the activity, on the contrary Grandpa is too weak. Set out breaks free and runs complete a road in front disregard the house, pursued by nobleness brothers. An oncoming truck by the way runs over the hitchhiker, smart him. The truck driver attacks Leatherface with a large spasm, causing him to fall tell off injure his leg with class chainsaw. Sally, covered in abolish, flags down a passing cartridge truck and climbs into righteousness bed, narrowly escaping Leatherface. Sort the pickup drives away, Quip laughs hysterically while an angered Leatherface swings his chainsaw back the road as the shaded rises.

Cast

Production

Development

The concept for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre arose in the early 1970s childhood Tobe Hooper was working whilst an assistant film director encounter the University of Texas hit out at Austin and as a pic cameraman.^[7] He had already formed a story involving the bit of isolation, the woods, talented darkness.^[8] He credited the distinct coverage of violence by San Antonio news outlets as individual inspiration for the film^[9] abide based elements of the estate 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 honourableness Lambs (1991).^{[11][12][13][14]} During development, not too names for the film were considered, including Saturn in Retrograde, Head Cheese, Stalking Leatherface, move Leatherface.^[15][16]

Hooper has cited instability in the cultural and administrative landscape as central influences contract the film. His intentional false trail, that the "film you restrain about to see is true", was a response to procedure "lied to by the authority about things that were conforming on all over the world".^[9] It reflected the skepticism aspect the Richard Nixon administration house the wake of the Scandal, the 1973 oil crisis, nobleness 1973 economic recession, and "the massacres and atrocities in class Vietnam War".^[9][16] The "lack adherent sentimentality and the brutality mimic things" that Hooper noticed determine watching the local news, whose graphic coverage was epitomized tough "showing brains spilled all throng the road", led to sovereignty belief that "man was magnanimity real monster here, just exhausting a different face, so Rabid put a literal mask synchronize the monster in my film".^[12] The idea of using clean chainsaw as the murder instrument came to Hooper while sharptasting was in the hardware cut of meat of a busy store, cogitative how to speed his run out through the crowd.^[13]

Hooper and Skate Henkel cowrote the screenplay submit formed Vortex, Inc.^[19] with Henkel as president and Hooper translation vice president.^[20] They asked Valuation Parsley, a friend of Hooper, to provide funding. Parsley consider a company named MAB, Opposition. through which he invested $60,000 in the production. In go back, MAB owned 50% of goodness film and its profits.^[21]Production steward Ron Bozman told most do away with the cast and crew desert he would have to postpone part of their salaries while after it was sold give a lift a distributor. Vortex made honesty idea more attractive by trophy them a share of hang over potential profits, ranging from 0.25 to 6%, similar to hazard points. The cast and company were not informed that owned only 50%, which preconcerted their points were worth division of the assumed value.^[20][22]

Casting

Many search out the cast members at say publicly time were relatively unknown actors—Texans who had played roles show commercials, television, and stage shows, as well as performers whom Hooper knew personally, such sort Allen Danziger and Jim Siedow.^[23][24][25] Involvement in the film propelled some of them into picture motion picture industry. The shrink role of Sally was agreedupon to Marilyn Burns, who locked away appeared previously on stage innermost served on the film commitee board at UT Austin longstanding studying there.^[24] Teri McMinn was a student who worked constitute local theater companies, including blue blood the gentry Dallas Theater Center.^[24] Henkel denominated McMinn to come in school a reading after he flecked her picture in the Austin American-Statesman.^[26] For her last call-back he requested that she clothing short shorts, which proved unite be the most comfortable look up to all the cast members' costumes.^[24]

Icelandic-American actor Gunnar Hansen was chosen for the role of Leatherface.^[27] He regarded Leatherface as gaining an intellectual disability and gaining never learned to speak fittingly. To research his character start preparation for his role, Hansen visited a special needs kindergarten and watched how the genre moved and spoke.^[13][28]John Larroquette consummate the narration in the break credits,^[29] for which he was paid in marijuana.^[30]

Filming

The primary photography location was an early Xcl farmhouse located on Quick Comic Road near Round Rock, Texas, where the La Frontera situation is now located.^[31] The company filmed seven days a workweek, up to 16 hours marvellous day. The environment was hot^[22][32] and the cast and commonalty found conditions tough; temperatures pastel at 110°F (43 °C) on July 26.^[33] Hansen later recalled, "It was 95, 100 degrees now and then day during filming. They wouldn't wash my costume because they were worried that the washables might lose it, or stroll it would change color. They didn't have enough money shield a second costume. So Frantic wore that [mask] 12 strut 16 hours a day, septet days a week, for organized month."^[34]

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was mainly shot using break off Eclair NPR 16mm camera^[35][36] deal with fine-grain, low-speed Ektachrome Commercial pelt that required considerably more ducks than modern digital cameras playing field even most filmstocks of grandeur day.^[37] This allowed more motion and cost savings over penetrating on the standard theatrical 35mm format of the time, outdoors significant sacrifices to image unbeatable. Most of the filming took place in the farmhouse, which was filled with furniture constructed from animal bones and unembellished latex material used as upholstery to give the appearance gaze at human skin.^[38] The house was not cooled, and there was little ventilation. The crew subterranean clandestin its walls with drops check animal blood obtained from on the rocks local slaughterhouse.^[9]Art directorRobert A. Vaudevillian drove around the countryside vital collected the remains of pigs and other animals in assorted stages of decomposition, with which he littered the floors slant the house.^[38]

The special effects were simple and limited by righteousness budget.^[39] The on-screen blood was real in some cases,^[40] specified as the scene in which Leatherface feeds "Grandpa". The mob had difficulty getting the practice blood to come out snare its tube, so instead Burns's index finger was cut skilled a razor.^[41] Burns's costume was so drenched with stage tribe that it was "virtually solid" by the last day look after shooting.^[24] The scene in which Leatherface dismembers Kirk with ingenious chainsaw worried actor William Vail (Kirk). After telling Vail relate to stay still lest he in truth be killed, Hansen brought position running chainsaw to within 3 inches (8 cm) of Vail's face.^[36] A real hammer was tattered for the climactic scene suspicious the end, with some takes also featuring a mock-up. Despite that, the actor playing Grandpa was aiming for the floor comparatively than his victim's head.^[42] Break off, the shoot was quite anodyne, with Hooper noting at honesty wrap party that all engrave members had obtained some subdued of injury. He stated renounce "everyone hated me by influence end of the production" meticulous that "it just took geezerhood for them to kind work cool off."^[42][43]

The gas station featured in several scenes of blue blood the gentry film is located in Bastrop, Texas. It now operates little a horror-themed attraction, Texas dinner restaurant, and motel. To defend its resemblance to the vinyl, the owners preserved various antiques, including the vintage sign think it over reads "We Slaughter Barbecue".^[44]

Post-production

The acquire exceeded its original $60,000 (about $288,000 adjusted for inflation) reduce the price of during editing.^[45] Sources differ amount the film's final cost, hand over 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 lot, Pie in the Sky, partly led by future President depict the Texas State Bar Joe K. Longley^[49] provided $23,532 (about $113,000 inflation-adjusted) in exchange back 19% of Vortex.^[50] This undone Henkel, Hooper and the policy of the cast and multitude with a 40.5% stake.^[20]Warren Skaaren, then head of the Texas Film Commission, helped secure depiction distribution deal with Bryanston Separator Company.^[21]David Foster, who would succeeding produce the 1982 horror vinyl The Thing, arranged for graceful private screening for some realize Bryanston's West Coast executives, survive received 1.5% of Vortex's spoils and a deferred fee addict $500 (about $2,400 inflation-adjusted).^[20]

On Revered 28, 1974, Louis Peraino admire Bryanston agreed to distribute honourableness film worldwide, from which Bozman and Skaaren would receive $225,000 (about $1,100,000 inflation-adjusted) and 35% of the profits. Years posterior Bozman stated, "We made well-ordered deal with the devil, [sigh], and I guess that, get round a way, we got what we deserved."^[20] They signed honourableness contract with Bryanston and, aft the investors recouped their resources (with interest),—and after Skaaren, rectitude lawyers, and the accountants were paid—only $8,100 (about $38,900 inflation-adjusted) was left to be irrelevant among the 20 cast cranium crew members.^[20] Eventually the producers sued Bryanston for failing run into pay them their full piece of the box office gains. A court judgment instructed Bryanston to pay the filmmakers $500,000 (about $2,400,000 inflation-adjusted), but shy then the company had announced bankruptcy. In 1983, New Break in Cinema acquired the distribution up front from Bryanston and gave honourableness producers a larger share make out the profits.^[51]

Release

The Texas Chain Proverb Massacre premiered in Austin, Texas, on October 1, 1974, quasi- a year after filming at an end. It screened nationally in blue blood the gentry United States as a Weekday afternoon matinée and its fallacious marketing as a "true story" helped it attract a allembracing audience.^[52][53] For eight years puzzle out 1976, it was annually reissued to first-run theaters, promoted infant full-page ads.^[54] The film one of these days grossed more than $30 gazillion in the United States status Canada^[55] ($14.4 million in rentals), making it the 12th-highest-grossing peel initially released in 1974, discredit its minuscule budget.^[56] Among unrestrained films, it was overtaken gratify 1978 by John Carpenter's Halloween, which grossed $47 million.^[57]

Hooper reportedly hoped that the Motion Range Association of America (MPAA) would give the complete, uncut let go print a "PG" rating exam to its minimal amount avail yourself of visible gore.^[58][59][60] Instead, it was originally rated "X". After indefinite minutes were cut, it was resubmitted to the MPAA soar received an "R" rating. Exceptional distributor restored the offending question, and at least one edifice presented the full version botch-up an "R".^[61] In San Francisco, cinema-goers walked out of theaters in disgust^[62] and in Feb 1976, two theaters in Algonquin, Canada, were advised by resident police to withdraw the coating lest they face morality charges.^[63]

After its initial British release, together with a one-year theatrical run directive London,^[64]The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was initially banned on birth advice of British Board symbolize Film Censors (BBFC) Secretary Writer Murphy, and subsequently by sovereignty successor, James Ferman.^[65][66] While position British ban was in legation 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 Congress granted the film a license.^[68] The following year the BBFC passed The Texas Chain Byword Massacre uncut for release climb on an 18 certificate,^[69][70] and soaking was broadcast a year next on Channel 4.^[71][72]

When the 83-minute version of the film was submitted to the Australian Arrangement Board by distributor Seven Keys in June 1975, the Be directed at denied the film a classification,^[73] and similarly refused classification help a 77-minute print in Dec that year.^[74] In 1981, magnanimity 83-minute version submitted by Worthier Union Film Distributors was encore refused registration.^[75] It was subsequent submitted by Filmways Australasian Distributors and approved for an "R" rating in 1984.^[76][77] It was banned for periods in profuse other countries, including Brazil, Chilli, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Norge, Singapore, Sweden and West Germany.^[78][79][80] In Sweden, it would further symbolize a video nasty, great discussed topic at the time.^[81]

The film was released in 2021 in Australia and 2024 be sure about Russia, grossing $36,879 at depiction international box office.^[4][82] It grossed $2.5 million in Blu-Ray rural area sales.^[83]

Reception

Critical response

The Texas Chain Axiom Massacre received a mixed solve upon its initial release. Linda Gross of the Los Angeles Times called it "despicable" beginning described Henkel and Hooper chimp more concerned with creating practised realistic atmosphere than with untruthfulness "plastic script".^[84]Roger Ebert of influence Chicago Sun-Times said it was "as violent and gruesome famous blood-soaked as the title promises", yet praised its acting enthralled technical execution.^[85][86] Donald B. Berrigan of The Cincinnati Enquirer classic the lead performance of Burns: "Marilyn Burns, as Sally, deserves a special Academy Award cheerfulness one of the most continuous and believable acting achievements temper movie history."^[87] Patrick Taggart staff the Austin American-Statesman hailed ring out as the most important detestation film since George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968).^[88]Variety found the picture deceive be well-made, despite what gush called the "heavy doses snare gore".^[89] John McCarty of Cinefantastique stated that the house featured in the film made leadership Bates motel "look positively lovely by comparison".^[90] Revisiting the vinyl in his 1976 article "Fashions in Pornography" for Harper's Magazine, Stephen Koch found its ruthless violence to be extreme ride unimaginative.^[91]

Critics later frequently praised both the film's aesthetic quality deliver its power. Observing that lead to managed to be "horrifying penurious being a bloodbath (you'll watch more gore in a Steven Seagal film)", Bruce Westbrook position the Houston Chronicle called quicken "a backwoods masterpiece of consternation and loathing".^[92]TV Guide thought smack was "intelligent" in its "bloodless depiction of violence",^[93] while Fellowship Bitel felt the fact range it was banned in high-mindedness United Kingdom was a anniversary to its artistry. He spiny awkward out how the quiet reduce of foreboding at the birthing of the film grows, impending the viewer experiences "a hard assault on the senses".^[94] Auspicious Hick Flicks: The Rise squeeze Fall of Redneck Cinema, Actor Von Doviak commended its efficient use of daylight shots, different among horror films, such bit the sight of a cadaver draped over a tombstone enclose the opening sequence.^[95] Mike Emery of The Austin Chronicle divine the film's "subtle touches"—such likewise radio broadcasts heard in probity background describing grisly murders sourness Texas—and said that what complete it so dreadful was put off it never strayed too long way from potential reality.^[96]

It has usually been described as one reveal the scariest films of completed time.^[97]Rex Reed called it excellence most terrifying film he confidential ever seen.^[98]Empire described it chimpanzee "the most purely horrifying dread movie ever made" and named it "never less than unconditionally committed to scaring you witless".^[99] Reminiscing about his first reflection of the film, horror chief Wes Craven recalled wondering "what kind of Mansonite crazoid" could have created such a thing.^[100] It is a work prime "cataclysmic terror", in the word of horror novelist Stephen Counterfeit, who declared, "I would of one`s own accord testify to its redeeming communal merit in any court take away the country."^[101] Critic Robin Woodland out of the woo found it one of integrity few horror films to control "the authentic quality of nightmare".^[102]Quentin Tarantino called it "one fanatic the few perfect movies at all made."^[103]

Based on 85 reviews in print since 2000, the review complete website Rotten Tomatoes reports defer 84% of critics gave subway a positive review, with swindler average score of 8.20/10. Dignity site's critical consensus states, "Thanks to a smart script station documentary-style camerawork, The Texas Saw Massacre achieves start-to-finish suspense, creation it a classic in low-budget exploitation cinema."^[104]

Cultural impact

The Texas Cycle Saw Massacre is widely thoughtful one of the greatest—and ceiling controversial—horror films of all time^[105][106] and a major influence fend for the genre.^[48][107] In 1999, Richard Zoglin of Time commented deviate it had "set a creative standard for slasher films".^[108]The Times listed it as one chief the 50 most controversial movies of all time.^[109]Tony Magistrale believes the film paved the consume for horror to be shabby as a vehicle for public commentary.^[110] Describing it as "cheap, grubby and out of control", Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times declared that hold out "both defines and entirely supersedes the very notion of magnanimity exploitation picture".^[111] In his retain Dark Romance: Sexuality in decency Horror Film, David Hogan styled it "the most affecting butchery thriller of all and, spiky a broader view, among rectitude most effective horror films at any time made ... the driving fight back of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is something far more abhorrent than aberrant sexuality: total insanity."^[112][113] According to Bill Nichols, opinion "achieves the force of accurate art, profoundly disturbing, intensely in person, yet at the same disgust far more than personal".^[114]Leonard Robber praised the film as "an exquisite work of art" view compared it to a Grecian tragedy, noting the lack lecture onscreen violence.^[115]

Leatherface has gained regular reputation as a significant breathing space in the horror genre.^[116][117]Christopher Characterless of said, "In our common consciousness, Leatherface and his saw have become as iconic sort Freddy and his razors squalid Jason and his hockey mask."^[118] Don Sumner called The Texas Chain Saw Massacre a standard that not only introduced nifty new villain to the loathing pantheon but also influenced set entire generation of filmmakers.^[119] According to Rebecca Ascher-Walsh of Entertainment Weekly, it laid the construction 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 characterise his 1979 film Alien.^[122][123] Sculpturer director Alexandre Aja credited punch as an early influence all ears his career.^[124] Horror filmmaker viewpoint heavy metal musician Rob Deity sees it as a chief influence on his work, plus his films House of Chiliad Corpses (2003) and The Devil's Rejects (2005).^[125][126]

The Texas Chain Dictum Massacre was selected for authority 1975 Cannes Film FestivalDirectors' Fortnight^[64] and London Film Festival.^[56] Acquit yourself 1976, it won the Failed Jury Prize at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival in France.^[127]Entertainment Weekly ranked the film onesixth on its 2003 list supporting "The Top 50 Cult Films".^[128] In a 2005 Total Film poll, it was selected on account of the greatest horror film mislay all time.^[105][129] It was forename among Time's top 25 revulsion films in 2007.^[130] In 2008 the film ranked number 199 on Empire magazine's list take "The 500 Greatest Movies clean and tidy All Time".^[131]Empire also ranked in the buff 46th in its list garbage 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 trouper horror directors such as Closet Carpenter, Wes Craven, and Martyr A. Romero.^[133] In 2010, type well, The Guardian ranked abundant number 14 on its heave of the top 25 hatred films.^[134] It was also preferential the greatest horror film think likely all time in Slant Magazine's 2013 list of the highest horror films of all time.^[135] It was also voted ethics scariest movie of all in the house in a 2017 list inured to Complex^[136] and voted the pre-eminent horror movie of all age in a 2017 list gross Thrillist.^[137] It was also rolling the scariest movie of tumult time in a 2018 confer by Consequence of Sound^[138] contemporary voted the best horror blear of all time in efficient 2018 list by Esquire.^[139] Give back 2024, Variety selected it though the greatest horror movie go along with all time.^[140]

The Texas Chain Maxim Massacre was inducted into goodness Horror Hall of Fame display 1990, with director Hooper gaining the award,^[141] and it commission part of the permanent put in safekeeping of New York City's Museum of Modern Art.^[48] In 2012, the film was named gross critics in the British Ep Institute's Sight & Sound publication as one of the 250 greatest films.^[142] The Academy Layer Archive houses the Texas String Saw Massacre Collection, which contains over fifty items, including distinct original elements for the film.^[143]

Themes and analysis

Contemporary American life

Critic Christopher Sharrett argues that in that Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) courier The Birds (1963), the Land horror film has been cautious by the questions it poses "about the fundamental validity forestall the American civilizing process",^[145] events amplified during the 1970s unhelpful the "delegitimation of authority blot the wake of Vietnam elitist Watergate".^[146] "If Psycho began resolve exploration of a new notion of absurdity in contemporary entity, of the collapse of causality and the diseased underbelly operate American Gothic", he writes, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre "carries this exploration to a sketchy conclusion, addressing many of rendering issues of Hitchcock's film make your mind up refusing comforting closure".^[147]

Robin Wood characterizes Leatherface and his family in the same way victims of industrial capitalism, their jobs as slaughterhouse workers getting been rendered obsolete by technical advances.^[148] He states that leadership picture "brings to focus a-ok spirit of negativity ... that seems to lie not far nether the surface of the today's collective consciousness".^[149] Naomi Merritt explores the film's representation of "cannibalistic capitalism" in relation to Georges Bataille's theory of taboo careful transgression.^[150] She elaborates on Wood's analysis, stating that the Longicorn family's values "reflect, or write to, established and interdependent Land institutions ... but their embodiment tactic these social units is extraordinary and transgressive."^[151]

In Kim Newman's pose, Hooper's presentation of the Longicorn family during the dinner locale parodies a typical American sitcom family: the gas station 1 is the bread-winning father figure; the killer Leatherface is delineate as a bourgeois housewife; leadership hitchhiker acts as the unrestrainable teenager.^[152] Isabel Cristina Pinedo, initiator of Recreational Terror: Women nearby the Pleasures of Horror Crust Viewing, states, "The horror categorize must keep terror and jocularity in tension if it levelheaded to successfully tread the lanky line that separates it propagate terrorism and parody ... this breakable balance is struck in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in which the decaying corpse of Granddad not only incorporates horrific unacceptable humorous effects, but actually uses one to exacerbate the other."^[153]

Violence against women

The underlying themes near the film have been primacy subject of extensive critical discussion; critics and scholars have understood it as a paradigmatic realpolitik film in which female protagonists are subjected to brutal, perverted violence.^[154][155] Stephen Prince comments make certain the horror is "born be unable to find the torment of the immature woman subjected to imprisonment final abuse amid decaying arms ... take mobiles made of human put in and teeth."^[156] As with spend time at slasher films, it incorporates birth "final girl" trope—the heroine perch inevitable lone survivor who in one way escapes the horror that befalls the other characters:^[157][158] Sally Hardesty is wounded and tortured, much manages to survive with magnanimity help of a male odds driver.^[159] Critics argue that regular in exploitation films in which the ratio of male captivated female deaths is roughly synonymous, the images that linger prerogative be of the violence permanent against the female characters.^{[157][160][161]} Honourableness specific case of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre provides keep up for this argument: three joe public are killed in quick method, but one woman is remorselessly slaughtered—hung on a meathook—and honourableness surviving woman endures physical professor mental torture.^[162] In 1977, connoisseur Mary Mackey described the hook scene as probably the ceiling brutal onscreen female death stop in full flow any commercially distributed film.^[163] She placed it in a descent of violent films that draw women as weak and ill-equipped of protecting themselves.^[163]

In one peruse, a group of men were shown five films depicting various levels of violence against women.^[164] On first viewing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre they acquainted symptoms of depression and anxiety; however, upon subsequent viewing they found the violence against corps less offensive and more enjoyable.^[162] Another study, investigating gender-specific perceptions of slasher films, involved 30 male and 30 female rule students.^[165] One male participant stated doubtful the screaming, especially Sally's, little the "most freaky thing" dilemma the film.^[165]

According to Jesse Stommel of Bright Lights Film Journal, the lack of explicit bloodshed in the film forces addressees to question their own charisma with violence that they gambol a central role in imagining.^[166] Nonetheless—citing its feverish camera moves, repeated bursts of light, courier auditory pandemonium—Stommel asserts that niggardly involves the audience primarily verbal abuse a sensory rather than turnout intellectual level.^[166]

Vegetarianism

The Texas Chain Adage Massacre has been described whilst "the ultimate pro-vegetarian film" oral exam to its animal rights themes. In a video essay, skin critic Rob Ager describes nobleness irony in humans' being slaughtered for meat, putting humans notes the position of being slaughtered like farm animals. Director Tobe Hooper has confirmed that "it's a film about meat"^[167] become more intense even gave up meat reach making the film, saying, "In a way I thought authority heart of the film was about meat; it's about picture chain of life and soreness sentient beings."^[168][169] Writer-director Guillermo give Toro became a vegetarian carry a time after seeing honesty film.^[170]

Post-release

The Texas Chain Dictum Massacre has appeared on many home video formats. In say publicly US, it was first at large on videotape and CED terminate the early 1980s by Mage Video and Vestron Video.^[171][172] Ethics British Board of Film Type had long since refused copperplate certification for the uncut histrionic version and in 1984 they also refused to certify ask over for home video, amid spruce moral panic surrounding "video nasties".^[173] After the retirement of BBFC Director James Ferman in 1999, the board passed the lp uncut for theatrical and telecasting distribution with an 18 voucher card, almost 25 years after high-mindedness original release.^[174]The Texas Chain Apothegm Massacre was released on LaserDisc in the United States importance November 1993.^[175] It was at or in the beginning released on DVD in Oct 1998 in the United States,^[176] May 2000 in the Combined Kingdom^[177] and 2001 in Continent.

In 2005 the film normal a 2K scan and brimming restoration from the original 16mm A/B rolls,^[178] which was in a few words released on DVD and Blu-ray. In 2014, a more put the finishing touches to 4K restoration, supervised by Hooper, using the original 16mm A/B reversal rolls, was carried out.^[179] After a screening in picture Directors' Fortnight section of nobleness 2014 Cannes Film Festival,^[180] that was also released on DVD and Blu-ray worldwide. Dark Vault of heaven Films' US 40th Anniversary Demonstration was nominated for Best DVD/BD Special Edition Release at high-mindedness 2015 Saturn Awards.^[181] In 2024, for the film's 50th ceremony, the film was released surpass Ultra HD Blu-ray and re-released to VHS in a collector's edition.^[182]

In 1982, shortly after The Texas Chain Saw Massacre ingrained itself as a success state US home video, Wizard Recording released a mass-market video amusement adaptation for the Atari 2600.^[183] In the game, the contender assumes the role of Leatherface and attempts to murder trespassers while avoiding obstacles such in the same way fences and cow skulls.^[183] Pass for one of the first horror-themed video games, The Texas Saw Massacre caused controversy when be with you was first released due know about its violent nature; it wholesale poorly as a result, in that many game stores refused wish stock it.^[184][185]

The film has antediluvian followed by eight other flicks to date, including sequels, prequels and remakes. The first payoff, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), was considerably more clear and violent than the modern and was banned in Continent for 20 years before undertake was released on DVD pathway a revised special edition burden October 2006.^[186]Leatherface: The Texas Saw Massacre III (1990) was righteousness second sequel to appear, despite the fact that Hooper did not return barter 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 gossip of the preceding two sequels, its plot makes it dexterous virtual remake of the 1974 original.^[188] A straight remake, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, was unbound by Platinum Dunes and Virgin Line Cinema in 2003.^[189] Vicious circle was followed by a prequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Illustriousness Beginning, in 2006. A oneseventh film, Texas Chainsaw 3D, was released on January 4, 2013.^[189] It is a direct supplement to the original 1974 skin, with no relation to ethics previous sequels, or the 2003 remake.^[190][191] Another prequel, Leatherface, was released exclusively to DirecTV implication September 21, 2017, before admission a wider release on cut on demand and in narrow theaters, simultaneously, in North U.s. on October 20, 2017.^[192] Recourse sequel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, was released exclusively on Netflix idea February 18, 2022.^{[193][194][195][196]}

Adaptations

In 2023, both a tabletop game and practised pinball machine based on rendering film were released.^[197][198] In 2025, a haunted house attraction styled Universal Horror Unleashed will see in your mind's eye characters from the film.^[199]

See also

Notes

References