Day 233: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

And who will clean up when they're done?

As I've said before, the biggest reason for doing 365 Days of Horror is to watch movies I've always wanted to see, but for one reason or another, never had the chance to. This list includes a lot of classics, some of which may actually shock some people. One of these movies is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It's not like it's on television all that often and when it is, it's edited for time and content. I don't want to spend two and a half hours watching a movie that isn't even complete. Another possible reason for my hesitation in watching this movie is due to the large amount of poorly made sequels. These sequels are almost universally terrible and unintentionally funny, so that put me off from watching where it all started. It was time to put aside my hesitation and dive head first into this horror classic.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a 1974 exploitation horror movie written and directed by Tobe Hooper (Salem's Lot, Poltergeist). Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns, Eaten Alive, Helter Skelter) her wheel-chair bound brother Franklin (Paul Partain, Rolling Thunder, Race With The Devil), and three friends, Kirk, Pam, and Jerry, take a road trip to check on their grandather's grave after reports of grave-robbing in the area surfaced. While in the area, they decide to visit their old home. Along the way, they decide to pick up a hitchhiker (Edwin Neal, JFK, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers). The hitchhiker is clearly insane, talking and laughing frantically and cutting his own hand with a knife. When the group refuses to give him money, he takes out a razor and cuts Franklin's arm. They throw the hitchhiker out of the van and drive off. They get to a gas station to refuel, but the worker informs them that the pumps are empty, so the group drives on to the house. Kirk and Pam go off to find a water hole when they discover a nearby house. When no one appears home, Kirk goes inside and is bashed in the skull with a hammer by Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen, Campfire Tales, Brutal Massacre: A Comedy), a giant of a man that wears human skin as a mask. When Pam goes to check on Kirk, she discovers the house if full of both animal and human bones. She tries to flee, but Leatherface grabs her and impales her on a giant meat hook. When it gets dark, Jerry goes looking for Kirk and Pam and wanders into the house. He opens a freezer, revealing a barely-alive Pam inside. Before he can run, Leatherface kills him and stuffs Pam back inside the freezer. Sally and Franklin go to find their friends and as they approach the house, Leatherface brutally kills Franklin with a chainsaw. He chases Sally into the house where she discovers the rotting bodies of an elderly couple. In order to escape Leatherface, Sally jumps out a window and runs to the gas station. The worker promises to help her, but beats her with a broom and drives her back to the house where he picks up the hitchhiker from before. When Sally awakens, she is bound to a chair at a dinner table surrounded by the worker, the hitchhiker, Leatherface and their “Grandpa”. They torment Sally and want Grandpa to kill her. How will Sally escape?

Free hugs!

It's important to note that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre came out during the exploitation era of American movies. There has been a small revival of exploitation films in recent years, with films like Hostel and The Human Centipede, but I am a relative novice in that area. At first, I was a bit surprised that there wasn't much of a story involved with the movie. Essentially, these young people go to a house and are killed. That's about it. I thought there were be more of a back-story and was originally disappointed in the lack of a plot. Eventually, I realized that the purpose of the movie isn't to have anything beyond the brutal murders and the scary, deranged family. Admittedly, the movie is a bit slow up until the killings begin with the last 20 minutes being the real payoff. For being an exploitation horror movie, there is actually not that much blood and gore. You probably see worse in an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie in all honesty. What makes the movie so scary is not blood and guts, but the brutal frankness of the violence. There is no remorse from Leatherface and the family and no amount of begging will stop them. They are monsters in the truest sense, taking pleasure in their sickness.

The movie is ugly and twisted and I mean that as a compliment. It is well-made, far better than what one would expect from a movie like this. Tobe Hooper uses multiple camera angles and extreme closeups to convey the horror of certain situations and fear from the characters. One interesting thing I noticed during the movie is the lack of music. There is some percussion sporadically placed throughout the movie, but not much more. This allows for every hit of a hammer, slice of a chainsaw, and scream from Sally to be heard. It certainly adds to the overall “realness” of the movie, making it all the scarier. The screams started to wear on me towards the end, but I suppose that's the only real reaction to a situation like the one Sally was in. There is some social commentary in the movie with “man” being the monster, but it is subtle enough where the audience may not even notice it. The acting is believable throughout the movie which helps give the movie a realistic feel. Basing some of the characters of the real-life killer Ed Gein helped bring this feeling to life. I have read that the movie is supposed to have a documentary-type feel, but I didn't pick up on that notion.

Just take a little off the top

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a simple, brutal film. The story is extremely basic which may surprise some people who may be expecting something more complex than just “young people are killed by maniacs because they happen to be there.” Once you realize that that is the purpose of the movie, it's frees the audience to become enveloped by the horror. The movie is a little slow until the killing starts and the last quarter of the movie is full of violence and excitement. There isn't as much gore as I expected, which is fine, because the movie is still plenty scary. Tobe Hooper is able to capture the horror well with his creative camera work and real-world setting. Though the sequels are questionable and some downright terrible, the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is well worth your time.

8/10

Day 220: The Return

The Return

Cataracts are no laughing matter

I remember watching the very first episode of the Buffy The Vampire Slayer television series and absolutely loving it. It had the perfect mixture of horror, action, and genuinely funny comedy. What made the show work so well was the strong performance of Sarah Michelle Gellar. She was a believable action star that was capable of being serious and quirky. She made the jump to the big screen with such popular movies as Cruel Intentions and The Grudge. After that, the movie choices became questionable and she decided to focus on home life with her husband Freddie Prinze Jr. Despite her later movies not doing so well, I am at least aware that they exist, such as the Scooby-Doo movies and Southland Tales. It was to my surprise that I came across a horror starring Sarah Michelle Gellar that I never heard of before.

The Return is a 2006 horror thriller starring Sarah Michelle Gellar (The Grudge, Buffy The Vampire Slayer) as Joanna Mills. Joanna is a traveling representative for a trucking company and agrees to take a business trip to her native Texas. She has avoided the state for years after a troubled youth there., brought on by a car accident. There, she reconnects with an old friend and her father, but begins to suffer from bizarre visions. Strange occurrences such as hearing a man's voice, recurring music, and seeing the inside of a bar she's never been to before begin to effect her. Joanna begins to self-mutilate, or cut herself, to deal with the visions, but they only become more specific with a man she does not recognize harassing her. Joanna is able to find that the bar she is seeing is actually in a small town in Texas called La Salle. She goes to the town and meets a man named Terry Stahl (Peter O'Brien, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Casualty) who was suspected of murdering his wife years ago. They have a strong connection, but Joanna's visions become more intense and get in the way of their relationship. Her visions lead her to a mechanic in town and when she questions him, the mechanic becomes hostile and begins to follow her. How are the visions connected to Terry and his wife and what does the mechanic want with Joanna?

Where is Giles, Willow, and Xander when you need them?

There is a good reason why I have never heard of The Return. The movie tries so hard to be creative , and while I commend the creators for at least trying to do things differently, it just doesn't work. It's forced to be creative because the story is convoluted and confused. The story unfolds in such a disjointed way that it almost impossible to follow what is happening. It doesn't help that the pacing of The Return is akin to a death march through the desert. It's hard to keep interested in a movie where very little happens and any action that does occur is either confusing or shot so poorly that you can't focus. A steady camera would have done wonders for my eyes and my brain. A shaky camera was probably necessary to convey a real sense of fear since the story wasn't capable of achieving real emotion. While there are some elements of horror, the movie is closer to a thriller, albeit with very little thrills. It goes for psychological, but is never capable of tapping into the human imagination or psyche.

Sarah Michelle Gellar tries to make the best of a bad story, but comes off as confused as the audience. I suppose that's a good thing since we are supposed to be along the ride with her, but it feels like she's only read 1 page ahead in the script and has no idea what is going to happen. Peter O'Brien is far too broody for my liking. The relationship between Joanna and Terry is far too convenient for the story's purposes and is entirely unbelievable. Director Asif Kapadia (The Warrior, Far North) does not capture the horror necessary to make the movie thrilling. Many scenes look like they were shot in a sepia tone, which I suppose fits in with the Texas landscape, but is not visually pleasing. The movie has a little bit of action, but not enough to keep things interesting.

OK, so the movie does one thing right

The Return tries to be a horror thriller and manages to be neither. The story is too weak and the pacing is so slow I am surprised moss isn't growing on the screen. There is very little action to speak of and the suspense in the movie is countered by the disjointed storytelling and shaky camera work. It doesn't help that the acting isn't very good and the relationship between Joanna and Terry is not believable. Like I said, there is a good reason why most people haven't heard of The Return. Little advertising combined with a bad story has banished this movie to the rental shelves where it should stay forever.

2.5/10