The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

"You could have dinner with us...", 3 August 2007

The plot of The Texas Chainsaw massacre is actually quite simple – A group of young people are traveling across Texas to visit a family grave-site before making their way to a concert. They run into a hitch-hiker and decide to give him a lift. Bad idea! It no time at all, they realize how crazy their new passenger is. But he's nothing compared with the rest of his family that our band of travelers is soon to encounter. They'll have to fight to stay alive or they'll become victims of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

If you were to ask me about what makes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre a horror classic and such a well remembered film, my answer would be even simpler than the movie's plot. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre has an intensity that few (if any) horror movies can match. In a nutshell, that's all there is to it. The intensity comes from the raw, gritty, brutal feel of the movie that, once the family is introduced, does not let up for a moment during the second half of the movie. Another contributing factor to the film's visceral edge is its realism. From the acting to the sets to the lighting, it all has a realistic, almost documentary feel to it as if the horrifying events on screen were actually happening. It is a gut-wrenching experience that never fails to leave me feeling drained. And isn't that the intent of a movie like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? As far as I'm concerned, this is what horror is all about.

I would be remiss if I wrote something on The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and didn't mention Marilyn Burns. Her performance is quite simply amazing. Some argue that all she does in the second half of the movie is scream. Well, have you ever tried to do that? Have you ever tried to look terrified beyond all imagination for that length of time? Her only defense mechanism against the terror she faced was to scream and Burns does that to perfection. I have no difficulty at all in proclaiming it one of the ten best performances by a female in a horror movie. She's just that good.

I try to restrict the 10/10 ratings I give out to those movies that I consider to be the best of the best. I want it to mean something. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the movies I'm quite comfortable in rating a 10/10.

10/10