I do not intend to see the film again in order to review it; you can rest
assured that my recollection of this film has not decreased over the last
twenty odd years - finding the picture to illustrate this piece brought back
some interesting emotions.I am not particularly fond of the horror genre, violence and gore I can
generally take but this film steps beyond the normal boundaries of being
scary, horrific and violent; it is a exercise in inducing pure psychological
fear.
In that respect the film is one of the best horror films which has ever
been made; I congratulate Hooper on what he achieved and The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre was the first in a long line of splatter films which jumped
on the bandwagon soon after.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre ( and subsequent films, most notably
Driller Killers ), were banned by the British Film Board of Censors,
almost as soon as they left the cutting room but now, twenty five years
later, the censors have decided to allow it to be re-released.
I am not sure that this is a wise move but it follows an interesting change
of stance during 1998; Saving Private Ryan, which has
been one of the most traumatising war films presented since war became a topic
of film making, was released with a 15 rating and The Exorcist, also on
the banned list for an awfully long time, left the list that year.
Some critics claim that what seemed, "Truly horrific", back in the late
seventies, is now unsensational; this may be true of what were once called
hardcore sex films, Come Play With Me and the Confessions
of ... series, but even then, these were generally seen to be light-hearted
romps. Okay, they were a little more risque than Brian Rix comedies but
everyone knew they weren't that hardcore, especially after a brief trip into
London's Soho cinemas.
Whilst televised sex over cable and satellite may have made many more aware
of what is hardcore and what isn't, and may have given many older films a new
lease of life on the late night soft porn channels, it doesn't follow
that everything frowned upon in the late seventies, or at anytime, is now
suitable for current day viewing.
In this respect, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a film which, I would
imagine, has retained the true essence of its horror over the years, much as
The Exorcist appears to have.
Its success arose not through its visual trickery, special effects or even a
particularly frightening storyline but through the director's ability to
genuinely scare the audience.
People having their hands cut open with razor blades, being hung on meat
hooks and disembowelled by chainsaws may not be excessively frightening in
their own right to some viewers; but they aren't particularly pleasant to see.
What is truly frightening is the fact that a willing suspension of
disbelief can be turned into a sensation of, "This could happen to me, this
could all be happening somewhere, now".
That the film is very loosely based upon a true story, embellished somewhat,
detracts none from the director's achievement.
This is a truly horrific and frightening film; it works at a deeply subconscious
level and is truly shocking in its delivery.
It is perhaps the best horror film ever made, it is also, for the very same
reasons one of the worst.
