THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE

Marilyn Burns 

THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974). Director: Tobe Hooper. 

"No need to torture the poor girl."

Sally (Marilyn Burns), her brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain), and some friends travel to their childhood home to see if any of their relatives' graves were disturbed by grave robbers. Investigating what seems like a perfectly nice house nearby, two of the young people are almost immediately set upon by "Leatherface" (not referred to as such in the film) an obese, squealing man in a mask of flesh (Gunnar Hansen). Setting out to find their missing chums, Sally and Franklin come across Leatherface wielding his chainsaw. The only survivor of the attack, Sally is taken captive by Leatherface and his family,  and tries to hold onto her sanity as well as her life. 

The edge of disaster

Texas Chainsaw has been excoriated by people who have never seen it, because they imagine it is a grisly bloodbath, but the effects of the chainsaw upon flesh are never actually shown (which is not true of the sequels and remakes). However, the film is intense, with a disturbing and horrifying atmosphere. The emotional torture of the heroine eventually becomes repellent and can even seem misogynous to some. The soundtrack consists more of jangling eerie noises than music. It's interesting that the house Leatherface and his family live in appears so attractive and well-kept-up, at least on the outside. When Franklin refers to his grandfather's house as the "Franklin place," are we to assume that his full name is Franklin Franklin, or  was this just a mistake? 

Marilyn Burns

Many years have gone by since Texas Chainsaw premiered and there have been loads of similar films since then. How does it hold up? Well ... Despite all the gruesome goings-on in the final quarter, the movie actually becomes a little tedious, the ending isn't nearly as exciting as remembered, and there are times it seems rather schlocky to boot, although the art direction of the house of horrors is swell. Considering everything Marilyn Burns has to go through, she gives a damned good performance in this, never going over the top, detailing her character's shock and hysteria with aplomb (the repeated close-ups of her bulging eyes are over-the-top, however). She also appeared in Hooper's lousy follow-up, Eaten Alive. Edwin Neal is certainly vivid as the crazy Hitchhiker who is also a part of the family. All and all, Texas has been over-rated over the years. Psycho may not shock as it once did, but it is still a masterpiece. Texas was never a masterpiece, and it certainly isn't now. 

Verdict: Zesty if half-baked horror film. **1/2.