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I still remember the first time i saw this movie. I was alone in the dark at the age of 13 and holy shit i remember i couldn't move as the movie was on because of the intensity, brings back great memories. I wish movies today can do what this movie did to me back then. The feeling of dread in this movie is so strong. The last act is so bizare you can't help but love it. The one and only, they can keep making sequels and remakes but nothing will ever come close to the original. The only thing that is annoying is the guy in the wheelchair and when he has his temper tantrum, you just wanna slap him for being so annoying
What can I say that has not already been said. Great movie that still holds it's place as one of the best. Creepy, Scary, Bloody, Leatherface is slasher at his greatest.
One of the greatest horror films of all time. I love the atmosphere & characters.
Posted By: evil_ash86 at 12:59am, October 17, 2009
i can honestly say, this movie gave me nightmares, and that's the way i like it! Leatherface was creepy, and the way he killed that wheelchair-bound guy was scariest, because there was no way he could movie out of his spot!
Overall the best Horror movie of all time, oneo f the scariest films since HALLOWEEN (1978) It's an INSTANT CLASSIC! The sequels SUCKED. The reamke in 2003 was AMAZING but not better than this. The prequel THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE BEGGINING was one of the worst peice's of crap out there.
Posted By: YoungHorror at 12:19am, September 24, 2009
A very scary, creepy, and powerful film, and as you know it's a classic. I find the final 10 seconds or so (Thomas' chainsaw dance) a very, very powerful and amazing way to end the movie. Loved every second of it
Posted By: bloodnguts313 at 6:13am, September 10, 2009
VERY SCARY! This movie creeped me out as a kid. Great movie instant classic!
Absolute classic film here. Not a typical slasher. It's gritty, scary, realistic and highly entertaining.
Posted By: xXFacelessXx at 9:49pm, August 31, 2009
I just bought this movie about a week ago and finished watching it last night. I didn't know what to expect, so I checked some of the stand points about this movie on the interent and I figured this movie is going to be hell, boy was I right. I'm gonna be very forward and say that I loved this movie and it was genuinely terrifying. Even for as old as this movie is, to this day it still manages to strike some kind of fear inside of you. The only problems with this movie was that some of the characters were annoying as well as the acting and it made me want to watch the remake again. Other than that I can't think of anything bad about this movie. Leatherface was awesome and the look (that also provided the feel) of this movie was awesome. I don't know whether I should rate this five of five because I know everyone is or has, but obviously it's that good, plus, since I got the 2-Disc, the features make it that much better. This was a movie that was never seen of or attempted at the time and I could only imagine the horror it brought. It was the first terror film ever and it definately impressed. I think the vote is unanimous.
HANDS DOWN ONE OF THE BEST HORROR CLASSICS OF ALL TIME PERIOD!!!THE BIRTH OF ALMIGHTY LEATHERFACE!!
Posted By: ActionJackson at 12:22am, August 26, 2009
If Psycho is the GrandDaddy of Modern Horror/Slasher Films, then this Movie is definately the Great Uncle!! To this Day, No other Film in History terrifys me as much as this one has and continues to do so. So much in fact, although I own it on Dvd, I plan a once a Year Viewing cause its about all I can take! Sometimes as you watch this Film, you almost Forget this is only a Movie and you find yourself wrapped up in these Twisted "Peoples' Lives, like some bad Snuff Flick! Theres no "Music", no "Reason" why these People Kill except for the pure Joy of it? And the Dialog itself is so understated that like I said, you forget at times this is a Movie! The Surprises, Suspense and believe it or not, even with a Title like "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" has very Little Blood, Like I wrote on the Original "Halloween" Sometimes Less is More! Seeing the Character Of Pam slammed upon a Meat Hook as her BoyFriend lays before her getting Carved up for tonights Dinner, No Blood, yet you can almost Hear the Chainsaw hitting into the Bone of this poor Smuck or worse yet, "Imagine" what is really going on! Imagination sometimes is far more scary than seeing it thrown at you. By the time this Movie Hits its Stride with the Character of Sally Fighting for Her Life and may I add, doing things like throwing herself threw Windows, Glass and all, and running like Hell and not looking back even while having a Switch Blade slicing at her back only adds to the Realism of this Movie! You find yourself screaming at her, "Run Bitch, Run"! I mean, cummon, wouldn't you if your life depended on it, throw yourself out of a two story farm house window? This Movie Starts Realistic and ends just as much with Leatherface, after losing his Prey, dancing with his Chainsaw as the Sun Sets in the Background. No, one last Scare, the Killer isn't really Dead, or it comes back to life from a Lighting Bolt, Just a simple ending to an Extraordinary, scary as Hell, Roller Coaster of a ride, Truly Terrifying, Thrill Ride of a Movie!! Definately watch this one with Someone You Love!!!
i'm sure i'll get alot of shit for this, but i actually like the re-make better. this is still great though. i love the last few scenes, but in my opinion the re-make was much darker and disturbing. stil a classic though and definitely worth watching.
One of my favs of 70's horror. It really uses the power of suggestion to the max!!! Marilyn Burns is the greatest Scream Queen of all-time!!! Her performance, especially during the "dinner sequence" is flawless. You can feel her fear oozing from the screen. The locations were top notch as well. Very worn & dirty!!! Excellent film!!! A timeless cinematic classic!!!
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a classic horror movie, that us fresh even now. A group of freinds are picked off one by one, by the mass murdurous Leatherface, a sick killer who lives with his insane family, and an insane community. The survivours must fight to the death, and avoid the chains of terror. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre may be old, but it's ideas are fresh, and doesn't bore you. The acting is superb and never fails with it's cheesey, perfect script. The plot is simple, yet insane at the same time. It's brutal, gory and fun, everything a horror movie should be. The soundtrack is amazing, and doesn't fail to scare the hell outta' the viewers. Don't expect a low - budget flick here, because once youv'e seen this you'll never watch a Wrong Turn movie again.
Overall, a solid, perfect peice of gory, disturbing horror. A must watch for fans of gory action.
the stand alone great'est of them all,we go on an on with whats new only to most of the time be let down....this film gave absolute terror....PURE...... never really need'n to go down the guts n gore lane.....just 100% tension.... just like others from that era (The Exorcist,Last house on left)
Okay.. This is going to sound terrible.. But I grew up with the remake.. I mean.. I didn't even know what remakes were when the remake was bad.. So to watch this and try to like it.. Was just a bit hard. But I managed to anyway! Just loved it!!
its grizzly...wish the kills lived up to the title more, i seem only to get satisfaction from the TCM flicks only when i see leatherface...i dont care to much for his family
To really scare myself with horror movies I try to imagine myself in those situations. With TCM I don't think I could've ran that long like Sally did when she was trying to get away from Leatherface. That was a lot of ass-hauling! And she got caught anyway, oops...
I watched this movie for the first time on the same day that I saw the remake a few years ago. I really wanted to see the original first so I went and bought it that morning and watched it before I went to see the remake that night. It kinda ruined the remake for me because this is by far the superior version. I can understand how kids would like the flashier, gorier update but this is a goddamn classic. Reading an in-depth review would be a waste of time because it is much more effective if you just watch it.
This my fiends is one of the movies that started the slasher genre. It doesn't contain much gore but it does contain a violent tone that was not seen until 1974 and quite frankly haven't seen since. It may look like a low budget film but you'll walk away shocked, horrified and afraid to go to Texas
This is the greatest "snuff", I mean horror movie of all time! A classic! It doesn't get any better than, when Leatherface slams that metal door after pounding the guys head with a hammer!
What do the words “Crushing Disappointment” mean to you personally? Think about that one for a second. Certainly in your long list of disappointments, there is bound to be a new release film you saw that didn’t fit the awesome-amazing-godly vision you anticipated in your head. However, reading reviews of older films, I rarely see this term used. If someone dislikes an older film, they say something like: “It’s just the most overrated movie of all time.” But very rarely do I ever see anyone have the audacity to say an older film is completely worthless, then give an intelligent reasoning for their opinion, even if they were completely disappointed with the older film. Maybe this is because we as a society have some sort of ludicrous respect for older films, even when they don’t deserve it. Though I was not completely disappointed with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre—far from it—I will give intelligent reasoning as to why those blind-eyed by nostalgia need to realize this film has not aged in golden perfection. Also, I’ll try to help those who were completely disappointed with this film to understand why it isn’t total trash.
Because I lived in a semi-sheltered household, I didn’t grow up on horror movies. In my recent years, I count this as a blessing, because I can review films without any nostalgic bias whatsoever. Nostalgia is the problem with so many reviews I read of this movie. Someone who saw The Texas Chain Saw Mass cure at the age of 5 and went in their pants is going to grow up proclaiming to the masses that it is “THE scariest movie of all time!” While, in opposite, a 20-year-old man viewing the film for the first time is going to say that “Hostel was more terrifying than this cheesy crap!” because Hostel is more modern and he can relate to it more. It’s all a matter of perspective. Personally, I didn’t see anything scary about this movie whatsoever. I can, however, see how someone would think that. Just because something is old and was effective to an older audience does not mean it’s effective to a modern audience. If you want to live in absurd denial that The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the scariest movie of all time, no exceptions, then may I ask who is being more immature: you, or the “kids” you claim no nothing about horror?
In the opposite spectrum, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is in the top 5 most important horror films of all time, like it or not. That isn’t an opinion. In its time, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was a purely original idea, and to this day there has never been a film like it. While some will argue that it’s far “inferior” to the “superior” remakes, they fail to see that the original was far more groundbreaking. The remakes strayed from the original plot and pumped it full of clichés. The original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre gave built a far more complete atmosphere and refused to explain any of the events that transpired in the film, except in the opening monologue. This is a far more original form of storytelling, and, to me, and most other people, is far more effective. It is inarguably more realistic.
But what The Texas Chain Saw Massacre doesn’t have is flawless production value. Compared to movies today, this is almost like watching an indie YouTube video. The production value has aged, and it’s important to understand that. Hooper’s directing is still very technical and well-done, but that just can’t blot out the deeply aged edge. For example, it’s very obvious that Hooper was trying to shoot for a PG-rating initially. The lack of on-screen gore is very annoying at times, because by today’s standards, it’s incredibly tame, even if it was on-screen. Also, the acting from the secondary characters is very unbelievable, even laughable, at points. I personally can appreciate all this lack of polish, because it’s far more unsealing than the clean-cut politically-correct remakes.
Overall, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre may not hold up to the blockbuster status, but it doesn’t have to. It wasn’t meant to. It was one of the first examples of pure, raw, anti-stylistic intensity captured on film. That’s what its legacy is built around. That’s why The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was so important in its time.
Like it or not, find it cheesy or unnerving, find it scary or laughable, you can’t deny that the film still has something that very few other movies—modern or not—don’t have. Intensity. Uncertainty. Confusion. Originality. Even if you find the film purely disappointing, can you name a whole lot of other horror movies that have these characteristics? I can count them on one hand. And The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is the granddaddy of them all.
Posted By: Necronatalusz at 9:13pm, February 23, 2009
Great movie!
Posted By: TheBurning at 12:36pm, February 14, 2009
really awesome! my favorite slasher flick. and very disturbing. its very well done and the acting isnt as cheezy as u'd think!
Posted By: Bloodymuffins at 4:23pm, February 6, 2009
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre deserves the respect that it has earned over the years. After watching it for the first time last month I was surprised at how bloodless it actually was but, that is where it genius comes in. Hooper managed to film it in such a way that it still felt gruesome and left me chilled to the bone. It is a great example of how bare bones film making can still turn out a shocking classic.
Posted By: cjhorrorfan13 at 9:49pm, February 5, 2009
this is a classic! i love every min of it!
i love the chase scene and the end scene!
i just love this film so much
BIG FAN!
Posted By: horrorfan25 at 9:13am, January 24, 2009
The texas chain saw massacre is in my top ten list of my favorite movies. This movie was fun, scary, and built up the tension. The acting was just perfect. You liked everybody and when (MINOR SPOILER) someone would die (END OF SPOILER) you would feel bad for them. The first thirty minutes starts out a little slow but after that, that's when we actually get to the good stuff. I have never seen the remake but I might, since The texas chain saw massacre is one of my favorite horror movies. I definitely recommend this film. It is a great horror movie that actually is scary.
This is my second favorite horror film. The atmosphere is so dark and depressing when leatherface is introduced, the scene where the guy gets hit in the head with the mallet and gets pulled in the room is my favorite scene ever, most of the movie is left to your imagination. It has little to no gore, but it is still burnt into my memory as one of the most disturbing movies in history.
Posted By: Fridaythe13th at 12:42am, January 19, 2009
What can you say about an absolutely brilliant and classic horror film? TCM is by far one of the most influential flicks this genre has seen and deservingly so. The feel of this movie is what it is all about: digusting! Amazing!
Posted By: MikeIsEvil at 11:23pm, January 15, 2009
How this movie remains a cult classic(or how it even got to that standard) is beyond me. Overrated does not cover it. This movie is no different from anyother low budget 70's filmed that was put to the side. Horrible acting, not scary at all not even disturbing. Maybe, MAYBE it was scary and disturbing when it came out in the 70's but this movie is just bad. It has everything a bad movie has, yet it gets praised like the holy grail of Horror. Good potential perfectly wasted on this........"cult classic"...
Posted By: EddieGorefan at 8:31pm, December 22, 2008
one of the best horror movies ive ever seen!
Posted By: rterrell24 at 8:48am, December 20, 2008
THIS IS HORROR! My faverite horror film. This movie gets under your skin unlike anything you will believe. Just amazing all around.
The first time I watched this film, I was disturbed to the core. That family was nothing but a bunch of sick people! And the killer, Leatherface, is one of the most iconic serial killers to grace the screen. What is there to say about him? One: Looking at him in person would scare the shit out of anyone and Two: HE'S A RUTHLESS MANIAC (he doesn't know better, but that's beside the point)!!!!! The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is definitely a horror classic and a must see for anyone who is a fan of old school horror.
Posted By: gorehound62 at 5:14pm, November 14, 2008
if i were ever asked, What is the definitive horror film, one that will scare the pants off you, and is incredibly made, no thought would be made. The texas chainsaw massacre is so brutal, so real in its depiction, i beleive it to be the best made horror film of all time. from the first encounter with the hitchiker, to the final few seconds, the film is perfection. i personally beleive that the main factor in why the film is so terrifyingly real, is the lack of any soundtrack, an overlooked attribute. the abscense of a score gives the film a realism that has yet to be matched to this day. another quality is that leatherface, whom in my opinion is the greatest horror antagonist of all time, is based on a real person, serial killer ed gein. all around amazing film. a horror gem that has no equal.
Posted By: BK's Finest at 7:50pm, November 13, 2008
I really do not get why this movie is so loved. It probably was scary when it first came out, but, as I say with almost every torture/family of killers movie, I watch it and all I see is a wasted opportunity. The biggest flaw in TCM and movies like it, is that they are done from the victim's perspective. The victims are always stupid as fuck in these films. Stupid characters make for annoying film.
Seriously, who wouldn't want to watch this film from the Family's (i.e. interesting characters') perspective.
I'll give it credit for two incredible scenes though. The sledgehammer scene is one of the most brutal and awesome things ever put to film.
And the post-grandpa introduction parts of the dinner scenes. Grandpa rocks. An extra skull for each of these scenes.
This movie is a acid drenched surreal nightmare, a direct descent in hell !!!! From the twisted fucked up musical score , the crazed characters, the lonely middle of nowhere setting this movie will have you asking yourself, is this real or only a movie? That's how good this true classic is. The violence is brief but intense and the final 30 minutes with Marilyn Burns screaming non stop right until the final frame will have the most hardcore horror fan fucking reeling. This film is truly disturbing beyond belief. I love it!!! Along side Halloween and NOES this is a horror classic that still shreds the nerves raw after all these years. If you have not seen this your not a Horror fan. CLASSIC CLASSIC CLASSIC
Posted By: alienfetus at 12:02am, November 13, 2008
TCM is hands down one of the most disturbing horror films of all time. From the beginning with its opening dialogue to the demented ending, it plays out like a documentary that never was. Leatherface and the rest of the family come off as truly, realistically insane from cross dressing with female skin to a feeble grandpa with a blood lust extending into senility. Even by today's standards, it is unsettling and, for lack of a better word, crazy. That's the beauty of TCM. There's no real story here. There are no plot twists or secret motives that the main characters must figure out. It's just an insidious family tormenting a bunch of teens for the hell of it. It's a random act of senseless violence that isn't played up. It could happen to us. The killers aren't unstoppable or undead. They're not 6ft tall bad asses with axes or mutant rednecks. They're just fucking nuts!
Not only is the movie disturbing, to some it comes off as a little funny. Every time I see the movie I find myself laughing out loud at the outragiousness of it all and at the end of the movie, I find I'm not alone.
This is the best horror movie eva hands down. I just read review by PoisonKeyblade and was shocked, sayung the acting was trash, the acting was perfect. How could the hitchhiker be retarded, he was insane and awsum. This movie is raw and real and could happen to anyone. How would you like to hav run afoul Ed Gein , witch the movie is based on.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is, quite possibly, the most overrated film of all time. I've never been so psyched to see a movie, and the fact that I wasn't allowed to watch until my 13th birthday only made me all the more excited. I have to say that, other than the Pulse remake, the When a Stranger Calls remake, The Fog remake, the original Black Christmas, and Hard Candy, this movie is the biggest horror disappointment of my lifetime.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is directed by the "legendary" Tobe Hooper, but to be completely honest, I've seen few of his films. The only quality movie I've seen this guy direct is the remake of The Toolbox Murders. He does, however, fill this movie with a few interesting camera angles.
Sally (Marilyn Burns), her wheelchair-bound brother, Franklin (Paul A. Partain), and their three friends are on their way to visit their grandfather's grave in Texas. Along the way, they pick up a psychotic hitchhiker (Edwin Neal) on the side of the road who turns out to be more than they were expecting. The five friends soon wind up at a creepy old, seemingly-abandoned house where each of them exhibits a grizzly encounter with a shadowy menace known only as Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen). Sally flees for her life in a desperate attempt to help her friends as the others are killed off one by one at the hands of Leatherface and his sadistically twisted cannibalistic dysfunctional family.
All I knew about this film before watching it was that it was supposedly the 'definitive' horror movie, and it was said to be one of the best of all time. Not only is the remake far better than the overrated original, but the underrated prequel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning tops even the remake. For one, I really didn't like the overall "feel" of the movie. If this garbage was supposed to be scary, then something is seriously wrong here. I didn't even get chills, and everything scares me! The only scene that I truly found unnerving at best was when Leatherface hit a man on the top of the head with a sledgehammer. I found myself laughing more than screaming in fear. The scariest movie ever? I think not!
The acting was trash, although I did like the lead female and Leatherface. The hitchhiker was retarded and dull, and Sally's wheelchair-bound brother was one of the most annoying characters ever to hit the big screen. The movie is outdated and very ineffective compared to some of today's horror movies. I really don't see what everyone finds so spectacular about this film. The ending is a pathetic cop-out, although Leatherface's chainsaw dance is probably the most memorable thing about a mostly forgettable piece of cinema. The infamous dinner table sequence is also one of the better scenes, although it wasn't really anything special; the prequel did the scene much better. I will admit that some of the camera shots show some skill and are quite intriguing, but as a whole, there is nothing too impressive here. Sure, the movie looks like a documentary, but is that what we're really looking for in a horror movie?
Not everything about the picture is all bad. The tone and atmosphere were perfectly established in a very subtle manner, and the chase scene through the woods is utterly sensational. Skip this original flick in a well-known series; you're not missing much, trust me. Instead, check out the remake, or some of the quality sequels, or even the sensational prequel.
Yesterday I decided to lay down and watch the original and remake of this horror classic ! Having seen the original many years ago and remembering I didnt care much for it, I was expecting to enjoy the remake the most! Boy, was I wrong .. I totally fell for this movie and the whole insanity it portrays - Which is totally lacking in the remake BTW ..
Safe to say the majority in here have seen it or otherwise it's not hard to guess what it's about, but I will not comment on the last 30 minutes of the movie, it has to be seen ! And you can do it over and over again !
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the most terrifying thing that can happen. We have all seen terrifying horror films that gave us nightmares that it could happen to us. One of the most disgusting horror films that barely showed any blood and gore it just that feeling being in that house the family of cannibals all the dead corpses in the house all skinned and eaten.
The acting wasn't the greatest but the scares definitely were. The chases were all terrifying especially the final one. That cracking noise in the beginning gives you a weird type of feel. The trailer definitely explains the movie stop screaming and start talking about it.
The Hitchhiker is very disturbing. After the film came out people were still terrified when they saw him in person. Tobe Hooper's Classic and definitely one of the scariest films ever.
"The Texas Chain Saw Massacre can, and will, be reinterpreted by critics and theorists for decades to come. It was shot in the summer of 1973, during the aftermath of the Vietnam War and the Munich Olympics massacre, at the height of the Watergate scandal and the legal investigation into the shootings at Kent State. It was an era of plane hijackings, government oppression and dishonesty, racial conflict, terrorism and revolution. As a mirror of a dark period in American history, Chain Saw remains one of the best evocations yet of the era, as a group of young individuals, returning to the nostalgic home of their childhood, stumble into the raw and irrational cruelty of the modern world.
The movie has a weak, though functional storyline, one that has since became the staple for slasher movies; a group of teenagers get lost, stumble across evil and get stalked and killed. But Chain Saw isn't about storyline and plot; it's about creating an experience, a sensory overload. The cast and crew work tirelessly to create scenes and images that are raw and powerful and ultimately, against all expectations, beautiful. Leatherface's travesty of motherly domesticity as he prepares dinner, his child-like dance in the dawn light, the open door at the gas station, the van making it's slow turn off the road towards the derelict and ivy clad Hardesty residence are all images that burn themselves into your consciousness after just a single viewing.
The cinematography is exceptional. Watching the Special Edition, you'd never know that this was shot on 16mm in poor light. The picture quality is outstanding, the colors rich and vibrant, the blacks inky and menacing. The brilliant azure skies, the jade green of the grass, the bright red generator, the searing sunlight and stifling shadows. Every frame seems saturated in nicotine gold. Beautiful.
Though not always likable, the actors are always believable. Performances are universally startling, but special mention has to go to Marilyn Burns. Though she has little more to work with than the clichéd screaming heroine, she works it with remarkable conviction. It was a traumatic shoot, and it shows. Few actresses have so effectively conveyed mind-numbing terror.
The soundtrack is exceptional and deserves more recognition. It is a great testimony to the experimentation and risk taking attitude of the era that all melody is destroyed under an industrial ambient soundscape of metallic clangs, scrapes and screams, evoking the atmosphere of the local slaughterhouse and the Family's state of mind. Terrifying.
Despite the complete lack of gore or extreme physical violence, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre continues to horrify and holds up the countless, shot-on-video, slasher clones of subsequent years for the puerile crap that they truly are. Whether by accident or design, this one is a classic." --Rathko, imdb.com
The best horror from the 1970s with halloween close behind it. not too gory or bloody but absolutely terrifying. Leatherface has 2 be the most terrifying killer 2 ever have been on the big screen.
The ultimate horror film par excellence. None of the sequels matched up to this in superiority. Very strong roles from Ed Neal,Jim Siedow & Paul Partain,Marilyn Burns was also close behind and Gunnar Hansen's leatherface will always be the most frightening & stark. The sound score & solar/lunar effects are awesome. This is one film i'll never tire of. Tobe Hooper hit the spot 100%
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