Welcome to Day 20! We officially have 11 more entries to go and we complete this journey into the darkest corners of horror cinema. For today's pick, we are recommending a canonical classic that continues to terrify moviegoers every time they watch it. It is loud, insane, and it is technically a Texas film.
Day 20 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
"Who will survive and what will be left of them?"
With that ominous tagline, director Tobe Hooper unleashed a dark vision of American cinema that completely changed the landscape. Released a year after The Exorcist and "inspired" by notorious serial killer Ed Gein, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is tour de force of intense filmmaking, brilliant editing, and terrifying visuals. The story centers on a group of friends, traveling on a road trip, who pick up a hitchhiker on their way to the destination and it only gets worse from there. Hooper's film is one of the most relentless (horror) films ever made - 83 minutes of visceral and dizzying intensity that doesn't let up from moment one. Controversial when first released (it was even banned by several countries), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre establishes a lot of tropes that would later be perfected in future slasher classics including the final girl (Sally Hardesty played with manic energy by Marilyn Burns), the unstoppable villain, and even the graphic displays of murder. Speaking of murder, TCM remains one of the most violent films of all time and yet, nothing is ever really shown thanks in no small part to the masterful editing. Hooper and editors Sallye Richardson and J. Larry Caroll deliver a masterstroke on how to leave audiences feeling that they've seen something truly graphic, when in reality they show nothing - it is simply brilliant cutting that makes you think it is all in your head. There have been many sequels, reboots, remakes, and versions of TCM but none hold a candle to the original and one of the reasons is simply the look (Hooper and cinematographer Daniel C. Peal shot it in 16mm). One of the reasons that makes the original TCM so scary is simply the way that it looks - its shot like a home movie or an extremely low budget documentary - and it creates an unnerving sense of despair and incredibly ominous dread. The low-budget graininess, coupled with the terrifying score full of droning sounds, the unconventional framing for shots, and the great cast of largely unknowns, makes the audience feel like they're watching something that is forbidden; almost like you've stumbled upon old footage that was banned by the government. The cast is extraordinary, led by Burns, including the incredibly imposing Gunnar Hansen as Leatherface in a performance that would become influential for an entire genre. There is nothing like TCM - it is a true descent into madness that leaves no survivors - and there never will be. While the entire film deserves to be mentioned as a terrifying touchstone, there are two scenes that create such a harsh atmosphere and sense of isolation and doom that are truly unforgettable - the hitchhiker scene and the "last supper". The last supper, if you haven't seen this film, buckle your seatbelts because it is an absolute knockout.
*All of the recommendations that we make can be found at the El Paso Public Library Catalog!
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