Texas Chainsaw Massacre

[cabbageboy 0]

After seeing Freddy vs. Jason I became interested in seeing the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, since they had a trailer for the remake. So I went out and bought a copy, having never seen it before.

 

Good God! That movie has to be one of the most terrifying things I've ever seen. I went in expecting something along the lines of Friday the 13th, replete with hilariously cheesy gore and camp value. Wrong. There are really not many people who die in the movie (4 I think) and only 1 was actually killed with the famed chainsaw.

 

What I thought made it terrifying is that it follows almost none of the rules of slasher type films. The people in it don't do anything to "deserve" to be killed (smoke weed, have sex, or say "I'll be right back"). Also, the main chick doesn't get ANY sort of offense or last laugh on Leatherface and Co. Despite the deranged subject matter it seemed quite realistic. Yeah I know they say it was a true story but only the basic connection to Ed Gein robbing graves. For the most part no one needs to worry about a burnt freak haunting their dreams, or a no selling madman in a hockey mask.....but a psycho redneck wielding a chainsaw is quite believable.

 

What does everyone think of the original and the remake that is coming out in October?

[Youth N Asia 0]

A little on the overrated side, but definatly scary. I own it on DVD.

[Guest BAR]

The first time I saw it I was totally intrigued. I started watching documentaries and reading about it. I don't own the DVD yet, though. The opening 'van scene'. And, the last scene are my favourites.

[Guest El Satanico]

I love the original and refuse to pay to see the remake.

 

If the new movie was just a rip off of TCM or if it was a sequel, I would have no problem with it and would've maybe paid to see it. Since it's a remake of a classic and is seemingly a scene for scene remake, I hate it and will not pay a dime to see it.

[godthedog 0]

haven't seen it in years, but it was one of those great movies that i'd rent for the first time with my best friend and love so much that we'd watch it 2 more times before it was due the next day. i wouldn't exactly call it scary, but it has a very down-and-dirty, unrelenting atmosphere that's about as close to truly scary as you can get (without actually being scary). my feminist film theory professor actually showed a clip of it when we were studying feminist theory of horror movies (i think she showed the ending), and i marked the fuck out.

 

Spoiler (Highlight to Read):

the only thing i didn't like about it was the ending. ending such a bleak, nihilistic movie on a sunrise just felt wrong, and the whole motorist thing was contrived. and it's way too abrupt, with leatherface just flailing the chainsaw around like he's doing some primitive interpretive dance. if they wanted abruptness, they should've just killed the girl.   come to think of it, i think that would've been the perfect ending: the sun's coming up, she finds the guy in the truck & it looks like she'll get away, but leatherface slaughters the guy; she tries to run away, he grabs her & the movie cuts to black right as the chainsaw starts to dig into her neck.

[ArkhamGlobe 0]

A great, very disturbing movie with excellent use of sound and a very impressive use of grainy, almost claustophobic visuals. The locations are perfectly chosen and they add a lot to the film, as well as the casting and the art direction. The whole thing just felt so strangely authentic for some reason, which is to the filmmakers' credit.

[godthedog 0]

"What I thought made it terrifying is that it follows almost none of the rules of slasher type films. The people in it don't do anything to "deserve" to be killed (smoke weed, have sex, or say "I'll be right back"). Also, the main chick doesn't get ANY sort of offense or last laugh on Leatherface and Co. Despite the deranged subject matter it seemed quite realistic."

 

well, you have to put it in context. if i know my horror film history right (and i may very well have this wrong), the "slasher" formula wasn't firmly in place until after 'halloween', which came out after tcm. i think before then, there was just this loose cluster of exploitation movies and didn't really have many genre rules. 'last house on the left' is another example.

[eiker_ir 0]

for those that don't own the current DVD version yet(like myself), don't buy it, because it's about 30$ and new version is gonna be released October 14m with a srp $19.98.

 

the dvd is gonna have two covers, you can flip the cover and the other cover is on the other side.

 

here's one:

[Youth N Asia 0]

People shit all over flea markets...but how else are you going to get a new TCM for $10. And Oz season 1 new for $22.

 

I don't pick up much retail anymore.

[cabbageboy 0]

Spoiler (Highlight to Read):

Well, if you watch the sequel it says in the opening narration that the girl ends up going catatonic after her horrible experience with Leatherface.

 

That current DVD is such a ripoff. I was very torn whether to buy it for 30 bucks or get a tape for about half that. I went to Suncoast since (to my shock) Best Buy didn't even have it! I might pick up the DVD when it is released, give the tape to my brother.

 

And yeah, that's what I meant but didn't quite say it...the movie was made before the slasher rules were firmly established.

 

That said, tis a shame that blond chick wasn't nude at all. She was smoking.

[Guest Mindless_Aggression]

IMO the finest horror film ever made. And I stress horror, the scene with Leatherface right on the girl's ass through out the woods and house is 100 times more terrifying than Jason just popping up out of nowhere for a brief scare before the cheesy gore effects set in.

 

Tremendous film and one of my favorite ever.

[Guest El Satanico]

The only reason the current TCM is $30 or more is because it's hard to find and may be out of print.

 

I paid under $20 back around the time it was released and still widely available.

[Guest TheZsaszHorsemen]

"What I thought made it terrifying is that it follows almost none of the rules of slasher type films. The people in it don't do anything to "deserve" to be killed (smoke weed, have sex, or say "I'll be right back"). Also, the main chick doesn't get ANY sort of offense or last laugh on Leatherface and Co. Despite the deranged subject matter it seemed quite realistic."

 

well, you have to put it in context. if i know my horror film history right (and i may very well have this wrong), the "slasher" formula wasn't firmly in place until after 'halloween', which came out after tcm. i think before then, there was just this loose cluster of exploitation movies and didn't really have many genre rules. 'last house on the left' is another example.

No, Halloween never firmly established the slasher morality, Carpenter has said that the kids who died, did so because they were simply distracted. The morality of slasher movies was probobly first truly exhibited in Friday the 13th.

[Nighthawk 0]

Maybe it wasn't Carpenter's intention, but Halloween did start many of those trends.

 

Anyway, TCM is my favorite movie, and is the one movie I'd actually want to own all dvd versions of just for the novelty. Once you watch it a bunch of times, you start to appreciate the humor more as well, and there are many great lines (the famous "Look what your brother did to the door!" and "Shut up, you bitch hog!" are my favorite). I'll see the remake, as I'm one of the few who likes all four movies so far, and it's not going to be any worse than them. You can see the still catatonic Sally at the end of The Next Generation, and the orderly pushing the gurney is the dude who played Franklin (guy in the wheelchair)

[cabbageboy 0]

The film has a very hectic unpredictability to it, which also is what I mean about it not following the Scream rules of slasher flicks. I mean, for the first half hour no one dies or anything, then in the next 15 mins 4 of the 5 people just get whacked LIKE THAT!

 

From that point it's just the main chick. No one is left to help her. No cops are around in Shitcreek, TX. The last half hour are unrelenting, it's just crazy. I had no clue what was going to happen next, if she was going to live or die.

 

I kinda disagree about the ending of Leatherface killing her. I mean, if that was going to happen he would have just done it countless times earlier. Whether or not she gets away is in fact irrelevant. The point is: Leatherface and his folks aren't caught and still run amuck.

[nl5xsk1 0]

I love the original and refuse to pay to see the remake.

 

If the new movie was just a rip off of TCM or if it was a sequel, I would have no problem with it and would've maybe paid to see it. Since it's a remake of a classic and is seemingly a scene for scene remake, I hate it and will not pay a dime to see it.

I read somewhere - on this board, I think - that it's not a remake but it's kind of like TCM 1.5 ... as in it would have taken place after the end of the first one but before the first remake, if thought of chronologically. I think it's supposed to be taking place the day after the girl gets away at the end of the original.

[Guest El Satanico]

I love the original and refuse to pay to see the remake.

 

If the new movie was just a rip off of TCM or if it was a sequel, I would have no problem with it and would've maybe paid to see it. Since it's a remake of a classic and is seemingly a scene for scene remake, I hate it and will not pay a dime to see it.

I read somewhere - on this board, I think - that it's not a remake but it's kind of like TCM 1.5 ... as in it would have taken place after the end of the first one but before the first remake, if thought of chronologically. I think it's supposed to be taking place the day after the girl gets away at the end of the original.

Based on the trailer, that doesn't appear to be the case.

 

The trailer makes it look like a scene for scene remake.