This is the original Tobe Hooper version that begins with the based on true events just to add some more scares to the story. Its as old as I am being released in 1974 it was written by Kim Henkel & Tobe Hooper but was produced and directed by Tobe as well. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow and Gunnar Hansen. It was produced on $140,000 and it went on to make $30.9m. Even the critics liked it with (for a Horror) IMDb giving it 7.5 out of 10 and Rotten Tomatoes gave it a very generous 89%. I will get straight to the plot.
I could just give you an overview on this one without really giving you a story but I will try and mix it together. The story follows a group of young people on a road trip across Texas. There is Sally Hardesty and her wheelchair bound brother Franklin and their friends Jerry, Kirk and Pam. They travel to Sally’s grandfathers grave to investigate reports of vandalism. When travelling back they decide to visit the family homestead and they decide to pick up a hitchhiker. The hiker borrows Franklin’s pocket knife and cuts himself and then takes a polaroid of Franklin and demands money for the picture, when he refuses to pay he cuts Franklin’s arm with a straight razor. The Hitchhiker is forced out of the car and they speed away. They stop for fuel but the station is empty so they head to the homestead before planning to come back for fuel once they get a delivery. Arriving they split up with Franklin telling of a swimming hole so Kirk and Pam head off for a swim. Not finding the hole they stumble on a house and decide to knock to see if they have fuel to buy seeing as they have a generator. Kirk enters the house and never leaves. Pam follows trying to find Kirk and she doesn’t return either. The remaining three decide that they should try and find Pam and Kirk as the sun starts to set, one by one they face the same horrific fate until the last is captured and tortured for the remainder of the movie.
This is a genuinely scary movie which sets it stall with the lie of being based on a true story. Which is not completely untrue but its not a case of following a story that happened more of a did you hear about the incident over there. Wow lets make a movie based loosely around the headline of that story (we’ll just make up the rest). After the first time I watched this movie the first thing I said was it was the ultimate pro-vegetarian movie I’d ever seen. It was like a promotion for not eating meat I’d ever seen. The shock of this movie literately comes out of nowhere. The story meanders along with a hint of what’s to come with the hitchhiker but then the couple goes into the house and wham. The killing which is obvious based on the title begins and ends in seconds. The shock comes from no where and you are not expecting it, it just happens and then its gone. You are left with the same feeling as the girlfriend of what just happened? Where she is in the middle of it and clearly walking towards the same fate you as the viewer sit there pleading with her to turn around and go. Knowing that she won’t as she is looking for her boyfriend. The remaining three you have the same feeling just get in the van and get as far away as possible, but no. They go back looking for their friends which then ships the movie again as it takes another shift in gear as the focus goes from those in the van to those living in the house. If you think your family is nuts then you should meet this lot. Woo these are off the scale. This movie has been criticised for many aspects of this movie including violence against women which I can understand. This movie has the longest scream for a feature film conducted by the female in ‘the dinner’ sequence. I can see where the criticism comes from but compared to many other movies the women in this one survive longer than the men. This is a shocker of the highest order and Tobe Hooper started a career in making some special movies. To list some of his work he directed Poltergeist (not Steven Spielberg), Salem’s Lot, Body Bags, The Mangler and anything with regards to Texas Chainsaw he would have been involved in (in some way). In horror circles he is a bit of a legend and this movie is the reason for it. This movie is one of those must watch movies that is like a right of passage when on the journey to becoming a horror fan. If you haven’t seen it I would suggest taking the right of passage and giving it a go. The original movie, I wouldn’t worry about the sequels and remakes so much but the sequel does have Dennis Hopper with holstered chainsaws which is just too cool to ignore that much.
Next up is a Superhero movie that I actually like, so that narrow’s it down to one of three characters but which one? You’ll have to wait and see unless your reading after I blogged the next movie.
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