The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974 is another historic film. Like Last House on the Left, its shot in a documentaryesque (if that's even a word) fashion, which helps give it a more effective look.
This is a violent film, but you actually don't see that much blood. Like Halloween, Leatherface kills people but in very well directed scenes. Every kill in this movie is memorable.
In fact the psycho family are also a memorable thing here. Leatherface may be the front man but this isn't just about him. Nubbins/Hitchhiker is a demented man, who despite not being in the film to long, has such memorable scenes in the van and later on at the end that he leaves an impression. The Cook/Drayton is very weird. In some scenes he seems repulsed at what he and the family are doing to Sally at the dinner table then in others, he seems to do a double take and likes it. Truly horrible.
Its not my favourite but I hold it in high regard. I think I might "enjoy" others in the franchise more but I obviously concede that this is unquestionably the best made and directed film in the whole franchise. 8/10  |