Indie Gems: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Meet Leatherface.

You know, that creepy dude with the mask made out of people's skin, who wielded a chainsaw and had the balls to saw a dude in a wheelchair in half. He's the focus of the scary Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I point this out because the remakes and prequels like to show us more of Leatherface's dysfunctional family as if it's an excuse for this monster. Yes they were a family of cannibals, but they made the father out to be more of the monster than the son, and that's where I think the film lost focus. That and that God-awful scene in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning where baby Leatherface literally CRAWLS out of his mother during child birth. Terrible film making.

Now that's out of my system, lets talk about the original TCM. Shot so wonderfully it felt like it really happened. (what a convincing narrator) They even marketed it that way. (It didn't by the way, it's loosely based off of Ed Gein.) All those classic deaths, the meat hook, the frightening scene of someone chasing you with a chainsaw to Sally's (Marilyn Burns) iconic scream as she finally escapes on the back of a pick up. TCM was downright terrifying. By the time I saw this, I was used to seeing Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger stab people to death. But Leatherface had a fucking chainsaw! I couldn't think of anything more terrifying. This was a slasher flick that dared to be different. Instead of the sneaking up on his victims slowly, Leatherface ran. He showed no mercy. He was ready to feed these five teens to his entire family. I still consider The Exorcist to be the scariest movie I've ever seen, but TCM is a close second. For any horror fan, this is a must see.

Recommended: Yes

Grade: A

Memorable Quote: "The events of that day were to lead to the discovery of one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre." - The Narrator.