Starring: Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain, William Vail, Teri McMinn Directed By: Tobe Hooper Average Rating: Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Geneon [Pioneer] Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: October 14, 2003 Running Time: 84 minutes Theatrical Release Date: October 01, 1974
Amazon.com essential video: This sensational, extremely influential, 1974 low-budget horror movie directed by Tobe Hooper (Poltergeist, Lifeforce, Salem's Lot), may be notorious for its title, but it's also a damn fine piece of moviemaking. And it's blood-curdling scary, too. Loosely based on the true crimes of Ed Gein (also a partial inspiration for Psycho), the original Jeffrey Dahmer, Texas Chainsaw Massacre follows a group of teenagers who pick up a hitchhiker and wind up in a backwoods horror chamber where they're held captive, tortured, chopped up, and impaled on meat hooks by a demented cannibalistic family, including a character known as Leatherface who maniacally wields one helluva chainsaw. The movie's powerful sense of dread is heightened by its grainy, semi-documentary style--but it also has a wicked sense of humor (and not that camp, self-referential variety that became so tiresome in subsequent horror films of the '70s, '80s, and '90s). OK, in case you couldn't tell, it's "not for everyone." But as a landmark in the development of the horror/slasher genre, it ranks with Psycho, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street. --Jim Emerson
Greatest Horror Film For me, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the perfect horror movie. It completely captures the "American Nightmare" of the early 1970s with the post-'60s dread, economic crises such as the gas/oil crisis, returning scarred Vietnam vets, etc. It's also a commentary on the beast within--not only the violence inherent in America's rural frontier pioneer back history but also the violence inherent within man, in general (while also connecting this to key '60s hippie topics regarding nature and the environment, such as astrology and veganism). Apart from all of the thematic subtext, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is, formally, in a class of its own, whether it is the grainy, documentary style and the authentically deranged performances or the arty and avant-garde cinematography and nightmare industrial "music" score. Nothing has ever matched its sense of atmosphere, whether it is the hellish, apocalyptic mood of the scorched summertime Texas landscape or the textured cinematography which accents how nature can engulf humanity, such as in the opening shots of solar flares and sunspots (which studies show are linked to outbreaks of insanity), the moon, and the darkness of night and the wilderness. It is the grittiest and grimiest horror film ever made.
WOW!!! I recently picked up this 2-disc set after watching Texas Chainsaw Massacre on IFC a couple of months ago. That was my first time seeing this classic. I must say that I was blown away by the sheer rawness of this film. I had heard of this movie as a child in the 80s, but never tried to watch it, for a fear of it being too gory. This is not a gorefest movie, which makes it scarier in my opinion. Literally, my jaw was on the floor when it was over...I was very impressed, shocked, and literally terrified of how real and raw this movie is. I've now seen it 4 times, and cannot wait to experience it again. For those who haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and watch it. I recommend the 2-disc ultimate edition, as you get the classic movie packaged in a nice metal tin. Disc 2 includes 2 wonderful documentaries, "TCM: The Shocking Truth" and "Flesh Wounds". There are also outtakes and blooper reels which are pretty cool. Anyways, I just had to add my 2 cents here to praise this classic horror gem. Long live the saw!
Make no mistake this is the instructional video on how to use a chainsaw!! It all starts with some kids driving threw a small town in Texas kinda sight seeing. They would soon find out they didn't like the sights they were seeing. They just happened to stumble upon a cannibalistic family that prayed on people driving threw town lost. The most notorious of the group is Leather-face who cuts the skin off people's faces and makes a mask out of them. They basically butcher these people like animals, put them on meat hooks. As always out of the whole group of people that got killed there was one lone warrior that survived the brutality of this sick family and got free of them. This movie was based on the true story of ED GEIN. I rate this movie a 9 from 1to10!!
Fantastic! "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2-Disc Ultimate Edition" is absolutely fantastic! The video and audio have all been remastered and it looks and sounds the best it has ever been! The special features are great, including 2 documentaries with the cast, stills, deleted/extended scenes, trailers, tour of the house and more! Excluding the documentaries, the special features are very similar if not the same as the special edition dvd, but just the clarity of the film is worth it!
This movie is a great add to a movie collection and this is coming from a 16 year old girl.
Groundbreaking This film is perhaps one of the most loved films of all time, I myself have loved this one for many years. I really don't think horror would be where it is today without this film. The story is breathtaking and memorable, This should be in every horror fans top 10 favorite films.
The classic story.
On August 16th 1973, five young college students are traveling through Texas until they meet up with a strange hitchiker. This stranger seemed kind of nice at first but he ended up to be a skull picking looney that likes to play with razors, after that awful experience with the hitcher the students run out of gas. They go out searching for a house with a phone, until they stumble to a bizarre farm inhabited by a bizarre redneck family of cannibals lead by a homicidal chainsaw weilding maniac nicknamed Leatherface. Soon the students will face their ultimate nightmare especially their ability to survive the night. "Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left Of Them?" is the classic poster title for this film.
This movie was and still is one of the most original horror films of all time. Leatherface has become a legend and horror icon. Some actually believe that this is based on fact, But this is not so. It is actually loosley based on the notorious Ed Gein. Probably the most famous serial killer in history. Largley because of the time that the murders happened, People were not prepared for the horror. Leatherface's mask is inspired by Ed Gein's act of skinning victims.
A must see for all horror fans. If you haven't already seen it.
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