Director: Tobe Hooper
Year: 1974
Country: USA
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Slasher
Plot:
Embarking on a road trip through Texas, a group of teens runs afoul of a family of former meat-butchers who see them as potential parts for their next meal, using their gargantuan son to help them, and tries to get away from the deranged psychopaths before becoming part of the family.
Review:
While this here was still enjoyable, this isn't as much of a classic as its reputation states. A lot of the film's few positives here are mostly tied to the scenes involving the main killer, who is one of the most legendary figures in the genre for good reason. Vicious, imposing, and cruel, while displaying a perverse, demented streak here with his affinity towards putting on the skin of his victims' faces as a select series of masks for different occasions, all make this a truly demented and wholly appealing killer here. That nearly all of the best scenes here come from him isn't an accident, as the film gets in some really chilling appearances here with his first encounter from behind the metal door, where he strikes the victim in grisly fashion, hauls the body inside, and then emphatically slams the door behind him, which is a truly striking image.
The other fun scenes here are his other scenes, from the surprise ambushes around the house knocking them off while preparing this for the film's undisputed highlight effort in the chainsaw-wielding chase through the woods. This is quite an extended, action-packed chase through the woods as the film picks up considerably, showing this as the thick overgrowth of prickly branches providing a great stumbling block to hold her momentum as the baring chainsaw cuts up the trees in the background to allow her to get further away and into the house, which is filled with creepy encounters and chilling chases that make this scene wholly impressive. The only other facet that works here is the purely demented and bizarre family dinner scene, which is unbelievably original for what goes on there, as the psychological torture of them gathering around to mock her hysterical screaming and the physical torture as they let the grandfather drink her blood and try to kill her with the attempted hammering to the head, which sets up the thrilling finale. These make up the film's actual positive points.
There are a few minor flaws here. The film's main issue here is the fact that there's not a whole lot of really impressive elements here since so much of the film comes off as weird rather than scary. The initial encounter with the hitchhiker is a perfect example, as he's just plainly demented, yet he's supposed to be scary, and the scene drags on to an inevitable conclusion, which is weird rather than scary. Likewise, the big family dinner is even weirder, as it consists of yelling and hysterical screaming that ends up going nowhere, as their antics just come off as bizarre more than terrifying, which is even more so given the feminine mask worn here. The other big flaw here is the useless amount of time featured in the beginning, as there's a lot of aimless walking around the different locations that don't build up to anything about the characters or getting to realize they're completely deserving of their fates. As well, the lack of graphic action is a problem, but it's still enjoyable enough overall.
Overview: ****.5/5
Slightly overrated but still an all-time classic, this one manages to maintain a lot of likable elements that provide plenty of points to keep this one of the better entries in the genre despite the few issues here. Those with an appreciation for this kind of genre fare, who are curious about the origins of the genre, or just don't mind the drawbacks will want to give it a shot, while most others out there should heed caution.
Comments
Post a Comment