Dissecting Slashers: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Cody celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

BACKGROUND

Back in 1974, director Tobe Hooper gifted the world with one of the greatest horror films ever made – and when you write about that movie, the first thing you have to decide is how you’re going to write out the title. Do you write it out properly, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or do you go with the way the title is written on screen (and on the film’s copyright notice), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre? Chainsaw is not two words, but the movie tells us it should be, so that’s how the title will be presented throughout this article... but when I write about an actual chainsaw being used, it will be one word.

The early ‘70s were not a pleasant time in American history. The Vietnam War was still dragging on, there was an oil crisis, an economic recession, and the president was at the heart of a scandal that would drive him to resign. Watching the news, Hooper was disturbed by the "lack of sentimentality and the brutality of things" – and he decided to purge the uneasy feelings he had about the world around him by making a horror movie. He wrote the screenplay with Kim Henkel, drawing inspiration from true crime reports that had stuck in their minds. One was the story of Wisconsin’s Ed Gein, who had been driven mad after the death of his overbearing mother, becoming not just a murderer but also a grave robber, crafting twisted works of art from the corpses’ flesh and bones. Another struck closer to home for the Texans: the Houston Mass Murders, which involved a pair of teenagers, Elmer Wayne Henley and David Owen Brooks, leading nearly thirty young men and teenage boys to their deaths in the home of Dean Corll. While Hooper acknowledged the Gein connection, which is obvious in the film, it was usually Henkel who would reference Henley – and since Henley wasn’t arrested until the film was already in production, any direct inspiration must have been a very late addition. It’s more likely that Henkel saw similarities between the characters in the film and these criminals that were apprehended during the production, much like Robert Bloch didn’t have much information on Ed Gein when he wrote his novel Psycho, and was later shocked to discover how closely his fictional creation resembled the real criminal.

The story Hooper and Henkel crafted together is set up with an opening text crawl in the film, with John Larroquette narrating the words on screen. This text presents the story as if it were based on fact: “The film which you are about to see is an account of the tragedy which befell a group of five youths, in particular Sally Hardesty and her invalid brother, Franklin. It is all the more tragic in that they were young. But, had they lived very, very long lives, they could not have expected nor would they have wished to see as much of the mad and macabre as they were to see that day. For them an idyllic summer afternoon drive became a nightmare. 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.” This is, of course, not true. But Hooper felt that the government was lying to the American people every day, so his film should be a lie to reflect that.

With a budget of $140,000, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre went into production in Texas during the scorching hot summer of 1973. Which is why the film tells us that the events took place on August 18, 1973. It comes through in the film that the cast and crew were enduring miserable levels of heat while making the movie – as a friend of mine once said, you can almost smell the buttered popcorn scent of body odor rising from the screen. And since this was an independent production, there were no rules. Sets were dressed with actual animal corpses and bones that were gathered from the countryside and stunk up the locations. Filming sessions could become epic marathons, leading to delirious decisions like an actor figuring they should really cut the finger of another actor when a blood effect wasn’t working properly. The production itself was like a descent into madness, which enhances the feeling of madness that permeates the finished film. This mixture of collaborators, DIY determination, and unpleasant circumstances worked together like a magic potion, conjuring a wonderfully unique and effective horror film that’s deeply disturbing, highly entertaining, and eminently rewatchable.

SETTING

The events of the film take place in the sun-baked Texas countryside – and another lie told by the opening text is that the lead characters are on an “idyllic summer afternoon drive” when we first catch up with them. They’re miserably hot, things are going wrong for them from the start, and the reason they’re out for this drive in a green Ford van (often misidentified as a Volkswagen) is the fact that someone has been robbing graves in the cemetery where a grandfather is buried. This graverobber has caught the attention of the authorities because they turned some of the corpses (and pieces of corpses) into bizarre works of art that they left behind in the graveyard. So “the five youths” have set out to visit the cemetery and make sure the grandfather’s grave hasn’t been disturbed. That sort of thing isn’t on the agenda when you’re taking an idyllic drive.

After checking the cemetery, the youths stop at a remote gas station where the proprietor serves up homemade barbecue. Finding that the gas station’s tanks have run dry, since there was an oil crisis at the time, they have to continue on their way while munching on some barbecue. They decide to stop by the Old Franklin Place; the abandoned, crumbling house that used to belong to Sally and Franklin’s grandparents. Two of them decide to check out the old swimming hole that used to be out back... only to find that the swimming hole has also run dry. But from that spot, they’re able to see a neighboring farmhouse that has a generator running – indicating that the neighbors might have some gasoline to spare.

Walking over to the neighbor’s house proves to be a grave mistake, because this place is inhabited by a family of cannibalistic murderers – one of whom happens to be that barbecue-cooking gas station proprietor. Another resident is a hitchhiking graverobber that has decorated the place with animal skins and bones. There’s also a chainsaw-wielding maniac called Leatherface. Some terrible things happen in that farmhouse, which looks deceptively quaint from the outside.

KILLERS

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre features an entire family of madmen, and while they’ve all most likely taken a human life at some point in their past, only one of the group scores any kills over the course of this movie... But let’s look at the whole group anyway.

The first of these maniacs to cross paths with the five young people in the van is the graverobber who spends his free time hanging around the slaughterhouse that used to employ his family, before they had disagreements over the modernization of slaughter methods. He’s thumbing for a ride when he’s introduced, so he’s only ever known as The Hitchhiker – and Edwin Neal delivers a fascinating performance as this guy, who attempts to have a pleasant interaction with the people in the van, but he just can’t pull it off. He disgusts most of them by showing off pictures of slaughtered animals (or are they humans?) and talking about the making of headcheese, a substance I have never had the courage or opportunity to try. (It’s described as being a “big jelly of fat” created by melting down elements from a cow’s head.) He’s also a bit too interested in blades and self harm. When he sees that Franklin has a pocketknife, he takes it and carves into his own hand with it. Noticing that his bloody compulsive act didn’t go over well with the folks giving him a ride, he tries to impress them by showing that he carries a straight razor. Another strike against him. When The Hitchhiker is shown in his element, in the comfort of his own home, later in the movie, we’ll find that he’s the most sadistic member of his family. He likes to tease and torment their victims, and has no sympathy or empathy. Torturing and murdering people is his idea of a great time.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is the second family member the youths encounter, the gas station proprietor and barbecue cook who is credited in this film only as The Cook – although the barbecue sign at his gas station indicates that his name could be W.E. Slaughter. (The second film in the franchise would later reveal that his name is Drayton Sawyer.) Jim Siedow plays this guy, and it’s another fascinating performance. The Cook is the one who can actually interact with the outside world and seem like a nice guy. When he sees how his brothers treat their victims, he’ll say things like, “No need to torture the poor girl,” and, “I just can’t take no pleasure in killing.” He does have sympathy for people... or, at least he likes to think he does. But there are times when he just can’t help laughing when he or his brothers are doing something terrible.

The brothers keep their Grandma in their home, but she’s a decomposing corpse. Their ancient Grandpa, on the other hand, does have some life in him, although the idea was that he’s so old, so he’s sort of reverting to an embryonic state. He’s barely there, but his grandsons will still put a hammer in his hands in an attempt to let him relive his glory days as the best killer at the slaughterhouse – this time with a human victim instead of a cow being on the receiving end of his hammer. Under the makeup effects that turned him into this old man was a 19-year-old named John Dugan.

And then we have the character who became a genre icon. Leatherface, brought to life by the 6’4” Gunnar Hansen, who studied both developmentally disabled people and farm pigs while coming up with his approach to the character. Leatherface is non-verbal and seems child-like at times, communicating through squeals and grunts... and he gets his nickname from the fact that he wears the skin of victims over his own face. The idea was that Leatherface doesn’t have much personality of his own, and he’ll wear different masks for different situations as a way of presenting a personality. So when the youths from the van come wandering into his home, Leatherface is wearing the Killing Mask, and this is what he’s wearing when he claims all of his victims in the film – and for the sequence where he chases Sally through the countryside (and through his house) with his chainsaw in hand. The Cook comes home from work at night, and Leatherface greets him while wearing the Old Lady Mask and an apron. This is his housekeeping mask and outfit, showing he’s taking care of the place while his brothers are out. And when it’s suppertime, he puts on his Pretty Woman Mask.

It’s no surprise that viewers would latch on to a hulking character who wears human flesh masks and carries a chainsaw, but Leatherface still wouldn’t have become an icon with the wrong presentation and performance. Hooper and Hansen got Leatherface just right, so audience members were terrified of him but also interested in seeing more of him.

VICTIMS

The five youths aren’t the deepest characters you’ll ever see. They don’t have a lot going on and we don’t learn a whole bunch about them – but that’s okay, because how much of a person’s life is going to be revealed when they’re spending a summer afternoon driving around with some friends? We know enough about them to see that they’re nice, normal people who don’t deserve what happens to them.

Driving the van is Jerry (Allen Danziger), who likes the joke around with his pals when the opportunity arises. He seems to be in a relationship with heroine Sally Hardesty, but they don’t get much chance to show affection for each other. Along for the ride is another couple; Kirk (William Vail), who apparently plays guitar, although we never seen him do so, and his hippie girlfriend Pam (Teri McMinn), who reads from her horoscope book – which is why the title Saturn in Retrograde was once considered for the movie – and makes sure everyone knows she’s a vegetarian. Then there’s Sally’s brother Franklin (Paul A. Partain), an extremely unpleasant fellow because he’s very whiny and annoying. The best conversation he’s able to hold in the movie isn’t with his sister or any of their friends, it’s with the Hitchhiker, when they chat about slaughterhouse methods and headcheese. (And Headcheese was also a title that was considered for the movie.) Franklin is such a pain in the neck, some viewers do actively root for him to be removed from the film in the most brutal way possible.

FINAL GIRL

If scream queens are judged based on the amount of actual screaming they do, Marilyn Burns is the greatest scream queen of all time, because her character Sally Hardesty does an incredible amount of screaming in the second half of the film. Which is completely understandable, since she’s spending that time witnessing a murder, being chased by a hulking maniac with a chainsaw, and being tormented by a family of madmen. By the end of the film, Sally may have been driven insane herself – and, again, that’s understandable, given what she is put through.

We may not learn much about her, but we know she cares about her lost loved ones enough to visit the cemetery and make sure her grandfather’s grave hasn’t been disturbed. When they stop by the house that used to belong to her grandparents, she has fun reminiscing about childhood moments spent in the house and is sad to see that the place is falling apart. She’ll occasionally lose her patience with her difficult-to-deal-with brother Franklin, but that just shows that she’s human. Anyone would lose their patience with that guy, especially on a hot day where everything keeps going wrong. And when everyone around her has been killed and she’s the last victim standing, she desperately struggles to save her own life. She’s not much of a fighter, but she’s quite a runner. And one hell of a screamer.

DEATHS

After considering the likes of Saturn in Retrograde, Headcheese, Leatherface, and Chasing Leatherface, Tobe Hooper ended up taking the advice of Warren Skaaren of the Texas Film Commission and went with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as the title of his movie... but while that magnificent title makes it sound like the film is going to be a gorefest, Hooper actually held back when it came to the violence. Most of the fake blood created for the film was used as set dressing, or is seen as splatter. We’re not shown any horrendous wounds or spilled guts – Hooper saved that for the sequel.

The first kill is a shock. Leatherface steps into a doorway and bashes a character in the head with a hammer, just like they used to do to cows in the slaughterhouse. With one hit, that character has been taken out... although his body continues twitching for a little while in response to the head injury. Pam gets it worse. Leatherface hangs her up on a meat hook while she’s still alive and she’s stuck there, screaming in pain, while this flesh-mask-wearing maniac uses a chainsaw to cut up the corpse of her boyfriend right in front of her. But keep in mind, the gruesome stuff is all implied. We don’t see the hook going into Pam’s back. We don’t see the chainsaw cutting into Kirk’s body. We just see that he’s laying on the cutting board and Leatherface is working the chainsaw in his direction. It works perfectly and is deeply disturbing without being disgusting.

Another character gets the one hit hammer treatment. The only one who actually gets killed with a chainsaw in this Chain Saw Massacre is Franklin. In his wheelchair in an overgrown field, he’s unable to escape or defend himself while Leatherface saws into him. As shocking as this moment is, complete with shots of blood spraying onto the saw-wielding Leatherface, for many viewers it also brings a sense of relief, because they won’t have to listen to Franklin whine anymore.

CLICHÉS

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre didn’t seem too cliché at the time of its release, but it wasn’t the first time audiences had seen this set-up, either. Cinematic maniacs had worn masks before and there had been Final Girls before. The 1932 film The Old Dark House had shown people with car trouble seeking help at the home of a strange family. 1967’s Spider Baby had a dinner scene where some of the people sitting at the table were part of a family of weirdos. Deliverance had done the psycho country folk thing in 1972. But The Texas Chain Saw Massacre took the elements of protagonists with car trouble, an isolated home, a masked maniac, a final girl, and a family of weirdos / psycho country folk – plus an epic chase sequence - and spun them together in a fascinating way, opening the door to a slew of imitators that made sure all of its elements would quickly become quite cliché.

POSTMORTEM

The film stirred up a lot of controversy when it was released in October of 1974 and some countries banned it outright. Many found it to be revolting. Too intense. Too shocking. But the controversy and bannings just helped fuel its success. It made more than $30 million in the United States and Canada, becoming the twelfth highest grossing film of 1974 and the most successful independent horror film released up to that point, surpassing George A. Romero’s 1968 hit Night of the Living Dead. Like Romero’s film, Hooper’s movie had a massive impact on the horror genre. Night of the Living Dead gave us flesh-eating ghouls, and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre – along with John Carpenter’s 1978 indie hit Halloween, which surpassed Chain Saw’s box office totals - paved the way for the slasher films that would dominate the genre in the 1980s.

Chain Saw gained a cult following as soon as it was released, and that cult has steadily grown as the years have gone by. It wasn’t long before the film was being referenced as one of the greatest horror movies ever made, and that’s a reputation it still holds fifty years after it was first sent out into the world. It took a dozen years, but it also launched a franchise that now consists of multiple sequels, prequels, a remake, and hardly any continuity. Some of the follow-ups have been great, but it’s the original that still reigns supreme. And it really is one of the best, most effective horror movies ever made.