Greetings, and welcome back to October Horror Fest! I hope you all enjoyed yesterday’s article, as we tackled the sci-fi realm of The Shining. And, so far, the challenge is going great! I am SO incredibly grateful for the reception I’ve been receiving, and I can’t wait to give you all some more spooks. Today, we venture into a more grounded world of horror. One that we may never come out from. Without further ado, sit back, relax, turn off the lights, grab some Candy and Popcorn, and let’s review…

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Our film starts off relatively slow, and continues this way for the first half hour. We meet our main cast on a road trip in a van. They consist of Franklin, Pam, Kirk, Jerry, and our main character, Sally. Not to spoil the film, but Sally is the Laurie Strode before Laurie Strode!

However, the first half of the film doesn’t come without some gorgeous cinematography and shots, which the film is fondly remembered for today. Scenes that never belonged in a 70s movie are all over this one, and they give the film a feel that cannot be replicated, even today. As the group drives on, they meet a hitchhiker. The hitchhiker gives the group a strange feeling, but they continue on with him. All the while, we see imagery for slaughterhouses and dead animals. The hitchhiker begins to tell the wheelchair bound Franklin (brother of Sally) about his job at the slaughterhouse. He even begins to show the group graphic images of his work, until he takes Franklin’s knife from him. He cuts his hand, and begins to do even more horrific acts until he attacks Franklin with his own knife. Franklin is cut, while the rest of the group throws the hitchhiker out of the van. They drive away, but not before he smears blood on the side of the van.

After this encounter, the group keeps speeding on. They eventually need to fuel up, and end up at a gas station. The owner is out of gas, however, and keeps persuading the group to stay with them at the gas station, which coincidentally has a barbecue. The owner of the gas station is also creepy, but more trustworthy than the hitchhiker. The group gets on the road again, and eventually gets to their destination, this being Sally and Franklin’s Grandfather’s abandoned home.

Once there, the group begins to do 70s teen things. Pam and Kirk go off together to swim, while Sally and Jerry goof off around the house. Franklin is left alone on the bottom steps. After we see Franklin, we cut to Pam and Kirk at the swimming hole. However, it’s been dried up, and they go to the house behind it. Pam waits as Kirk enters the home. He walks through it, the scene becoming more tense and petrifying. Suddenly, Leatherface, a horror icon, jumps out with a sledgehammer. He hits Kirk on the head, and Kirk begins convulsing. He drags the dying Kirk into a room, absolutely SLAMMING the door in one of the most iconic scenes in horror history. Pam comes to investigate, and stumbles into a room full of animal skeletons and live chickens. Leatherface comes back once more, grabbing her and putting her on an animal hanging hook. She watches as Leatherface takes his iconic chainsaw to the dead Kirk…

We cut back to Franklin, Jerry, and Sally. Jerry eventually leaves Sally with her brother, and goes off to find his friends. As the night gets later, he finds the house. He enters after some hesitation, and finds coolers on the floor. He opens one, and the barely alive Pam comes jumping out. Leatherface comes around the corner once again, slamming his sledgehammer into Jerry’s head.

Hours later, the brother-sister duo are still waiting at the van. Franklin, apprehensive as always, is worried that the hitchhiker followed them. Sally, however, is ready to go. She fights with Franklin, as we realize that one of the dead friends took the keys. After an argument, Sally agrees to wheel Franklin down the hill, both of them in pursuit of Jerry. They get farther and farther down the trail, as the night gets darker. At the end of the trail, it’s pitch black. Franklin tells Sally to stop, as he hears something. We hear the sound of a chainsaw getting closer and closer, as Leatherface cuts a line down Franklin’s body. He continues to slice up the man, as Sally screams and screams. Leatherface, now covered in blood, points his chainsaw at Sally, and begins to run. Sally runs as well, screaming and screaming. After an intense and dangerous chase in the woods, Sally makes it to Leatherface’s home. However, once in there, she makes a horrifying discovery. Upstairs, even more people like Leatherface are there. Older, wheelchair bound, but thirsty for blood. Leatherface finally gets into the house, and chases Sally. Sally, however, is the original final girl, and won’t go down that easy. She JUMPS OUT A WINDOW onto the ground, and continues to run. She gets back to the gas station, where she meets the owner from before.

He is originally very comforting to our girl, until he leaves to get his truck. When he returns, he has rope. Sally, weakened, picks up a knife to defend herself. However, the Old Man attacks with a copped off broom. He violently beats Sally with it, and knocks her out. He ties her up, and drives her to Leatherface’s house. He was a part of the family the whole time. And, to make matters worse, the hitchhiker is there as well. They are all a part of the same family. The same bloodthirsty, sadistic family. Sally is repeatedly beaten by the Old Man, as she is dragged inside the kitchen. The family sits around the table, and Leatherface goes upstairs to grab “Grandpa”. I can’t even describe him in words, my friends. He is disgusting, and is downright horrible. The family begins to argue, and Sally takes the opportunity. As Grandpa tries to bash her head in with the help of Leatherface, she runs. She JUMPS OUT ANOTHER WINDOW and crashes to the ground, running to the street. She is able to get into a car, laughing hysterically, crying uncontrollably, but alive. Leatherface swings his chainsaw in the air as she drives away, in one of the most famous ending scenes, ever.

And that is the end of day two, and of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre! This movie was AMAZING. The plot was incredible, but the thing that really got me was the cinematography. It is absolutely incredible, and deserves all the accolades it gets. It is so hard to be topped, even by today’s standards. Thank you all for listening, and I will see you all tomorrow… and remember… be careful who you trust.