The movie utilizes tilted angles, extreme close-ups, hard cuts, and shaky motion all to make the scene crazier and disorienting. This is especially apparent in the dinner scene towards the end of the film. The increased pace makes the group seem powerless against the Sawyer family, nothing can stop them.Īlong with the shift in pace, the camera work also changes, becoming more frenetic. Within a span of 17 minutes, four of the five group members are killed by the chainsaw-wielding maniac Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen). When Kirk and Pam venture off on their own and come across the Sawyer house, the pacing quickens dramatically. As stated earlier, the first act of the film methodically builds tension by foreshadowing what’s about to occur. Generally, when a movie has uneven pacing, it is detrimental to the entire project, but this film is an exception. The erratic pacing in this movie is another element that deserves attention. The audience knows something horrific will happen to the group… but when? Pacing & Camera Work Altogether, the first act of the film does a tremendous job of building tension and unease.
The cosmos are misaligned and they remain oblivious to every warning sign hurled their way. Pam reads that Franklin will have a “disturbing and unpredictable day” while Sally will experience “moments where cannot believe what is happening is really true.” Both of these horoscopes lend to the point that the group has been cursed by fate. Now that he has marked them, there’s no escape.įollowing this, Pam then reads Franklin and Sally’s chillingly accurate horoscopes from her astrology book. Instead of being a specific symbol or message, the smear could simply be symbolic. While many chalk this symbol up as just being a smear, Sally even comments that it “looks like he was trying to write something”. What’s more, the group later discovers a bloody symbol on the side of the van made by Nubbins. It’s almost as if Nubbins was hexing them. Burning someone’s photo is often seen as a bad omen and is used in several ritualistic practices. The hitchhiker’s method of destroying the picture is particularly interesting. When Franklin refuses, the hitchhiker burns the picture and is kicked out of the van. Relishing in the group’s fear and disgust, he takes a picture of Franklin’s expression and tries to sell it to him. The hitchhiker takes Franklin’s pocket knife and cuts himself with it. Soon after, the group decides to pick up a hitchhiker, Nubbins Sawyer (Edwin Neal), and things quickly take a turn. Pam’s comments along with the opening narration imply that the group’s demise is inevitable, being predetermined by fate. Adding to the dread, Pam begins reading from her astrology book mentioning that the malefic planet Saturn is in retrograde thus increasing its maleficence. From the start, the audience knows evil lurks just beyond the group. Partain), Kirk (William Vail), Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns), Pam (Teri McMinn), and Jerry (Allen Danziger). After this, the film introduces the five main protagonists: Franklin Hardesty (Paul A. Claiming it was based on actual events only adds to the horror. This preps the audience for a terrifying viewing experience. The narrator states the film is based on a true story, describing the events as being both “macabre” and “bizarre”. The film’s opening narration, courtesy of John Larroquette, sets an unsettling tone for the duration of the movie. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre uses foreshadowing frequently to put the audience on edge. Foreshadowingīefore interpreting the meaning behind this film, there are three elements that need to be discussed in greater detail. A SPOILER WARNING is in effect from here. Layered with allegory and symbolism, the goal of this article is to analyze the subtext and meaning behind one of Hooper’s greatest filmmaking achievements.
#TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE PICTURES SERIES#
With a new installment in the series set to release this year, it’s time to look back at what made the original so great. While the title of the movie suggests viewers are in for an exploitative, gory “B-movie”, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre proves otherwise. The film’s success is even more impressive when considering it had an estimated budget of only $300,000 (about $1.8 million now). Widely regarded as one of the greatest horror films of all time, the movie shocked and terrified audiences upon its initial release in 1974. A perfect descriptor of Tobe Hooper’s timeless classic, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
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