Thursday, September 29, 2022

RW496 - Texas Chainsaw Rewatch - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

 


In this episode of The Texas Chainsaw Rewatch, Cory and Eoghan rev up their first discussion about "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre."

Trailer:

Our Favourite Trivia:

Director Tobe Hooper claims to have gotten the idea for the film while standing in the hardware section of a crowded store while Christmas shopping. While thinking of a way to get out through the crowd, he spotted the chainsaws.


Gunnar Hansen originally turned down the role of Leatherface due to the sheer brutality of the plot. He was then persuaded by Marilyn Burns, who was friends with him at the time.


Tobe Hooper allowed Gunnar Hansen to develop Leatherface as he saw fit, under his supervision. Hansen decided that Leatherface was mentally handicapped and never learned to talk properly, so he went to a school for the mentally handicapped and watched how they moved and listened to them talk to get a feel for the character. He also tried his best to make his portrayal as non-offensive as he could. Many fans, including those who are mentally handicapped, say he succeeded.


Even in his lift boots, Gunnar Hansen could run faster than Marilyn Burns, so he had to do random things when chasing her through the woods (you'll notice in one head-on shot that he starts slicing up tree branches in the background).


Due to the low budget, Gunnar Hansen had only one shirt to wear as Leatherface. The shirt had been dyed, so it could not be washed. Hansen had to wear it for four straight weeks of filming in the hot and humid Texas summer. By the end of the shoot, no one wanted to stand near Hansen or sit next to him during breaks to eat lunch because his clothing smelled so bad.


Surprisingly, this film is one of the least bloody horror films of all time. This is because Tobe Hooper intended to make the movie for a "PG" rating, by keeping violence moderate, language mild, excluding nudity entirely, and having most of the horror implied off-screen rather than shown in great detail onscreen. However, this plan had actually backfired, and made the film even more horrifying. Because despite cutting and repeated submissions, the Ratings Board insisted on an "X" rating, and it wasn't until the film received the "R" rating when Hooper gave up and released it. Hooper had a similar ratings problem with the sequel.


According to Edwin Neal (Nubbins/Hitchhiker), Texas State Troopers actually shook his hand and thanked him for causing crime to drop 18%. Apparently the message audiences took away from the movie was "Don't pick up hitchhikers".


When it was first released, the film was so horrifying that people actually walked out on sneak previews for it.

What's Up Next?

It takes 13 years, but Tobe Hooper comes back to further the story in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2

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