Cast/Notable Credits:
Tobe Hooper (Director):
Marilyn Burns (Sally): Eaten Alive (1977)
Jim Siedow (Old Man): TCM 2
Gunnar Hansen (Leatherface): Mosquito (1995), Chainsaw Sally (2005)
John Larroquette (Narrator): TCM, TCM: The Beginning, Night Court T.V. series
Trailer:
Plot:
August 18, 1973: Mysterious grave robbers have dug up some graves in a small cemetery. Sally
Hardesty, her brother Franklin and three other friends have traveled down to check out if her grandfather’s grave was one of them. While traveling back they decide to stay the night at her dead grandfather's farm house in an isolated part of Texas.Along the way, they decide to pick up a weird *ss, whacked out hitchhiker. Shortly after picking him up, they realize that it was a mistake and quickly boot him out the door after he turns a little weird on them and starts cutting himself and slices Franklin in the arm.
They find their grandparents house in an isolated farm land area, and prepare for a night of fun. Upon arrival, two of her friends (Kirk and Pam) decide to go swimming and check out the creek just down the ways from the house. Unfortunately, the creek was dried up. Kirk and Pam then decide to check out the neighbor's house, looking for gasoline. Bad move on their part, because they stumble across the homestead of a family of cannibals including a freaky retarded chainsaw wielding maniac.
As the sun sets for the evening, they decide to look for their friends who have not returned. What happens next becomes Sally's most terrifying adventure as she attempts to escape the notorious Leatherface and family.
Villain
It’s the famous Leatherface! A child trapped in a grown man’s body. Leatherface is a mentally retarded overgrown deformed man. He wields a chainsaw and swings a big ole’ sledgehammer. Leatherface cuts off the skins of his victim’s faces and wears them as masks.
Pulling Leatherface’s killing strings are his family members. His father is the ring leader of the clan. Also in the family are his grandfather and brother. TCM does not give anyone in the film
actual names. Dad is the Old Man, grandfather is Grandfather and his brother is identified as the Hitch Hiker. The sequels and remakes gives them their own different names. But to be clear, this film does not specify the family name.Cast:
The cast of the film is a composite of “no name” actors and actresses. Sally Hardesty (Burns) is the lead female in the film. She does an excellent job in the film. The first half of the film, she was just another chick in a horror film, but the second half of the film, she was just incredible. She played a terrified, screaming chick really well.
I always thought all that was necessary out of the lead female would just to scream and run around. Not that hard…right? That’s what I thought, but I guess it’s more difficult than I thought, or at least to make the film more effective. Burns had the running and screaming part
down pat. She did that well and often. I couldn’t believe how much she screamed in agony throughout her ordeal. That’s gotta take a lot of will power to pull off her performance. Man that chicks got a set of lungs on her.The rest of cast is pretty much…random disposable chicks and dudes. The only thing else I need to say is that Sally’s brother, Franklin is REALLY, REALLY annoying. Annoying with a huge capital “A” in front of it. It was almost to the point that it ruined the film. Franklin was a big fat guy who was stuck in a wheel chair. He b*tched and moaned throughout the film. Whine, whine, whine, whine. Agh!
SFX/Gore:
How many dead people would qualify for the term massacre? According to this film, five dead people qualify for the definition. Ironically, only one person dies from the spinning blades of the chainsaw. More people die from the end of a sludge hammer. But I guess the title, The Texas Sludge Hammer Massacre, doesn’t have the same scary, appealing ring to it…does it?
TNA:
There are two Shark Factor hot chicks in the film and not much else going on in the TNA front. In the film, Pam does wear a nice skimpy outfit though (Pictured left).Concept:
TCM was a film that shocked the world. The content of the film…chopped up human body parts used for supper, furniture made out of bones, human skin masks…you get the idea…was a painted picture that was really disturbing to the common folk.
In the early 70’s, those ideas weren’t accepted or tolerated as much as they are today. And it shocked the world. Audiences across the globe were not ready for that type of content in the film, and the film became banned in many countries (even to this day). Many different cuts and versions of the film have circulated over the years to satisfy various countries MPAA ratings.
T.Gun Factor:
As the first two victims knock and just enter the neighbor’s house, I found myself thinking, "Wait a second. This movie all makes sense. It's the Make My Day Law!" Two strangers enter a
home without permission, and the homeowners...well take matters into their own hands. They are protected under the law for their safety if someone breaks into their home. It's Texas after all! I'm sure that they have those types of laws down there. They’re huge gun freaks in that state. It’s a blue state.TCM brought some classic horror movie scenes into history. The first historic scene, which is a trademark in all of it's movies...except the remake...hmm...is the dinner table scene. At some point late in the movie, the last surviving female captive has found herself bound to a chair and pulled up in front of the family's dinner table. If she hasn't realized at this point that the family is cannibals, then she does in this scene.
This movie created the scene, along with it is a creepy, bizarre, scary as hell atmosphere. The father of the group admits that he's not in it for the killing, but he's in it for the family's secret food recipes (chili). The two sons (Leatherface and the hitchhiker) are the ones responsible for the killings. And then then bring down "Grandfather" for the dinner.At this point in the movie, Grandfather has just been a dead corpse sitting in a chair up in the attic. The two boys drag his old raggedy butt down and place him at the head of the table. It's now when I realize that the old bag of bones is alive. Barely, but still alive. I was like, "Holy sh*t! This dude's alive."
The family decides it's a great idea for Gramps to kill Sally. They roll his butt over to the other end of the table where Sally is and place a sledge hammer in his hands. They hold Sally's head down over the top of one of the bobbing for apples barrels. They cheer Gramps on as he attempts to club Sally's head. The hammer slips out of his hands several times and they place it back in. In the background, the father's cheering and clapping his hands, "Get her Grandpa! Get her!" It's some pretty f*cked up sh*t. Awesome, but f*cked up.
The second trademark scene in the film is the Dance of the Chainsaw. At the end of the movie,
Leatherface dances and swings the chainsaw round and round in circles in frustration. Sure it's a pretty minor scene, but it's classic to the franchise.Misc. Movie Trivia:
-Film opened on October 1, 1974 and made $30.8 million at the Box Office
-Produced on a budget of $140,000
-Movie wasn't released in Australia until the early 80's
-Shot in chronological order
-Only one person died by the chainsaw
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