The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

Synopsis

No-one who has ever seen the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) is ever likely to forget the experience. An intense fever dream (or nightmare), it is remarkable for its sense of sustained threat and depiction of an insane but nonetheless (dys)functional family on the furthest reaches of society who have regressed to cannibalism in the face of economic hardship. As well as providing a summary of the making of the film, James Rose discusses the extraordinary censorship history of the film in the UK (essentially banned for two decades) and provides a detailed textual analysis of the film with particular reference to the concept of 'the Uncanny'. He also situates the film in the context of horror film criticism (the 'Final Girl' character) and discusses its influence and subsequent sequels and remakes.

Summary

Chapter 1: The Road Trip

Five teenagers, Sally, Franklin, Pam, Jerry, and Kirk, embark on a road trip to visit Sally's grandfather's grave. Along the way, they pick up a hitchhiker named Hitchhiker, who tells them sinister tales about a nearby family of cannibals.

Example:

As the group drives along a desolate highway, the sun begins to set, casting an eerie glow over the surroundings. Suddenly, a shadowy figure emerges from the woods and stands in front of their car. The terrified teenagers swerve to avoid hitting it, but the figure vanishes into the darkness.

Chapter 2: The Farmhouse

The teenagers arrive at the abandoned farmhouse where Hitchhiker claimed the cannibal family lived. They split up to search for clues, but as darkness falls, they begin to feel uneasy. Pam and Kirk disappear mysteriously.

Example:

Pam and Kirk enter the dilapidated farmhouse and cautiously explore its shadowy interior. As they climb a creaky staircase, they hear strange noises coming from above. Suddenly, a massive figure wielding a chainsaw bursts through a door and attacks them, brutally murdering both teenagers.

Chapter 3: The Chase

Sally, Franklin, and Jerry realize their friends are missing and frantically search for them. They encounter the cannibal family - Leatherface, Grandpa, and Nubbins - who relentlessly pursue them with machetes and chainsaws.

Example:

Leatherface, with his grotesque mask made of human skin, charges at Sally with his buzzing chainsaw. Sally desperately tries to evade him, running through the overgrown fields surrounding the farmhouse. As she stumbles and falls, Leatherface looms over her, ready to deliver the final blow.

Chapter 4: The Slaughter

One by one, the teenagers are gruesomely killed by the cannibals. Grandpa is impaled on a fence post, while Franklin is hung upside down and disemboweled. Sally manages to hide inside a meat locker, but she is eventually discovered by Leatherface.

Example:

As Leatherface closes in on Sally in the meat locker, she frantically searches for a way out. She grabs a piece of broken glass and stabs Leatherface in the shoulder, but it only enrages him further. In a terrifying struggle, Leatherface overpowers Sally and brutally murders her, leaving her body to be butchered by the cannibal family.

Chapter 5: The Aftermath

The sole survivor, Jerry, stumbles out of the farmhouse and into the road, covered in blood and terror. He is picked up by a passing truck driver and tells him the horrifying tale of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Example:

As Jerry recounts the gruesome events to the truck driver, he struggles to come to terms with the unimaginable horrors he has witnessed. The driver listens in disbelief, contemplating the sheer depravity of the cannibal family and the nightmare they have unleashed upon the world.