Movie Reviews: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974 and 2003)

From time to time, I'll be reviewing a classic (or sometimes not so classic) film and that film's remake. For starters, I'll begin with one of the most controversial films of its time, and its equally (but for different reasons) controversial remake.

Remakes of classic films rarely work. Most of the time, they end up as the impotent offspring of the film which served as their inspiration. Every now and then, a remake comes along which does its predecessor justice. Such is the case with the 2003 remake of Tobe Hooper's 1974 classic, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre .

I'll begin with my review of Hooper's 1974 classic, and then move on to the Michael Bay-produced, Marcus Nispel-directed remake from Platinum Dunes.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the tale of a group of young friends, led by Sally Hardesty and her wheelchair-bound brother, Franklin, who are traveling in a van to visit the grave of their grandfather. The trip doesn't go as planned, as the kids end up re-routed to an old farmhouse which is home to the Sawyer family. I'll just say that the Sawyers aren't the most inviting folks when strangers come along, and leave it at that. Want to know the rest? See the movie.

The films stars Marilyn Burns as Sally. Marilyn's performance is wonderful, although at times her screaming makes me wish she'd fall victim to the chainsaw early on, but I suppose someone in her position, were it in real life, would scream as much if not more! The great Jim Siedow plays Drayton "The Cook" Sawyer with such eagerness and splendor that it almost seems as though he enjoys his evil deeds. Teri McMinn plays Pam, who is an integral character in one of the most memorable scenes in the movie. If you've seen it, you know what I mean. Edwin Neal plays The Hitchhiker, a member of the Sawyer family and maybe the most psychotic of them all! And that's saying a lot!

Finally, the role of Leatherface is played wonderfully by Gunnar Hansen. Leatherface is an almost sympathetic yet psychotic character who reacts to his brother, The Cook, and The Hitchhiker as if he is the family dog, there to serve and be abused at their will. He is brutal beyond your wildest nightmares and yet you do feel for him at times when he is mistreated by his brothers, an apparently mentally handicapped man who is equally capable of playing the role of the housewife and of brutally massacring poor souls who make the fatal mistake of crossing the path of the Sawyer family.

Article Author: Anonymous Scott

Visit Anonymous Scott's author page