PopHorror Let's Get Scared
When I was approached to join the PopHorror family, I was asked to write about my favorite horror movie. I’ve put it off and off – I’m not going to lie – in hopes that it would be forgotten.
The thing is, I can’t really pinpoint just one movie as my favorite. Whenever anyone asks me what my favorite horror movie is, nine times out of ten I answer with The Lost Boys, with its perfect combination of laughs and horror, mixed with a great soundtrack and an amazing cast. But I’m also drawn to the 1974 film, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.
The annoying characters aside, and the lack of gore (shocking because those who know me know that is what I dig), it’s actually the photos from the movie that stick with me the most. Those images of Leatherface running in a suit with his chainsaw, or waving it in the air, are my most favorite. These clips from the movie make the best gifs, and I will buy a shirt with Leatherface on it over anything else. I even have a TCM tattoo.
For those not familiar with The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, it’s a 1974 horror film directed by Tobe Hooper and co-written by himself and Kim Henkel. It tells the story of the Sawyers, a murderous family of outcasts living in the heart of Texas. It’s also the tale of Sally Hardesty and her paraplegic brother, Franklin. Long story short, they become acquainted with the Sawyer Family and their chainsaw-wielding son, Leatherface.
The film’s intro, as read by John Larroquette:
“The film which you are about to see is an account of the tragedy which befell a group of five youths, in particular Sally Hardesty and her invalid brother, Franklin. It is all the more tragic in that they were young. But, had they lived very, very long lives, they could not have expected nor would they have wished to see as much of the mad and macabre as they were to see that day. For them an idyllic summer afternoon drive became a nightmare. The events of that day were to lead to the discovery of one of the most bizarre crimes in the annals of American history, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.”
The music, the buzz of the chainsaw, the Leatherface mask, meat hooks, and what is implied are all elements that add to the scariness of this movie. Yeah, it lacks gore, and yeah, there are some moments where you’re rooting for the good guys to hang on those meat hooks, not to mention that it goes against everything that I love in a horror movie. But this all somehow works for this one, and is truly terrifying.
And that is why The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is my favorite horror movie. What’s yours?
