... "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". Made in 1974 by Vortex Productions. Stars: Marilyn Burns, Jim Siedow, Paul Partain, Edwin Neal, and Gunner Hansen. Writers: Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper / Director: Tobe Hooper. This is the film, that started the modern day slasher film, that became so popular in the 80's, and even took different but confusin roots in the 90's. This film was build on a basic, but brilliant story. Sally Hardesty (Burns), her invalid brother Franklin (Partain), and their three other friends were on a summer afternoon drive into the boondocks of south Texas to find Sally & Franklin's grandparent's old place. While on the way there, they pick up a weird hitchhiker (Neal) who after several eerie ramblings on about the old cattle slaughtering house nearby, then cuts himself with Franklin's pocket-knife, then cuts Franklin himself with his straight-edged razor blade. The teenagers then kick him out of their van, and move on. After the deelings on with the hitchhiker, they notice they are running low of gas, so they stop in at a deserted gas station. The gas station owner (Siedow) explains they would have to wait for the gas truck to come later on that day, or tommorrow morning to get gas, because he's out. So while waiting for the gas, the teens decide to drive a little farther with the gas they have, to visit the old grandparent's house of Sally and Franklin. Well when they get there, they all break-up (of course), and quite noticeably they start disappearing one-by-one, and it's only a matter of time, before Sally & Franklin themselves are next. This film here caused a HUGE stir back in 1974. Being they advertised the film as a "true story", people didn't know it was "relatively true", based on a string of murders by a man named Ed Gein up in Wisconsin back in the 50's. So native Texans were scared out of their wits, thanking this "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" story was true. The film itself, is a masterpiece, and if watched correctly, can be a very wonderful experience. Correctly meaning, you have to watch it with an "open mind", if you don't, you'll come away feeling very displeased. Although the film was groundbreaking in it's day, it's lost it's appeal and effectiveness to today's audience due to it's drab atmosphere, and age. Still great watching for any horror fan. I give it 3.5/4 - Very Good
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