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Don’t you hate it when you’re trying to go on a fun roadtrip with some friends, but your invalid brother ends up getting in the way and you end up getting kidnapped and prepared as dinner after your friends are brutally murdered by a family of human-skin-mask-wearing cannibals who moonlight as BBQ salesmen? No? Well if you do, then you probably identify with the characters of this week’s film, Tobe Hooper’s immortal slasher classic, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
When Sally (Marilyn Burns) hears that her grandfather’s grave may have been vandalized, she and her paraplegic brother, Franklin (Paul A. Partain), set out with their friends to investigate. After a detour to their family’s old farmhouse, they discover a group of crazed, murderous outcasts living next door. As the group is attacked one by one by the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen), who wears a mask of human skin, the survivors must do everything they can to escape.
Join Clay and Amanda as they get into the finer points of backless shirts, low-angle butt shots, having a face for every occasion, what makes a good head cheese, a fifth wheel on two wheels, mystery meat, redecorating via grave robbing, and of course, questionable parenting.
Still regarded as one of the more controversial horror films ever made, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre helped set the template for what would be known to become the “slasher” movie genre a handful of years later. Its gritty style, coupled with sparse dialogue, relatable characters, and enough atmosphere to plug a hole in the ozone layer remains very effective even to this day. Top that off with one of the most iconic, recognizable, and dare we say sensual movie monster villains of all time in Leatherface, and you’ve got the makings of a movie that will continue to shock and scare people long after we’re all just bones on the floor of Leatherface’s living room. So go get grandpa, pull up your comfiest armchair made from literal arms, and join us this episode as we dive into The Texas Chainsaw Massacre…if you DARE!