re: Original Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

quote:

---

it definitely doesn’t hold up well as one of the GOATs.

---

I still disagree.

One major issue with reviewing it after seeing its progeny is that everything else basically stole from it. Kind of like slashers and Halloween. So THAT is the issue more than the movie itself not holding up. It's style and substance are still being copied today, so it holds up.

Also, the shitty film gives it a snuff film feel and that's something that cannot be replicated today. Ti West does a good job making movies feel like they're from the 70s or 80s but they're still clean with modern film and post production. You can't replicate that grimy presentation like TCM or Last House on the Left.

It's not just the kills or direct interaction with the family. That scene where she stumbles into the room of feathers and bones is intense. It's very difficult to replicate that with clean/modern filmmaking.

I have to revisit 2 but I will say I pretty much loathe all other TCM movies except for the 2003 one, and that one is just uninspired slasher shite. The rest of the movies are horrible. Leatherface isn't a slasher.