It is one that we experience so intensely that we have no better way of describing it than simply as feeling “real.” It is less the case that what the film presents us with and the way that it presents it is realistic per se and more that the various elements of the film work together to produce a viewing experience that is singularly visceral in its impact. What I believe is so “real” about the film is the sheer intensity of the experience of watching it, and this is achieved primarily through the film’s destabilizing approach to its technical and storytelling elements.Īrguably, what the film achieves is less a sense of realism and more a state of heightened realism or hyperrealism. It is, however, a film that feels very “real”. I would argue that-its 16mm graininess notwithstanding- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is not a film that looks particularly “real.” It is simply too well-made and skillfully employs too many cinematic techniques to be accurately described as documentary-like. “ Rob Zombie” by Hannah Marren Photography is licensed under CC BY 2.0 This might be the only person who likes this movie even more than I do. But, the spirit of what Zombie is saying is what matters and, in that sense, his quote is quite apt. Obviously, were it really the case that someone had simply pointed a camera at the carnage we see in this film, it wouldn’t look like this at all. It’s important to note that Rob Zombie is a filmmaker himself and, regardless of how you may feel about his work, he probably knows better than most just how unlike documentary or cinéma vérité much of the film is. It’s not a comment on, say, the true-to-life quality of the cinematography, which on the surface it may appear to be. What is interesting about this quote is that it talks about the overall effect of the film as a whole. The latter was perhaps best summed up by the quote, attributed to Rob Zombie, that “it looks like someone turned on a camera and started killing people” (or something very much to that effect). At various times, the film has been likened to a documentary or even a home movie. This destabilizing effect of the film is perhaps most evident in the fact that so many viewers, at the time and even now, often describe it as looking and feeling as if it were real. “It’s only a movie, it’s only a movie, it’s only…” In both cases, the film consistently subverts expectations, achieving a destabilizing effect on the audience that is matched by few films before or since. The other concerns its formal qualities as a story, specifically its plot structure and story elements. One is the formal characteristics of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre as a film-i.e., its approach at the technical level of filmmaking. The question that I will attempt to answer here is what, specifically, makes the film so effective, even 45 years later? I have narrowed it down to two closely-related elements, both having to do with the formal qualities of the film. I realize that this film has just about been discussed to death, and who am I to add my two cents, anyway? Nevertheless, much as the power of Christ compelled Regan/Pazuzu, so the power of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre compels me to write about it. October 1 st of this year marked the 45 th anniversary of the release of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre*, which seems as good a reason as any to talk about it.
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