I must admit when I saw this as a kid, it scared the hell out of me.
But watching it again recently, it wasn't nearly as horrifying. At times the lighting is poor to the point of distraction, there is only one real "scare," and the film is surprisingly un-gory (actually, Jaws, made the following year, has far more scares & blood & gore... yet somehow got a PG rating from MPAA)
Although released only 4 years prior to John Carpenter's 1978 Halloween, Chainsaw doesn't come anywhere close to the subtle build of tension, fear & isolation of that film. The character development in TCM is also suprisingly sparse, which is why Halloween works better as a whole. Though Kirk, Pam & Sally do provide some eye candy (for what it's worth).
Several of the chase scenes are messy & laughable, but they are tempered with some wonderful tracking shots around "the house" during daylight hours. The film comes alive when there is enough light to produce a nice shot.
A must watch when considering the development & history of horror films, but not quite as strong as some other classics in the genre.
But watching it again recently, it wasn't nearly as horrifying. At times the lighting is poor to the point of distraction, there is only one real "scare," and the film is surprisingly un-gory (actually, Jaws, made the following year, has far more scares & blood & gore... yet somehow got a PG rating from MPAA)
Although released only 4 years prior to John Carpenter's 1978 Halloween, Chainsaw doesn't come anywhere close to the subtle build of tension, fear & isolation of that film. The character development in TCM is also suprisingly sparse, which is why Halloween works better as a whole. Though Kirk, Pam & Sally do provide some eye candy (for what it's worth).
Several of the chase scenes are messy & laughable, but they are tempered with some wonderful tracking shots around "the house" during daylight hours. The film comes alive when there is enough light to produce a nice shot.
A must watch when considering the development & history of horror films, but not quite as strong as some other classics in the genre.
