After their grandfather's grave has been desecrated, two siblings (Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain) and their friends travel to a cemetery in Texas to investigate, but their van runs out of gas in the middle of nowhere. While looking for gas, they stumble upon a house that's inhabited by a cannibalistic family, including a chainsaw-wielding maniac named Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen). One by one, the teens are tortured and butchered.
Loosely based on the true crimes of murderer Ed Gein, writer/director Tobe Hooper's ("Poltergeist") low-budget tale is both disturbing and horrifying. It's also very hard to watch. As the film progresses, the terror grows and grows until the final reel. There's hardly any blood and certainly no gore, just plain terror. Most of the performances are second rate, but who cares? Just see it for the terror and suspense. A must-see for horror fans. Followed by three weak sequels and remade in 2003. My evaluation: *** out of ****.
Loosely based on the true crimes of murderer Ed Gein, writer/director Tobe Hooper's ("Poltergeist") low-budget tale is both disturbing and horrifying. It's also very hard to watch. As the film progresses, the terror grows and grows until the final reel. There's hardly any blood and certainly no gore, just plain terror. Most of the performances are second rate, but who cares? Just see it for the terror and suspense. A must-see for horror fans. Followed by three weak sequels and remade in 2003. My evaluation: *** out of ****.