Amidst the sea of slashers that came out from the early 1970s onward,The Texas Chain Saw Massacrestands as one of the more heralded and unique entries in the genre. WhereHalloween,Friday the 13th, andNightmare on ElmStreetfocused on brutal kills and a more polished, cinematic quality,Tobe Hooper’s classic brings a raw nature to the screen that adds to its realistic feel and terror, all while inspiring the slashers to come. The impact of the film will be explored in a new documentary from veteran directorPhillip Escott(The Found Footage Phenomenon) which just received a new trailer.
TitledThe Legacy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the film invites critics and filmmakers from throughout the horror genre to discuss the elements of the film that made it into a classic. The trailer gives a tease of these discussions with the guests talking about their personal experiences with the film. From the get-go, the setting of a small house in rural Texas was a noted source of discomfort, setting up for the horror ahead. At the time, people didn’t know what to make of the film. The simple name that sounds like a real-life story of an American serial killing coupled with stripped-down box art that only reinforces this notion, it evoked a sense that it was scarier and more violent than it was.
Everyone in the documentary explains how that raw nature drives discomfort and how, despite its lack of blood and gore,The Texas Chain Saw Massacrefeels grittier and more violent than it is. Whether it’s the more grounded, realistic methods of murder Leatherface employs or the gleeful torture the Sawyer family employs, there’s something that feels inherently wrong about the film. As horror iconMick Garris(Amazing Stories) said of the film, “You feel a sense that the people making this movie may not be okay.” It’s that feeling Hooper brings to the film that ultimately made it a cult hit.
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Aside from Garris,The Legacy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacrewas able to get some serious horror brass including Bloody Disgusting’s head criticMeagan Navarro, Fangoria’s editor-in-chief,Phil Nobile Jr., The Daily Dead’sHeather Wixson, andJason Goes to HelldirectorAdam Marcusamong others. Veterans of theTexas Chainsaw Massacrefranchise are on board too, includingTexas Chainsaw Massacre(2022)writer and producerFede AlvarezandThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre(2003) directorMarcus Nispel.
Escott’s Fractured Visions and Second Sight Films produced the documentary which will make its premiere at Fantastic Fest next month. Escott is no stranger to documentary filmmaking or the horror genre, with the Shudder documentaryThe Found Footage Phenomenonand the horror dramaCruel Summerunder his belt. He’s worked on dozens of documentaries and shorts over the years, though his next film,3 Days on Planet Earth, is a sci-fi horror film.
Check out the trailer forThe Legacy of The Texas Chain Saw Massacrebelow.
