THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974) MOVIE REACTION! FIRST TIME WATCHING! 

Don't forget to check out my Horror Movie themed notebooks for Spooky Season! - www.amazon.com/shop/reelreviewswithjen

I meet Gunner Hansen back in the 90s and my friend and I ended up having about a 20 minute conversation with him. He was a really nice and friendly guy, that made my 6'4", 250 lb frame look small next to him. RIP Gunner and Marilyn.

Wow, you're brave to tackle The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jen! lol 😆 It's not actually gory, and the violence is mostly implied, but the documentary-style filmmaking made the movie seem more realistic and in tune with what was going on in the country at the time following the Manson Family Murders and the Zodiac Killer case.

Great reaction 👍Fun fact: Letherface (Gunner Hansen) actually cut Sally's (Marilyn Burns) finger at the dinner table with the knife. The 🔪, originally had a safety guard on the blade and blood was saposed to squirt from it. But, after take after take, it just wouldn't work. So, from being in the same room for 26 hours straight in the severe heat (which was only a 5 minute scene), he took off the safety and cut her - thats a real scream and blood. And also, that chainsaw was real - this movie could not be made today.

The one lower angel cam shot of Pam approaching the house from the swing set was actually meant to show the house growing larger and larger as she gets closer to it. Daniel Pearl who was the camera man said he wanted the house to be represented as though it was another deranged family member.

The mask he is wearing is human skin from his victims. Human skin has a leather like appearance. Also the house is now a bed and breakfast in Kingsland TX. Been there once. I was disappointed that they didn't serve bar b que. They only served burgers and salad. Had a great time there. Went upstairs saw the window that Sally jumped out of.

This isn't a cheap gore and jump scare movie. It's a psychic and psychological assault on the senses. The first time I watched this I felt like I'd been physically and mentally attacked. I was stunned. This movie is homicide as an art form. The best horror movie of all time.

The actor who played Grandpa didn't want to go through the makeup process again so they decided to just do the whole scene in one day. That day just happened to last 27 hours.

RIP Marilyn Burns (Sally) one of the first 'Final Girl' characters in horror film history.

the hitch-hiker went on to be a very successful voice actor, he did alot of 80's cartoon voices

It's based on Ed Gein from WI, who was the boogeyman of my childhood. Don't let people tell you all sorts of fake facts about him, the truth is bad enough. I saw this film as an anniversary re-release in the theater! So since I am an early viewer here, the people in the film were actually injured in a lot of the scenes, especially running through the field. The "wig" was Franklin's scalp. His mask is someone's face. Ed Gein was only one single person, but he also wore his victim's body parts, made skull bowls and bone "art" and was the son of pig farmers. I don't want to spoil everything about his story, but I've always viewed the four members of the family as the four faces of Ed Gein. The one he showed the public, including children(the gas station attendant), the one that robbed graves and was weird in general(the hitcher), the origin of his sickness(grandpa), and the one that was completely nonsensical(leatherface). There are good books out there and a lot of really bad misinformation out there online, so just read the books for the real deal. Or don't, it's gruesome.

You have to dress up for dinner, he put his best face on.. Leatherface has different masks for different tasks,

"Grandpa ain't what he used to be", yeah I think he needed another pint or two to get revved up.

I always laugh at that trucker’s reaction when he first sees leatherface😃😱. I noticed he abandoned his truck I hope he made it out alright 😥😰

i never knew until I was reading the credits with you, the narrator was John Larroquette, he was a big TV star in the 80's on Night Court and won 4 consecutive Emmy awards.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre isn't directly related to any true story, Jen. The film is loosely inspired by the real life case of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein, who was also the inspiration for Psycho, but there was no real chainsaw massacre in Texas. There was, however, a real life Texas killing spree called the Texarkana Moonlight Murders which took place in 1946 which were committed by an unknown individual called The Phantom Killer. It was the inspiration for the 1976 horror film, The Town That Dreaded Sundown.

The Hills Have Eyes does share a lot in common with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jen, along with Wes Craven's other grindhouse classic, Last House on the Left. The grindhouse film genre was reflective of the social decay that many saw happening in America in the 1970s. Suddenly, fictional supernatural monsters were replaced by real life serial killers and mass murderers like Charles Manson and the Manson family, The Zodiac Killer, Dean "The Candyman" Corll, David "The Son of Sam" Berkowitz, John Wayne "The Killer Clown" Gacy, and Ted Bundy.

When they made the movie they were trying to get a PG rating(this was before PG-13 existed) so that's why there isn't much gore. And Leatherface is non-verbal and has the mind of a child.

If nothing else Leatherface is a proper gentleman and put on his fancy mask when he knew they were going to have guest over for supper.

This movie is inspired by Ed Gaines who robbed Graves and Rob his mom's grave and made furniture out of their skin and bones that's a true story! The the original 1950s movie psycho was also based on Ed Gaines!

Oh, it was hot during the filming of the movie, Jen. Temperatures reached 110°F (43 °C) and the cast had to keep wearing the same clothes throughout the entire film.

"He added eyebrows to the outside of his mask?" Umm...he didn't have to add them. They were already there. (hint hint)

In July several days and even weeks of 110 + temps every day and no rain is common. I live in Fort Worth.

A clue to the backstory could be earlier on when the hitchhiker talked about how people in slaughterhouses had been laid off because they could easily kill cattle with guns now. So maybe they lost some income and turned to crime, using the slaughterhouse skills of killing and then setting up a barbecue to make money.

If you're a fan of Tobe Hooper, Jen, then I again recommend Tobe Hooper's 1981 slasher film, The Funhouse. 😃 Elizabeth Berridge from Amadeus starred in it.

The only actor from this movie that had a notable career afterwards was,ironically,the narrator,John Larroquette,who became a sitcom star on Night Court in the 80s.

I saw this when I was 13. In the 80’s and it was. One of the scariest things, and then some high school introduced me to faces of death , and. I was scarred ……..this and the original last house on left. Both terrified me for years ….. brave would if you do nt like horror , on Halloween night no less , well done. !!!! Rob zombies version of this story is fantastic

My girl has been uploading back to back! You killing it Jen! I always Love this chainsaw massacre! Love the review too! Keep killing the game! You doing it, girl! 😁😁✌️

There were several sequels, Jen. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 in 1986, Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III in 1990, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation in 1995(featuring Renée Zellweger and Matthew McConaughey in early roles), and the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with Jessica Biel and its 2006 sequel, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning with Jordana Brewster. There were some other movies that followed, but I haven't seen them. lol

Great video! Incidentally, Tobe Hooper (the director) stated years later in interviews that law enforcement officers in Texas thanked him for making this movie as it did discourage people from picking up hitchhikers after its release! :) I look forward to seeing more of your videos. Subbed

Great reaction Jen!. TCM is one of my top 5 favourite movies and it's one of those, like Suspiria for example that really needs to be seen at the cinema. The music, the constant screaming, the sound effects and the chainsaw buzzing are so disturbing when they're coming at you from all directions, it's relentless and is an experience you'll never forget. It's such a shame these old films don't get cinema runs anymore for the younger generation who wasn't even born when it was first released so they can experience them as they should be seen. Also, this is another film, like The Shining and The Exorcist where the making of is as horrific as the films itself. If you get the chance Jen find one of the many docs about the making of it, it's fascinating.

I grew up in Texas & watched this alone when I was in 3rd grade. It really messed me up for a few years. I was like a dog around a vacuum cleaner every time I heard a chainsaw. Yeah grandpa was really messed up. I remember thinking, "Oh, so blood of the innocent will sustain unnatural long life." Funfacts!! That was very rude to smack her around with a broom. What a jerk! That last scene though. Sally rides off, presumably to an institution forever, he's spinning that chainsaw around like a madman. Wild stuff.

You can definitely see the influence of this movie on "House of 1000 Corpses." It's almost a remake. The whole "based on a true story" hype is pretty loose. TCM, Psycho, and Silence of the Lambs were all loosely inspired by the same serial killer, Ed Gein.

Yes and no about based on a true story. Technically, "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" didn't happen as in the arch of this story. However, it IS based on Ed Gein, and The Bender Family. Additionally, it's noteworthy to mention that John Larroquette is the narrator in the beginning of this film. Larroquette, most famously known for his parts in "Blind Date" (1987), "Richie Rich" (1993), "Stripes" (1981), "Summer Rental" (1986), "Madhouse" (1992), and his series "Night Court" which ran from 1984-1992 as public defender Dan Fielding. Laraquette would also return to do narrative for "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (2003 remake), as well as "Texas Chainsaw: The Beginning" in 2006. Id bore ya for hours about his past. As far as the film, you got sacred because there was no build up music to what is now called "jump scares". In the old days of horror, their wasn't built up music to adjust the viewer for these random moments. The horror happened. Even with Carpenter movies. The "scary scene" happened, and you were left to puzzle it as it occurred

They are 3 brothers, The hitchhiker has a twin who is fighting in nam. Leatherface is wareing a granny face when hes cooking and has a pretty face for fancy dinners.

Your shirt is cool as hell.

"Did he put a wig on?" - No, he was actually wearing her boyfriend's face and hair. If you look close during the film he had three different faces he'd wear.

This is an exceptionally well made film.

Cool background especially the pillow things lol. I got one that's a pumpkin then you fold it inside out and its black cat lol

This was based on a true story . A.k.A " Leather Face ". Made his mask out of skin. His mother was very religious and he was a momma's boy . After the death of his mother he would go out to the graves . And make lamps out of skulls , clothes out of skin and so many other things . In reality he only killed 2-3 women . After that everything else came from the graves. From his real life , the book PSYCHO was written and then the movie was made from Alfred Hitchcock .

I saw this when I was 9, a year after I saw Exorcist by sneaking into the theater. By the time the later 70's and 80's films came around I was pretty much prepared for all of them.

Marilyn Burns was incredible in this. For another impressive portrayal of stark terror (without dialog) check out Meghan Chadeayne in the short film Naked Zombie Girl.

I'm not sure if you play games... But Resident Evil 7 should be on the menu (if you haven't played it).. The dinner scene - Damn... Try the first 2 hours at your own pace.. 😀 Well, great reaction and this channel needs more subs!!!👍👍

Supposedly, they used real human skeleton bones for the scenes inside the house. Fun Times! *Also, please consider watching "The Descent". It's an all female main cast horror flick. I don't want to give any details if you don't know about it, but I think you'll like it. It's nothing ridiculously gory, but I like the storyline. Oh, please watch the original ending version!*

Great review loved this movie 😊

The actor who played the hitchhiker said that the time filming this movie was the worst of his life. And he was a Vietnam Vet.

We didnt need a backlog of story surrounding the Sawyer family. They gave us some hints of their character and that's good enough for me. I like how the movie like this leaves it up to your imagination. We just know the family are crazy nutbags.

10:26 not the rest of the family, but I actually think that's what's going through leatherface's mind at that exact moment. He isn't all there, and even though he is brutally strong, I think he has the mind of a child- a bunch of people ACTUALLY trespass into his families house and he protects it. It's kind of screwed up but it's a bit of a mental illness Home Alone

Trivia: - all the bones in this movie were real, they were obtained from India, was cheaper than fake hollywood bones

Those are real dead animals on that floor.Actors said it stunk so bad during filming and the temp was 110 degrees

7:29 Every guy's favorite shot from any horror film EVER.

The soundtrack was largely sounds from a slaughterhouse.

I really want to watch you react to Tone Hooper's batshit crazy classic Lifeforce.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the least gory horror movies out there, and that's because Tobey Hooper was trying to go for a PG rating

You mention about there not being too much gore, but to me it's using one's imagination that really invokes the real horror. Think about Psycho, where there isn't much gore at all, but it's still a creepy as hell classic. I bet if this had been made in the mid-80's they'd have probably gone OTT on the gore. Part of the film's idea was based on Ed Gein, aka The Butcher Of Plainfield. There are documentaries out there about Ed, and a pretty gruesome film called "Deranged", also from '74, which is pretty out there on the sick-o-meter.

Rumor has it that the production team used real human remains imported from India as it was cheaper than buying/renting props. Also, most if not all the animal remains were from roadkill that the prop guy found while driving around the Texas country side. It's said in the bonus footage that the smell in the house was so horrible in the August texas heat that people were throwing up between takes. And lastly, since the cast only had 1 costume each, besides leatherface who changes into a suit at the end, the clothes were sticky, bloody and stiff from all the sweat by the end of filming. To add one last thing, the reason why they didn't just drive away in the semi truck is because that trucks from the 40s-50s. Old trucks like that typically had a starter on the outside of the cab, and after coming to a hard stop like that, there would not have been enough air built up to start/drive the truck away. Simply, they didn't have the time for that, so they just ran away.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1-2 (2003-2006) Cool ))

The Fragile movie with Carlista Flockheart was from 2010.

The 70's were an interesting decade of contrast because you had movies like Saturday Night Fever and the Studio 54 where everybody was supposedly getting high doing each other and dancing but then you had these kind of movies like The Exorcist, The Omen, Amittyville horror and this movie so there is an irony there. As far as 70's movies I would rather watch The Collinson Twins in Twins Of Evil with there see through night gowns on but if everyone else would rather watch arms being sawed off and people being put on meat hooks well to each there own.

Another pillar of greatness.

he's called leatherface cause he skins his victims faces off and wears it like a mask.

Funnily enough, the Sawyer House is now a restaurant. But I don't think people get served there, at least not my knowledge.

1:03-1:06 "And that's the name of the movie". You forgot to say you line, Jen. I say that too.

The high pitch sound that is played at the beginning of the film in the graveyard was made in a similar way to the original Godzilla roar. Godzilla's original 1954 roar was created by composer Akira Ifukube, who dragged a resin-coated leather glove along the loosened strings of a double bass, while the sound in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was made by two piano wires being scraped together

Serial Mom (1994) Here's one for next year

No chainsaws were harmed in the making of this movie!!!

Yes, poor, poor chicken having to bear witness to that family’s activities! 😢🐓

I want a bowl with"Cheese & Rice written on it.

The second one is pretty good too

What I find so horrible with this srory is when Franklin is murdered and the fact that because he's paralysed he can't run. He has to sit there while Leatherface cuts him up...

He's wearing someone's face as a mask

there are 3 sequels, a successfull remake that lead to sequels, 2 prequels with the last being Leatherface , also they have just finished shooting another remake which is slated for 2022

more "cheese and rice" than Chipotle

This movie was loosely based of real life serial killer Ed Gein. Another movie loosely based off Gein is "Deranged". That movie is in the same vein as Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Good creepy movie but not as good as TCM.

Listen carefully to the introductory voice-over - it's John Larroquette. Believe it or not, PETA has listed this movie as among the most effective pro-vegetarian films; one can see why, as it shows people getting killed and prepared for food in ways similar to cattle and other animals.

Most of the human bones used in this movie are real. Apparently it's a heck of a lot cheaper than getting convincing fake ones at the time.

10:52 Now that's funny

What a great way to wrap up Halloween! I saw this with my parents in 2003 on Cinemax and it scared the hell out of us! My mom couldn't sleep for a week. Lol! And it's based loosely on serial killer Ed Gein whom would later be the basis for Norman Bates in Psycho and Buffalo Bill in Silence Of The Lambs.

Speaking of Tobe Hooper for a moment I just started watching a movie called Eaten Alive (1976) that he directed, its not bad so far maybe this film should be added to your list?

I suggest the creepy film The Mothman Prophecies!

If you wanna see more unsettling, horrific, and generally unspeakable films... please ask

This is my favorite horror film of all time! No, it isn't based on a true story. Leatherface was inspired by the real life serial killer Ed Gein, but this movie isn't based on any actual case.

You know that's a true story.

the 03 remake and Beginnings are perfect if you want more story about the family. Much more gory and more of a typical slasher flick with less unsettling cinematography, but still great horror movies in their own right. Tbh I even kinda liked the origin film called Leatherface even if it's not a particularly "good" entry to the series.

Loosely based on the crimes of Ed Gein. Another movie from 1974 based on Ed Gein is Deranged with effects from Tom Savini ( Creepshow, Dawn Of The Dead) which is a bit truer to the facts. Gein was a ghoul and murderer who wore human skin and decorated his farmhouse with skin and bones.

There is a controversial and hard to watch horror called I Spit On Your Grave (1978). It doesn't have high reviews but I remember liking it because of how disturbing it was. Also, a drama that is hard to watch but is well done is The Accused (1988) and it has high ratings. Both are about rape - just so you know (trigger warning stuff).

Jen have you watched the HALLOWEEN Franchise yet?

Cheese & Rice, Hi Jen And The Director Who Also Did Poltergeist As Well You've React To And This Movie Ranked At #5 In The 100 Scariest Movie Moments On Bravo

Classic

😎👍

Do "Ichi The Killer" for buckets of blood and gore

Thanks for the video!! See you later!! Stay safe.😉

Check out the movie Fragile-2009,a good film.

franklin is totally cheese and rice

I'm going to write a big essay on this movie that nobody is going to read because idgaf. I've seen this movie countless times over the years. The more you've seen it, the more you realize that there's actually quite a lot going on in it if you look past the surface level. In the very first bit of dialogue, Pam explains that "Saturn is in retrograde." In astrology, this means that the entire astrological system is inverted, reversed, or turned upside down. If the order of things is reversed, then consumers are consumed, hence the cannibalism. In the normal order of things, people consume the animals, but if things are reversed, then it's the animals that consume the humans. Leatherface, of course, makes pig noises. In the film the consumption motif is both literal and metaphorical. There is the literal cannibalism, of course, but if you pay close attention, you realize there is also a political and class struggle metaphor at work. The kids are from a family that used to live in the area. Franklin explains that their grandfather used to sell his cattle at "the old slaughter house," but they've moved on like the cattle industry and everything else and left the place to rot, like their derelict old family home. The poor and their labor are consumed by the wealthy, but if things are reversed, then it's the poor and forgotten who do the consuming. Hooper explained in interviews that the film is about the post Vietnam social chaos and malaise of the Nixon era. This is the purpose of the bogus claim that it's a true story in the opening narration. In the late Vietnam War era, everybody felt they had been lied to by talking heads and authoritative announcers like the narrator and pushed into a war nobody wanted. They had also been fed a steady diet of blood and guts news, which was a new thing in the 1970s. Listen to the news anchor on the radio in the opening credits. It's just one grisly and awful violent crime story after another. Even the bit about running out of gas evokes the 1973 oil embargo. Hooper has confirmed these things in interviews and if you'd seen his earlier film, Eggshells, you realize that he was politically aware. TCM is basically a hippie horror film that is shaped by the politics of that era. Why is Franklin in a wheelchair and why does Hooper spend so much of the film drawing parallels between him and the cannibals? Really think about it. Franklin is fascinated with the slaughterhouse like the hitchhiker is. They bond over this and their apparent mutual love of headcheese in the van before he attacks him with the straight razor. The hitchhiker blows raspberries as does Franklin later on. Kirk laughs at Franklin and says "you're crazier than he was!" Franklin has a knife and we're repeatedly reminded of this fact and of course the hitchhiker tells us that he too has a knife. "It's a good knife!" These are the more obvious parallels, but there are others which are more apparent after you know how the movie ends. For instance, Franklin is overweight, which evokes consumption, and we watch him consume the questionable barbecue. I'm pretty sure he's the only one we see eating it and our attention is called to it and what the meat might actually be later on when Sally notices the barbecue while waiting for the cook to bring the truck around in the gas station. It's clear that Hooper intended for us to link Franklin to the cannibals. But why? The answer, I think, is to be found in the other recurring pattern: Everybody is constantly making jokes at his expense. This goes on for the whole first half of the film. For instance, Jerry jokes that if they run out of gas, Franklin is towing them back to town in his wheelchair. If you pay close attention after the scene where Kirk asks Franklin where the pond is, you can see that Kirk is pissed off at him in the scene immediately after it. As he and Pam are running from the house to the dried up pond, Kirk says "zero in the world (presumably in reference to Franklin), just shoot him and put us out of our misery." You might miss this detail unless you watch it with the subtitles on. Kirk and Pam wonder how Franklin could have gotten down there when he was little and Kirk jokes that "Franklin was never little." Pam laughs. We're continuously reminded that Franklin is an annoying burden, as useless as the poor of dying Texas towns who were left behind to fend for themselves when the cattle industry moved on and the "new air gun" that killed cattle "put people out of jobs," to quote the hitchhiker. It's actually weird that Franklin is in a wheelchair, stymied by stairs and terrain throughout the whole movie. Why put this in there at all? But notice that there is another character that has to be carried by others. It's grandpa. Both the hitchhiker and Leatherface literally carry him down the stairs for the dinner scene and this is in contrast to the shot of Franklin in his wheelchair sitting at the foot of the stairs when Pam and Kirk descend them and ask how to get to the pond. And who was grandpa? He was supposedly one of the best cattle killers before being made obsolete and tossed aside by capitalism, progress, or whatever. He was useful, now he's useless, as useless as Franklin's legs, so useless he can't even hold the hammer to hit Sally with it anymore than Franklin can take a leak without a coffee can. The point of Franklin being in a wheelchair and the parallel drawn between him and the cannibals is that they are useless, left behind like Franklin was when his sister and her friends went up stairs and left him on the ground floor, as useless as grandpa was forever sitting with his mummified wife upstairs in the Sawyers' house. The poor, the obsolete, the unemployed, the downsized, the infirm, the left-behind -- all are burdens, all to be found at the bottom of a totem pole. Except on the day the film takes place because Saturn is in retrograde. I mean, this has to be what he was getting at. All this stuff isn't just in there randomly. For instance, look at the elaborate and overt parallels between animals who are intended for slaughter and the kids. They drive past the "old slaughter house" and it's edited in such a way to draw the parallel between the cattle awaiting slaughter and the kids in the van. When Kirk is killed, he's hit with the sledge in the way the hitchhiker and Franklin told us the cattle used to be killed. He even thrashes around after being hit in the way Franklin described. When Pam enters the house, she's drawn to the bone room because hears a chicken thrashing around in a cage. The chicken, of course, is food that is awaiting slaughter. Later, when Jerry enters the house, he hears not a chicken thrashing in a cage, but Pam thrashing in the freezer. She, like the chicken, is food waiting to be consumed. The hitchhiker shows them his pictures of the slaughtered animals and then takes pictures of the kids, as if they are just more animals to be slaughtered. So it's clear that Hooper wasn't just throwing random details into his film because he needed filler. What other theory or interpretation explains these details? Also, that dolly shot that follows Pam into the house isn't an attempt to exploit female characters or whatever. It's a nod to a Hitchcock shot, like the kind Dario Argento uses for the same reason, and it was ad hoc and unplanned originally. The whole movie is filled with nods to Hitchcock and Psycho. Both films are based on Ed Gein. Note how you can see the ceiling in certain shots in psycho, which used to be a weird thing in movies, even in the 70s. Now look at the shots where Sally is tied up. It's the same kind of framing. Both films actually have the same structure. Watch Psycho and you see that each character is drawn to the Bates Motel alone and then killed. Same thing in TCM. The other purpose of that shot is to show her back. It's foreshadowing her ending up on a meathook.

I'm sorta snobby about my horror movies...or at least, particular. Some I love, some I like, some I have no interest in, and some I have no interest in watching twice. This one's in the last category for me. The ones I like to watch have some element of the supernatural to them. Ok, or let's say, a plot based around the supernatural or sci-fi -- something fantastic. If I wanted to hear about something that could or did really happen, some mentally unbalanced people, I can watch the news.

Number 2 and 3 stink. Yes they are the actual sequels that went straight to vhs directed by Toby hooper also

The mask he wears is someone elses skinned face

Well that's was lots of fun who's for BBQ? 😁

Lots of similarities to Halloween like the mentality of the killer and he's wearing a mask and everyone is coming to the house and he's killing then one by one. In this it is his house in Halloween its mindsets house. That a human face he used for a mask lol. Felt leatherface runs but some movement like when he went to get the chainsaw starts it up and he's looking at it reminds me of Michael lol. There's another similarities escaping me not just he's killing dumb teenagers lol. And the final girl is a bad a