Can’t say I’ve watched this one in a looooong time, so figured I’d revisit with an older perspective. With this? Turns out Horror really is timeless. While the opening monologue presents this as the most truest of situations, and certainly has its early 70s charm, this really does become like worst-case nightmare scenario. Think about it. How exactly does one defend themselves from a chainsaw? Ash Williams learned this lesson well.
Some youngins are on a roadtrip, going to visit grandpa’s old house or something. Turns out it’s nearby where a recent spate of cemetery vandalisms been recently committed. This kinda shit is frowned upon, especially in Texas. A Gas-less station offers little help besides some BBQ, the totally-not-hippies-but-maybe-astrology-is-cool group does eventually find their destination, only after picking up and promptly ejecting one truly demented hitchhiker. That really doesn’t go well. Then, that not going well is made to look like a picnic in CottonCandyVille by comparison. It gets...pretty naaasty.
So, lesson #1 to take away from the story here: Never. Ever. Enter a weird home in the middle of nowhere without being invited in first, ESPECIALLY if it has animal heads on the walls. Vampire rules or not, there are rules for a reason. Stickin to that Probably could have avoided a LOT of issues here. Just sayin. But that would be boring if that actually happened, and this one really ramps it up there with some solid shockeries once certain transgressions are made. Well done. Not a complicated plot. Not even a particularly gory one, especially by today’s standards, but apparently even the implied violence got them into a lot of trouble with the ratings board back when this first came out. In introducing the character of Leatherface, Hooper also ushers in a new class of bloody gory killers. Too bad Wheelchair bro is kinda the fifth wheel here, can’t say all the deaths weren’t justified. Daaaaamn! Did I say that? I blame the beer! But solid build of unease here through behaviors and creepy home décor, a build of tension and truly total freakeries ultimately unleashed.
