Tobe Hooper could not have predicted the controversy and ever lasting success surrounding his 1974 slasher film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. A film that arguably, along with Halloween (1978) and Psycho (1960) created the subgenre of slasher horror. The subgenre typically includes a masked psychopathic killer who terrorizes a number of victims with a weapon other than a gun. Tim Henkel and Tobe Hooper’s script is replete with necessary elements in creating relentless horror true to the genre. The film has bloodcurdling screams, irrelevant secondary male characters, isolation, chases, a horrifying killer, and lastly, a “Final Girl”. Also emphasizing the genre is the inclusion of many cinematic tricks, such as “slow motion, grainy film stock, jump cutting, splitting the wide screen, (and) self-conscious camerawork” (Mast & Kawin, 293). The film follows five teenagers and their one-by-one encounter with a terrifying leather masked killer and his family of cannibals. A scene that gives the audience a brief yet personal look at the character of Leatherface, is …show more content…
His family embodies the preconceived cultural stereotype that southern people are hillbillies with backwards morals. This concept was established in popular films such as Deliverance (1972). The Texan clan of cannibals take pleasure in torturing and it is clear from the laughs, smiles and dialogue between them that they have no remorse for their actions. Leatherface is different in this aspect from his family. He doesn’t seem to enjoy killing the teenagers or holding Sally captive at the dinner table. This is also represented earlier in the film after he kills Jerry and shows genuine panic in the aftermath of his actions. With these examples and a more in-depth look at his family, it is clear that they are the “brains” behind the kills and motivation for Leatherface to commit