Well, first and foremost, Happy Friday the 13th! I don't know about everywhere else in the world, but today was the first day in over a week where the weather wasn't disgustingly hot and humid. Such pleasant weather on such an odd day.
So, today's FEARce Five is all about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Franchise. The lovely lady behind Agony's Decay was kind enough to let me pick her mind on the topic and she has some awesome answers to some killer questions. Since I am getting to this a lot later in the day than I normally do, I am going to just dive in with our convo and skip the long intro!
1.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the eighth highest grossing horror
franchise to date. When I first read this information I was
surprised. Personally, I thought it would have been higher on the
list. Granted, I didn't expect it outrank Friday the 13th or A
Nightmare on Elm Street, but
I was still surprised when it didn't out rank franchises such as Saw,
Scream, and even the Hannibal Lecter film series. Why do you think
this classic franchise is low on the horror totem pole?
I
believe this classic franchise is low on the horror totem pole for
many reasons. Firstly, there are entirely too many sequels, prequels,
and remakes. If horror fans are anything like me, they love the
originals and don’t believe they need too many sequels or remakes.
Secondly, it is an older film. Horror fans are always looking for the
next ‘big’ horror film. Thirdly, I believe that from film to
film, it lacks a consistent plot. There are also humane issues that
may have inadvertently affected this franchise’s gross. Meat is
murder. The Sawyer family ran a slaughter house that killed animals.
Vegetarians and vegans and many organizations everywhere frown upon
that even though the family was killing people. In retrospect, it
could have also helped many people stop eating meat because of the
cannibalism and meat murderous activity.
2.
Like many books and films, this franchise is partly based on a true
story. I spoke to a few people about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre in
the past week to get a better insight of what the average Joe does
and does not know about these films. What I learned is that about 50%
of your horror movie lovers (not fanatics) know that the films are
based on a true story. That being said, most of them thought the true
story was about some crazy guy in Texas and not an older man from
Wisconsin that enjoyed "crafting" with human remains. Do
you think the reality of what these films are based on makes them
more horrifying?
YAY
for crafting with human remains!!! Absolutely, whether or not a
person knows that this film was loosely based on Ed Gein, the reality
of what these films are based on makes them entirely more horrifying.
I am surprised that approximately 50% of people even know that it is
based on a true story actually. For me, I believe any movie that is
based on real events makes the movie more intriguing. For this
franchise though and others like Silence of the Lambs the thought of
an addiction to human skin, in itself, is gruesome.
3.
Leatherface is a very iconic character to a major horror franchise
and as such he has many elements that make up his character. He is
dressed in normal clothes and sometimes dons a butchers apron that is
usually covered in blood. He wields a chainsaw and wears a mask made
from a human skin. There is no mistaking him for another slasher film
villain. Which component of his overall appearance do you think has
the biggest impact on viewers as far as the fear factor goes? and
why?
I’m
a HUGE fan of Leatherface’s character and overall appearance
because his appearance is very unique. A bloody butcher’s apron and
a loud and powerful chainsaw are all great additions to Leatherface’s
get-up but nothing has as much impact as his masks. Throughout all
the movies Leatherface wears “Pretty Woman Mask”, “Old Lady
Mask”, and “The Killing Mask”. The thought of someone stitching
skin together to make a mask is macabre enough but to have three
different ones for different occasions makes Leatherface all the more
morbid. For me, while I find “Old Lady and Pretty Woman Masks”
particularly more gruesome, “The Killing Mask” is most terrifying
for me because it looks so grim in different lighting. This
ultimately makes him scarier.
4.
Something that sets Leatherface apart from many horror villains is
that there is no supernatural element to him. He doesn't kill you in
your dreams, he wasn't drowned in Camp Crystal Lake, and he isn't a
killer in a
Good Guy dolls body. If you could revamp the film to give Leatherface
a supernatural element, what would it be?
Good question! I’d like to say firstly that I’d never want to give Leatherface a supernatural power. For me horror and the supernatural aren’t always good companions. However, I would give him the power to project what his plans of murder are to the person he is about to murder, before they undergo his surgeries. It would be an ultimate mind fuck to know that firstly, there is no way to get away and to k now what is going to happen to you before it happens. To have to contemplate it and realize its realness would be an ultimate scare-all.
5.
This, like many major horror films, has been remade/rebooted. In the
last ten years there have been three new films added to the
franchise. Most horror fans either love them or hate them. Where do
you stand and why?
I
am almost always opposed to remakes, prequels, and sequels. I like
for films that were made so well, such as the original Texas Chainsaw
Massacre to be left alone. Because I am a huge fan of this particular
franchise I will admit that I enjoy all the sequels and the remakes.
There are things about them that I don’t care for but overall, they
have made a gallant effort to keep horror and Leatherface alive. So
for me, this is impressive. Overall, though, I’d have to say I’m
on the fence, neither loving nor hating them. It also depends on the
franchise.
Agony's Decay's Top
Five Reasons to Watch the Original 1974 Version of The Texas Chainsaw
Massacre
1.
The close-up, raw, and grainy cinematography. The camera crew brings
the viewers right up into the terror, full fledged.
2.
The original is where it all started. They didn’t have to have an
overtly amount of blood and gore to scare you.
3.
The original gives you more history and more of an insight into the
life of the family.
4.
You just might never need to see any of the others.
5.
For the popular franchises, Texas Chainsaw came first, before the
slasher films, making it a pioneer to the genre.
This Ghouls Top Five Reasons to Watch the Original 1974 Version of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
1. This film is a major influence in the slasher subgenre of horror.
2. This film is still considered one of the greatest and most controversial films. It was banned in several countries and even multiple times in the same country taking up to 25 years to finally be approved for public viewing and distribution.
3. Gunnar freaking Hansen!
4. For the pure irony that no one is actually filmed being massacred by the chainsaw and they only person on screen to be seen cut by it is Leatherface himself.
5. This is a story with no supernatural elements and the way it was filmed on top of the script leaves the potential for the reality aspect of this story to really impact the fear factor for the viewers.
