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Late to the Party: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

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texas chainsaw massacre

When Tobe Hooper tragically passed away, I was devastated. Poltergeist is one of my favorite horror movies, and it’s actually the film that got me into the genre to begin with. So did I feel like a fraud for having not seen the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre? Yes. But, I knew I had this article planned out, so I waited. For the sake of journalism. You’re welcome.

When it was finally time for me to watch The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, I lapped it up like a dehydrated dog after a long and sun scorched day.

I loved this movie. Normally, when a film has been hyped up for so long, it can be a bit of a disappointment when it comes time to finally watch it. It doesn’t always live up to the widespread cultural praise. But let me tell you, friends, this one did.

via IMDb

Whether intentional or not, the film makes a strong statement about the meat industry. The jobs that were once occupied by Leatherface’s family are rendered obsolete by technological advancements. Humans are given the same brutal and inhumane treatment as any animal that may find its way into a slaughterhouse – posing the idea that, deep down, we’re all just a bunch of meat sacks.

There’s a dichotomy between the earlier scenes of camaraderie between the characters as they blast down the highway in their crowded van, waxing on about Astrology (that pointedly acts as foreshadowing for the terrors to come), versus the manhandling of the victims as they fall prey to Leatherface. Their humanity is disregarded; they are simply hunks of flesh to be torn and consumed.

via Crave Online

Even though the brutality takes place off-screen, it’s still noted as one of the most horrific films of all time. By casting relatively unknown actors, Hooper ensured that the horror felt real. We connect with Sally because, to us, she is that character. We’re not watching some starlet scream as she feigns fear – we’re connecting with a terrified and exhausted stranger who frantically fights for her life.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre brought the idea of the hulking masked maniac to the forefront of the horror genre, dragging the modern scream queen along in his wake. It also gave us one of the rare instances of a paraplegic character who was not used for a plot gimmick. Franklin’s narrative is included because he’s a focal character, which is not a perspective we often see in horror films.

via IMDb

There are stories about the hellish experience of making the film (overwhelming temperatures mixed with unwashable costumes and decomposing animal carcasses really don’t mix), and now that I’ve seen it, I totally believe it. But there’s something so genuine about litetrally putting your blood, sweat, and tears into a movie. Everyone was fueled by passion – or likely, in some cases, misery – and it makes the final product so incredibly visceral and sincere.

This movie really stuck with me. I’ve somehow watched most of the sequels, and I had seen the remake, but going back to the roots of the whole thing with that informed history made me appreciate it even more, I think. The ending, in particular, is intense and chilling perfection. The pure desperation and manic terror is palpable. It makes me shiver, I love it so.

via The Film Rush

If you also have yet to see this incredible classic of a film, please, don’t wait any longer.

(As a side note, I’m a huge fan of True Detective (season one, of course), and I hadn’t realized how much of the Childress household is an homage to the farmhouse in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. But now I know. And I want to re-watch that series for the 10th time. So… I’m going to do that.)

 

To reach about how Ed Gein inspired The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, click here!

Stay tuned for next week’s Late to the Party with Jacob Davison!

Header image by Chris Fischer

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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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Woman Brings Corpse Into Bank To Sign Loan Papers

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Warning: This is a disturbing story.

You have to be pretty desperate for money to do what this Brazilian woman did at the bank to get a loan. She wheeled in a fresh corpse to endorse the contract and she seemingly thought the bank employees wouldn’t notice. They did.

This weird and disturbing story comes via ScreenGeek an entertainment digital publication. They write that a woman identified as Erika de Souza Vieira Nunes pushed a man she identified as her uncle into the bank pleading with him to sign loan papers for $3,400. 

If you’re squeamish or easily triggered, be aware that the video captured of the situation is disturbing. 

Latin America’s largest commercial network, TV Globo, reported on the crime, and according to ScreenGeek this is what Nunes says in Portuguese during the attempted transaction. 

“Uncle, are you paying attention? You must sign [the loan contract]. If you don’t sign, there’s no way, as I cannot sign on your behalf!”

She then adds: “Sign so you can spare me further headaches; I can’t bear it any longer.” 

At first we thought this might be a hoax, but according to Brazilian police, the uncle, 68-year-old Paulo Roberto Braga had passed away earlier that day.

 “She attempted to feign his signature for the loan. He entered the bank already deceased,” Police Chief Fábio Luiz said in an interview with TV Globo. “Our priority is to continue investigating to identify other family members and gather more information regarding this loan.”

If convicted Nunes could be facing jail time on charges of fraud, embezzlement, and desecration of a corpse.

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