Oozing death and decay from its opening frames to its intense and gruelling finale, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a tour de force of raw cinematic horror and one of the finest films ever made. Based on the real life story of Ed Gein, a grave robbing cannibalistic murderer, the movie is a dark journey into the depths of sheer hopelessness and absolute brutality.<br /><br />Made on a shoestring budget by director Tobe Hooper, this 1974 classic of screen terror utilises inventive cinematography combined with a truly ominous soundtrack (but surprisingly little gore), to bring to life the story of five teenagers—Sally, Pam, Jerry, Kirk, and wheelchair-bound Franklin— who stumble upon a charnel house occupied by a family of maniacs.<br /><br />Setting the oppressive tone immediately, Hooper commences his gruesome proceedings with a news report about a spate of grave desecrations in Texas, whilst simultaneously showing us a grisly 'work of art' assembled atop a tombstone, made from the decaying remnants of a freshly exhumed corpse.<br /><br />The 'artist' responsible for this macabre sculpture is a crazy hitchhiker, who is picked up by the unsuspecting group of friends, who are on their way to visit a house (which belongs to the family of one of the girls). The hitchhiker is unceremoniously booted out of the van when he goes bonkers, cutting one of the teens with a razor.<br /><br />But he is not the only lunatic in the area, and it isn't long before the hapless youngsters meet the other members of his murderous family, including the legendary Leatherface, a maniac in a butcher's apron and a human-skin mask with a fondness for heavy-duty power tools! One by one, the teens fall prey to the crazy killers, until only Sally is left; she endures a night of terror at the hands of cannibalistic clan, before making a break for freedom, only to be pursued by the hitchhiker and Leatherface (brandishing his revving chainsaw)...<br /><br />The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a relentless assault on the senses which presents its audience with a series of powerful sequences which are guaranteed to shock and disturb. Whether it's the first victim twitching uncontrollably after being clubbed on the head with a lump-hammer, witnessing the next being hung on a meat-hook or watching poor old Sally being held down to be 'whacked' by a cadaverous old man, the nightmarish images of Hooper's movie will stay with you long after the film has finished.<br /><br />Much imitated, but never bettered, TCM is genuinely worthy of its status as one of the most highly acclaimed horrors of all time.