Texas Chainsaw Massacre

[The Burgomaster]

BoyScoutKevin wrote:

> Not a film I have seen, but, I have heard the director, Tobe Hooper,
> talk about the movie, and for the movie, he used a real farm
> house in Texas as a set. Maybe that is why the movie feels so
> realistic. Enjoy!

You are correct! On the audio commentary track on the DVD, they say that the family was still living in the house during filming. They think that the same family still lives there!

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[JohnL]

I saw TCM many years ago when my family had gotten its first VCR and were renting movies on a regular basis. I loved Halloween, Friday the 13th, Phantasm etc, and I'd heard about TCM, so I rented it the first chance I got. I really didn't care for it all that much. I guess I was expecting a slick production like the other movies and was disappointed with the no-budget style.

[jmc]

The house is now a restaurant....if you watch THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE SHOCKING TRUTH documentary it shows Gunnar Hansen walking around inside talking about the place.  This was a few years ago so it may not be a restaurant now.

[BoyScoutKevin]

How interesting. Fram a smorgasboard in the film to an actual smorgasboard in real life. I ineed, wonder if the building still exists, as a restaurant or not. I had heard that it had either burned down or finally been destroyed, but, I am not sure how accurate my information is. Enjoy your visit, if it is still there.

[Skaboi]

I have seen TCM and I didn't think it was all that fantastic..  It has been overhyped all of these years and was barely worth my rental price.  I did admire it's low budget bravado, but it still wasn't the great film that I always heard it was.  Now don't get me wrong, I will probably buy it one day on DVD (just not for 25.00 dollars that I see it for EVERYWHERE.)

[BryceDavid]

I love TCM. The DVD is filled with extras. Well worth buying! I also love TCM 2, but it's totally different in style, so it's understandable why some don't like it.

[The Burgomaster]

I agree. The TCM dvd is great. I'm not sure how much I paid for it, but I always check out Deep Discount DVD before I buy anything. About 80% of the time, their prices are $3 - $5 cheaper than any stores (including Circuit City and Best Buy). Plus, they ship for FREE.

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[jmc]

The documentary about the film was made in 1999-2000, I think, so I guess it was there up to that point.  

I found something else online from people who used to live in the house--they weren't happy at all about all the fans wandering onto their property.  I think that was at one of the TCM fan sites.

[The Burgomaster]

I think that TCM is an excellent movie. It has probably lost much of its impact over the years because on-screen violence and gore has become so commonplace that TCM appears to be pretty tame by modern standards. After all, the movie leaves more to the viewer's imagination than it actually shows (there is surprisingly little blood considering that it is about chainsaw murders and cannibalism).

My guess is that TCM will stand the test of time. It will still be around long after Freddy and Jason disappear (if we're ever lucky enough for that to really happen).

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