Vortex
Gunnar Hansen, Jim Siedow, Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, Paul A. Partain, Teri McMinn, William Vail, John Dugan, John Henry Faulk
Sister Sally Hardesty (Marilyn Burns) and her invalid brother Franklin Hardesty (Paul A. Partain)heard a news story about a cemetery in their “way out in the middle of nowhere” Texas town where they grew up that has had a lot of grave robberies. Someone is desecrating the graves. The siblings and 3 of their friends set out on a road trip, visiting their grandpa’s grave to see if it was vandalized. While their the visited their old house where they are hunted down and terrorized by a chainsaw wielding killer called Leatherface (Gunnar Hansen) and his family of grave-robbing cannibals.
This is not a good film. But it is a must see film. The whole project cost $60,000 plus an additional $20,000 that they ran up after filming. The film grossed $31 million. But much more, it paved the way for all the slashers to come. Gunnar claimed he was paid $800.00 for his role. This is an absolute must see for any horror fan, as the film is so over the top disturbing and frightening, but much more is off screen and imagined that what is seen. The modern remake in 2003 is so much more high tech and gory, but this one is pure horror and shock. It was made by a group of people who loved the craft and did it for the love of movies. Surprisingly they made a lot of money from it.
Obviously by now, everyone knows the story of Leatherface. But I think it’s a great idea to go back and watch a 1974 classic horror film, just to admire the way they did their craft in those days. Also, check the IMDB.COM page for this film, as the trivia section itself is an amazing read. There are so many interesting facts about the real accidents and the problems in making this film that it’s amazing. And finally, not to burst anyone’s bubble, but it is widely held that this film is based on true events. It isn’t. The narration states that it’s based on events that happened AFTER the film was made. They admitted years and years ago that it was a made up story. The situation was that the director was stuck in a crowded hardware store one day, and had a thought about how he could clear out the store. Then he saw the chain saw display and a great idea was born!!! I’m not sure if this is the first film that stated in the opening that it was a true story that was totally made up, but it certainly wasn’t the last, that’s for sure! But it’s a true classic and worth watching again!
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
