Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" as social commentary. The breakdown of classicism in form and content

Resumen o Introducción

This essay examines Tobe Hooper's "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" as a form of social commentary with special attention to the breakdown of classicism in its form and content.

The 60's for film is marked as a breakdown of classicism in "formal innovation and narrative exploration" (Slocum), creating a new style of cinema seen across mainstream Hollywood. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre subverts from traditional modes of filmmaking with its use of extreme close-ups and vast distance, which creates a visually confusing experience.

Towards the end of the film as Sally is captured by the murderous family, her terror is presented by various extreme close-ups. Sally is tied to the dining chair as the family mock her distress, prolonging the imminent attack. The camera alternates between cuts of Sally’s face in extreme close-up as she screams, and shots of the family’s laughing faces. Rapid cuts show various sections of Sally’s sweating face.

At this point it is unclear as to whether the camera is mobile or whether the movement is from Sally. However, the mobility in the shot and closeness of the camera creates a visually confusing sequence as we see portions of Sally’s face from various angles, intensifying her horror. The chaotic, intrusive shot style magnifies the actresses’ performance, emphasising the intensity of her screaming.

Jarring notes accompanied by the sound of pigs squealing, echoes her sense of panic, whilst likening her to a distressed animal. We then get an extreme close-up showing only Sally’s eyeball which is wide with horror. The intrusive camerawork both obscures the audiences’ view and presents great detail. The intense shooting style attacks the viewer with extreme, repetitive shots accompanied by the jarring soundtrack creating a chilling experience.