#a sequel to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) directed by Tobe Hooper.

[2ndaryprotocol]

The gimmicky gorefest ‘Texas Chainsaw 3D’ grossed out moviegoers this week 10 years ago. ⛓🪚🪦

Featuring one of the all-time cringiest horror movie lines:

“𝙳𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚌𝚞𝚣!”

[poltergeistbook]

Happy Birthday to Jim Siedow, who was born on this day, June 12, 1920. Jim was an American actor, best known for his role of Drayton "The Cook" Sawyer in the unparalleled 1974 movie 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' and its subversive sequel 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'

[tawneybel]

Request: “Have you ever thought about doing something for Roman Bridger from Scream 3? Maybe for a fem reader, and probably involving him recording it. He's my special princess I love him so much.”

Imagine Roman recording your first encounter with him as Ghostface.  

“Have anything to say to the camera, ______?”

“You’re my special princess. I love you so much.”

That caught him off guard. Why were you here, anyway?

You had zero clue who Ghostface could be this time. Or even how many Ghostfaces there were. First spree was two dumbass high schoolers. Second was a dumbass college student and one of the dumbass high schoolers’ moms. Maybe the killer was a woman this time. 

Anyone could disguise themselves as Ghostface now. Thanks to that stupid Stab franchise. Hopefully the threequel would never see the light of day. Hell, even you had a motive.

In my opinion, you wanted to tell Roman, there never should have been Stab 1, let alone a trilogy. But you’d be preaching to the choir, you figured. He wanted to direct a romantic comedy. 

If Stab’d been as far away from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and its sequels had been from the source material, you wouldn’t have cared. Meeting the actual survivors after the cast playing them really cemented your distaste.

There weren’t a lot of female slashers. The ones who were seemed to follow their male counterparts. Pamela Voorhees. Tiffany Valentine. Mrs. Loomis. 

“Oh, so you are a girl.” 

“No,” Ghostface responded quickly. No hesitation. 

“That works.” Without taking your eyes off the camera, you unsheathed a buck knife. “You show me yours, I’ll show you mine.”

“Fuck.”

He was probably watching you through other cameras, security cameras, as well. You weren’t actually sure if the one in front of you was a live feed. Maybe he was planning to kill you then send the footage to someone. Or keep it for himself. Either way, sicko. 

Send the footage to someone, you repeated. To other dramatis personae, maybe. Or his partner. If he had one. Considering the set up, you pondered, glancing at the camera, I’m definitely a part of the main cast, right? Even if you wanted nothing to do with the Woodsboro murders, fictionalized or not, you’d captured Ghostface’s attention. 

But I hope you’re capturing my good side. 

Roman silently cursed this time, glaring at the phone. He prided himself on thinking ahead. Unlike Stu Macher, who realized he’d fucked up at the end. Or Mickey Altieri, who’d wanted to get caught. Attention whore. Despite being an actress, or perhaps because of it, you weren’t always eye-catching. Roman felt relieved at how subdued you were around John Milton. No danger of ______ ______ ending up like Maureen Prescott! 

Though, Roman did fantasize about you ending up on a couch with him. A lot. And you guessed correctly that this Ghostface wanted to keep a private tape of you for himself. What Roman really wanted to do was direct one of your mainstream movies. Not a romantic comedy, though. He’d gut anyone who tried to kiss you. 

“That’s a prop, isn’t it?” 

All the blood was flowing to his head. Or, more accurately, from one head to the other. Why did you have to be here? You liked slashers. You were more likely than anyone to figure out who was behind the mask. 

He didn’t know if you liked true crime. Was your latest flick in development hell? Were you between projects? Roman couldn’t remember.   

“Got me.”

You threw your hands up in defeat and set the knife down, carefully so the blade didn’t clink. 

Oh, you wanna play psycho killer? you might have uttered breathlessly at the camera. If you’d wanted to fuck with him. And been more in the loop. You only had your knowledge of fictional killers to go by. And that didn’t guarantee your survival. Anything went with a Ghostface. Rules schmules. Besides, Sidney Prescott was the final girl.

If I make it out of here, you promised, I’m going to consume everything Gale Weathers spun on the murders. Aloud, “What archetype am I?”

“What?” 

When you relinquished the replica Buck 120, your shirt hadn’t been able to contain your tits. Exposing the tops of your pert nipples. Because you weren’t wearing a bra. 

Somehow Roman had missed that earlier. Between your visible thighs and cocky expression. This was the first time you’d dressed so casually in front of him. It wasn’t for him. At least, he didn’t think you’d figured out that the killer was Roman Bridger. Yet. He really liked the way you were biting your lip. This was getting really interesting. 

“Why are you braless?”

“What are you? A paparazzo?” 

Ghostface wasn’t supposed to be that kind of predator. 

“And you didn’t answer my question,” you continued, without giving him time to respond. “There are neo-noirs, neo-Westerns… And now neo-slashers. I’m not someone you can just label a one-dimensional slut and kill off.”

Better to keep rambling, while remaining vigilant of your surroundings. He could just pop out anywhere. 

“Why are you wasting your time with me?” 

He scoffed. “‘Wasting’?” 

“Shouldn’t you be doing this to Sidney Prescott? Or am I just a warm up?” 

He’d had the patience and cunning to get away with murder. To finally and completely execute his revenge on Rina Reynolds for rejecting her own son. Committing half-sororicide was far from his mind. One final sound thought popped into his mind.    

“I thought you weren’t someone to just be labeled and killed off?” 

Something was off. Sure, Ghostface sounded suave. All his predecessors had been, right? Smooth talking was a job requirement. Yeah, they could talk a big game, and the collective kill count was over a dozen. Still, something wasn’t quite adding up about his behavior. 

“You can talk a big game-” But I’d bet a thousand buck knives… “-you and yours scrambled around like idiots going after Sidney.”

“I don’t want to talk about her right now. Or them.”

Roman couldn’t take it anymore. You were messing up his plans. Yet he didn’t really care. Later, he might regret what he was about to do. 

Radio silence. 

You clicked End when you saw the flash of black fabric. The carpet muffled his steps. How thick were the walls that you couldn’t hear him? Unless…

“There’s more than one of you, isn’t there?”

Arms raised, knife and phone in hand, he responded, “Just me.” 

“Well, that’s-” you started, before realizing he was brandishing another piece of equipment. “Oh.”

All Roman wanted to do now was fulfill your (and his) fantasy. You were into this, right? He was pretty sure you were. The way you were flicking your knife was pretty cute. He set the phone down. 

It was like the Grim Reaper was throwing you a bone. The whole situation was ridiculous. But then something clicked. 

“I thought that was a prop,” he drawled.  

“Guess again.” 

To your frustration, blade didn’t meet flesh. You pulled it out and made to stab him again when Ghostface bared his chest. Or would have, had there not been a bulletproof vest. 

“I don’t need to see your tits, too.” 

“Aw, come on, ______. What did you say earlier? ‘Show me yours, I’ll show you mine.’”

“No, I mean, I don’t need to see your pink bits, Roman.”

Without thinking, he pulled his mask off. “How-?”

“I was just guessing by the outline. You’re a show-er, not a grow-er.” You shrugged. “Also, I meant our knives. Drop it.”

Still thoughtless, he relinquished the knife.   

“For someone who works in film, you’re not very good at acting. You didn’t act before becoming a director, right?” 

If you’d known him better, you would have known the answer to that question. You didn’t seem interested in knowing anything about his motivation. Somehow that did nothing to kill his boner. 

“The camera’s still running.”

“Fuck,” Roman repeated. Evidence. 

His arrogance (and horniness) had gotten the best of him. If he tackled you, he’d have to either subdue you via restraints or stabbing. Neither option was appealing. Because he really, really liked being at your mercy. Even if you had tried to kill him, Roman, not just Ghostface.  

“I’m not really sure what your end goal is,” you began, leaving a gap between your sentences in case he had an answer. He didn’t. “But you wanted to direct a love story, right?” 

He chuckled, before realizing where you were going with this. 

“I have a lot of pull around here.

“Put your mask back on and open up that robe again.” 

[filmfanaticfables1990]

Exploring The Dark And Twisted World Of House Of 1000 Corpses (2003)

House of 1000 Corpses, directed by Rob Zombie, is a film that has left an indelible mark on the horror genre. Released in 2003, this black comedy horror film is the first installment in the Firefly film series and has since achieved a cult following. Let's delve into the macabre and unsettling world that Zombie has crafted.

House of 1000 Corpses is heavily inspired by 1970s horror films such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and The Hills Have Eyes. The film is characterized by its grungy aesthetics, over-the-top gore, and maximalist set design. Zombie's directorial debut is a visual and auditory assault, utilizing split screens, atmospheric music, and old film footage to create a disorienting and nightmarish experience.

The film explores themes of evil, murder, insanity, and the grotesque, all wrapped in a darkly comedic package. The Firefly family embodies the ultimate inbred hillbilly nightmare, with each member more deranged than the last. The film's relentless pace and unflinching depiction of violence make it a challenging watch, but for those who appreciate the genre, it is a masterclass in horror filmmaking.

Upon its release, House of 1000 Corpses received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised Zombie's unique vision and the film's bold, gritty style, while others criticized its lack of coherence and reliance on shock value. Despite this, the film has garnered a loyal fanbase and has been followed by two sequels: The Devil's Rejects (2005) and 3 from Hell (2019).

The film's impact on the horror genre cannot be understated. It has inspired countless filmmakers and continues to be a staple of Halloween movie marathons. Its influence can be seen in the resurgence of grindhouse-style horror films and the continued popularity of horror attractions based on the film.

House of 1000 Corpses is not for the faint of heart. It is a film that revels in its own depravity and challenges viewers to confront their darkest fears. Rob Zombie's directorial debut is a testament to his love for the horror genre and his ability to push boundaries. Whether you love it or hate it,.House of 1000 Corpses is a film that demands to be seen and discussed.

[romanceyourdemons]

absolutely brilliant of the texas chain saw massacre (1974) to name itself with the stupidest possible formatting of those words and then give its sequels the same title but formatted in increasingly intuitive ways (the texas chainsaw massacre (2003), texas chainsaw massacre (2022), etc)

[ar3s-r4t-qu33n]

'After a disastrous roadtrip lands Lola on the wrong side of Texas, she quickly finds herself swept up in a secret that spans entire generations, where only one rule is law:

Family comes first.'

This is my novel, I've been working on this since early Autumn of 2023 and I've sent my latest draft out for some of my friends to read and give me feedback on. I think it definitely needs another round of edits and a few extra details before I begin to query next year, but I'm working on it. I need to print this puppy out and go over her in pen and highlighters, really go to town on it because this is what I want to be my debut novel, this is what I want to put out into the world first to show people what I can do and what I am interested in writing.

It's a dark romance and backwoods or Southern horror/thriller inspired by The Texas Chain Saw Massacre Game that would have a direct sequel (that is currently under the working title 'Babydoll') and then a prequel and two spin-offs following different characters. Obviously that's all way in the future; I wanna make Mama's Boy happen first.

If anyone wants to hear more about this, I would love to talk about it more! If you think I yap about TCM and Outlast Trials a lot, just wait until you get me shattered on this haha

[frankendykes-monster]

This week marks the 20th anniversary of Marcus Nispel’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a remake of Tobe Hooper’s iconic The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Nispel’s gory and grungy slasher is hardly a great piece of cinema, but it is a surprisingly important one. Texas Chainsaw Massacre altered the course of mainstream populist horror cinema, at least for a couple of years, by ushering in an era of horror remakes. Pop culture is inevitably guided by larger trends. This is particularly true of horror cinema, where the tendency to make movies cheaply and quickly allows studios to chase popular fads. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre arrived at the end of one such fad. The renaissance in teen slasher movies sparked by the release of Scream in December 1996 was already dying down, giving way to diminishing returns like Scream 3 and Urban Legend: Final Cut along with spoofs like Scary Movie.

That late ’90s slasher fad was self-evidently nostalgic. In Scream, film nerd Randy (Jamie Kennedy) pauses a pivotal scene from John Carpenter’s Halloween to explain the rules of the slasher movie. Scream writer Kevin Williamson would go on to work on the slasher sequel Halloween H20, which would include a sequence of its characters watching Scream 2. However, there was a layer of irony and self-awareness to this nostalgia. These movies referenced classics, but stood apart from them. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre removes that layer of self-reflexive irony. It doesn’t just pay homage to one of the classics of American horror, it straight up remakes it. It reboots the franchise and starts over, as if offering a young moviegoing audience a chance to witness their version of the beloved horror movie. The gambit worked. The movie grossed $29.1 million in its opening weekend. “To say that it exceeded [our] expectations is an understatement,” conceded David Tuckerman of New Line Cinema.

Nispel’s remake had a profound impact on both the franchise and the larger industry. While many other major classic horror franchises, like Nightmare on Elm Street or Friday the 13th, tended to slow down as they entered the new millennium, Texas Chainsaw Massacre roared to life. The franchise has released more entries in the past twenty years than it did in the previous thirty, including the reboot, a prequel to the reboot, two sequels to the original, and a separate prequel to the original. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre made an even bigger impression on the horror genre as a whole. For the next seven years or so, theaters were flooded with remakes of 1970s and 1980s horror classics: Dawn of the Dead, The Amityville Horror, House of Wax, The Fog, Assault on Precinct 13, Black Christmas, The Hills Have Eyes, The Omen, When a Stranger Calls, The Wicker Man, The Hitcher, Prom Night, Friday the 13th, Sorority Row, The Stepfather, My Bloody Valentine, and many more.

Of course, trends do not exist in isolation. These remakes overlapped with a similar push to adapt Japanese horrors like Ring and The Grudge for American audiences. More interestingly, they seemed to unfold in parallel with the “torture porn” fad, which really kicked into gear with the release of Saw in October 2004 and Hostel in January 2006. Both trends seemed to be displaced by the embrace of “found footage,” and many of these remakes were notably gorier than the originals. It’s worth revisiting this trend in general and Nispel’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre in particular. There is a tendency to overlook the horror genre in discussions of popular cinema. This is most obvious when it comes to awards recognition, but also applies to general discussions of the artform. There’s also an understandable impulse to dismiss these sorts of remakes as inherently unworthy of discussion or scrutiny. Five years ago, Keith Phipps noted that these remakes were largely forgotten.

One of the more interesting – and frustrating – aspects of Nispel’s remake is the fact that it is a horror movie that exists in the context of decades of slasher movies. Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre may not have been the first slasher movie, but it was released before Halloween codified the conventions of the genre. Even watched today, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a delightfully and unsettlingly odd experience. It can seem uncanny to a viewer versed in the films that followed. Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre begins with a sense of a world that is unraveling, reflecting the chaos of the early 1970s. It begins with a news broadcast about the handing down of an indictment, an invocation of Watergate. Sally (Marilyn Burns) and Franklin Hardesty (Paul A. Partain) are traveling with their friends to visit their grandfather’s grave, following a series of desecrations in the region. There’s an apocalyptic vibe to all this, recalling George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead.

In contrast, Nispel’s remake is much more conventional in its framing. It is set in 1973, but there is no real sense that the larger world is collapsing. None of that apocalyptic dread hangs in the air. These teenage leads are not investigating a case of potential grave robbery. Instead, they are driving to a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert after purchasing drugs in Mexico. This is a standard start to a slasher like this. The teenagers transgressed, so will be punished. They broke the rules, so must die. In contrast to the irony that defined the meta-slashers of the previous few years, this is all played remarkably straight. The movie’s final girl, Erin (Jessica Biel), is entirely innocent. She is shocked to discover that her friends used the trip to Mexico as an excuse to buy marijuana. Her friend Kemper (Eric Balfour) jokes that she didn’t even drink the tequila down there. As such, Erin’s survival feels like it plays the socially conservative tropes of the slasher movie remarkably straight.

To give the movie some credit, it is at least somewhat equal opportunity in terms of the violence it inflicts on its teenage victims. In Hooper’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the male characters tended to die quickly while the female characters suffered longer. Nispel’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre reverses that dynamic somewhat. Pepper (Erica Leerhsen) dies abruptly in the distance, while Andy (Mike Vogel) hangs from a meat hook in place of Pam (Teri McMinn) in the original. That said, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is hardly a reconstructed slasher movie. Nispel’s camera lingers on Jessica Biel, particularly her exposed midriff. It seems to luxuriate in shots of her running and panting. It’s an approach that feels very similar to how Michael Bay’s camera would treat Megan Fox during the Transformers films a few years later. Biel may not be hanging on a hook, but there are certainly times when Texas Chainsaw Massacre treats the actor as a piece of meat.

There is a sense that the remake is revisiting the original through the lens of the decades of slasher movies that followed, smoothing down the rougher edges of the original film to make it more easily fit within an established template. This is true of most of the uninspired remakes that followed, which would take messy and clumsy original films that were figuring out what these horror movies looked like in real time, and apply a “one-size-fits-all” structure to them. These movies could be grungy and grimy. They could feature graphic gore. However, these remakes also tended to be products of a more ruthlessly efficient studio system than the films that inspired them. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre sets early scenes to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama, a song that the original could never have afforded to include. Biel and Balfour may not have been movie stars, but they are more established than any actors in the original. There is a polish to these remakes that exists at odds with the power of the original.

Notably, there is no sense of mystery or ambiguity to Leatherface (Andrew Bryniarski) in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The film offers the iconic horror villain a backstory involving horrific skin disease and even a name: Thomas Hewitt. Hooper’s original film was so scary because it suggested that this violence couldn’t be explained or rationalized. It had the logic of a nightmare. It’s very hard to replicate that sense of existential dread when so much of the appeal of a remake is the familiarity. Then again, perhaps this makes a certain amount of sense in context. As with the “torture porn” trend, these horror remakes were largely a product of the Bush era. They existed in the context of the War on Terror. This may explain why they were so much more graphic than the original, and why they tended to fixate upon torture and brutality. The War on Terror was defined by a desire to understand the horrors lurking out in the darkness, to understand, “Why do they hate us?”

Released a little more than two years after 9/11, Nispel’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre is rooted in that moment. The biggest alteration to the original narrative is the introduction of R. Lee Ermey as Sheriff Hoyt, a sadistic local law enforcement official who feels more at home in Deliverance rather than The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Hoyt is a product of the Bush era. A former governor of Texas, Bush was likened to a western sheriff when he boasted about posting “Wanted” signs in the wake of the attacks. Hoyt physically and psychologically brutalizes these teenagers. He forces Morgan (Jonathan Tucker) to reenact a suicide that the characters witnessed, pushing Morgan to place what he believes to be a loaded gun in his mouth. When Morgan resists, Hoyt handcuffs him and loads him into the back of his police car. He takes Morgan away, but not to experience due process. On the drive, he smashes a nearly empty bottle of liquor in Morgan’s face. It seems likely that Morgan is just going to disappear.

This is perhaps the most unsettling sequence in the film. It resonates with contemporary anxieties over the “enhanced interrogations” and “extraordinary renditions” that defined the War on Terror. Of course, Hoyt doesn’t have any authority to do what he is doing. In perhaps the film’s sharpest jab at the Bush administration, it is eventually revealed that Hoyt isn’t even really the local sheriff. None of this is as overt as the cultural context of Hooper’s original, but these are films of their moment. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is ultimately an underwhelming, generic, and gory imitation of a much richer film. It takes one of the most transgressive horror films of its era, and reduces it down to a standard slasher template. In doing so, it provided a sustainable model for mainstream horror over the next few years, an assembly line that could reliably churn out low-budget and low-effort films to solid box office returns.

In its own weird and grotesque way, Nispel’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre turned mainstream horror into a charnel house. It pushed away from the knowing detachment of the self-aware slashers, and embraced a more direct mode of recycling. It carved up the corpses of classic horror movies to be repackaged as subprime cuts.

[thevideodungeon]

Wrong Turn (2003)

Put The Hills Have Eyes, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and Just Before Dawn in a blender, and you get Wong Turn. That being said, horror as a genre is one in which "borrowing ideas" isn't exactly uncommon, and I much prefer a movie that's a little too close to its inspirations, over one that goes out of its way to attempt a "Fresh take" on an old concept. It hits all the familiar beats of a cannibal family film, but doesn't really provide much to distinguish itself as its own thing and make you want to come back for the five sequels and 2021 in-name-only remake.

6/10

[phoenixwatchesmovies]

What I'm Watching 2023: February

And here we go... I hit the image limit this month! 😅

The Neverending Story

This movie traumatized me back when Disney Channel would play it every other weekend, and it continues to do so. It was good to come back to it after too many years.

Vertical Limit

I'm actually surprised I could find gifs for this, tbh, as I didn't think anyone remembered this movie. I liveblogged this one, with some commentary and observations. It was fun.

The Mountain Between Us

Different enough from the book to keep it feeling fresh, though it felt like something was missing. Don't get me wrong, it's good, it's just that so much of the book was internal, and that doesn't translate well to screen.

Along Came Polly

Another rewatch. Nice to know this one still makes me laugh.

Wolf Creek

Hoo boy, this was something else. It owes a lot to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and it was most certainly made in the mid 2000's, right at the start of the torture porn era of horror. Not to say it's terribly gory, just that it's graphic and very, VERY mean-spirited. A tough watch, but I'd watch it again before, say, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Scream 2

A near perfect sequel, if you ask me. I'm planning on ranting about the franchise in general once I'm finished with it, so that's all I'm saying for now.

The Lost Boys

Yep, rewatch. At this point, it doesn't take much before I'm waxing poetic about allegories and how this is a tragedy in disguise as a coming of age story, and I'm probably going to have a look at the sequels, so expect more about this later.

Evil Dead (2013)

HOLY FORKING SHIRT BALLS, THIS IS AWESOME. At first, I wasn't too sure I wanted to give this a shot, since remakes generally suck and I wasn't too keen on the level of gore I'd heard about. Thank the Dead Meat channel on YouTube for finally talking me into this, because this was one of the most fun viewing experiences I've had in a hot minute. Again, expect a franchise rant!

Scream 3

Can't poor Sidney catch a break?

The Princess Bride

Everybody knows this movie, and if they don't, they should. This is the greatest movie ever made, and I will hear no arguments to the contrary.

It (2017)

HELL FUCKIN YEAH, I ACTUALLY WATCHED IT, AND I'M STILL MAD ABOUT HOW MUCH I LIKED IT! AND I'M PROBABLY GOING TO WATCH IT AGAIN SOMETIME!

Scream 4

What am I going to do with myself when I'm caught up with this franchise?

The Black Phone

Second time around, and I made Sis watch with me. (This would actually make a really good double feature with It Chapter One, tbh...) Solid all around, and I've enjoyed Scott Derrickson's work before, but Finney and Gwen are easily the strongest elements of the movie. I'd take bullets for these kids.

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

By happy accident, I finally stumbled across the extended version! Which means I got a whole extra hour to cry about everything!

The Evil Dead

I'll save most of my thoughts for a franchise rant, but I'm fairly certain this one is somewhere on my top ten horror list.

And because I can't help myself, our rewatch rewatches this month are:

Labyrinth

The Shining

A Nightmare On Elm Street

###

Now, maybe I'll get around to The Last Of Us sometime in March...

[mediamixs]

Top 10 Censored Horror Movies

Horror films have always pushed boundaries, but some have gone so far in their depictions of violence, terror, and taboo subjects that they’ve faced censorship or outright bans in various countries. Here are ten horror movies that have been censored or heavily edited for their intense content:

1. A Serbian Film (2010)

Director: Srđan Spasojević

Plot: A retired porn star is lured back into the industry for what he thinks is an art film but soon finds himself trapped in a violent and disturbing scenario.

Why It’s Censored: Known for its extreme violence, graphic sexual content, and shocking scenes, A Serbian Film was banned or heavily edited in many countries. It remains one of the most controversial films in horror history.

2. Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

Director: Ruggero Deodato

Plot: A documentary crew goes missing in the Amazon, and the footage they left behind reveals brutal and violent encounters with indigenous tribes.

Why It’s Censored: The film’s realistic violence and actual animal cruelty led to its banning in multiple countries. Deodato was even arrested and had to prove that the actors weren’t actually killed in the film’s infamous death scenes.

3. The Exorcist (1973)

Director: William Friedkin

Plot: A young girl, Regan, becomes possessed by a demonic entity, prompting her mother to seek the help of two priests.

Why It’s Censored: The Exorcist was controversial due to its intense depiction of demonic possession, explicit language, and religious themes. It was banned in several countries and was subjected to censorship edits for its re-releases.

4. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Director: Tobe Hooper

Plot: A group of friends falls victim to a cannibalistic family while traveling through rural Texas, encountering Leatherface, a chainsaw-wielding maniac.

Why It’s Censored: The film was banned or heavily cut in multiple countries for its graphic violence and disturbing themes. It faced bans in the UK and several other nations, remaining one of the most infamous “video nasties.”

5. The Human Centipede 2 (Full Sequence) (2011)

Director: Tom Six

Plot: A disturbed man is inspired by the original Human Centipede film to create his own grotesque "human centipede" by kidnapping and mutilating victims.

Why It’s Censored: This sequel was even more graphic than the original, leading to bans and heavy censorship. Its explicit and gory content caused the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) to initially refuse classification, which kept it from being released uncut.

6. I Spit on Your Grave (1978)

Director: Meir Zarchi

Plot: A woman is brutally assaulted by a group of men and later exacts violent revenge on each of her attackers.

Why It’s Censored: The film’s lengthy and graphic assault scenes led to bans and cuts in numerous countries. Often labeled as exploitative, it was pulled from shelves in places like the UK and Australia, where it was branded as obscene.

7. Hostel: Part II (2007)

Director: Eli Roth

Plot: A group of female travelers is captured by a sadistic organization that sells humans to wealthy individuals looking for extreme torture experiences.

Why It’s Censored: Hostel: Part II features brutal and explicit torture scenes, leading to it being censored in several countries and even receiving an adult rating in the US. Its scenes of body horror and sadism pushed boundaries of acceptability.

8. The Evil Dead (1981)

Director: Sam Raimi

Plot: A group of friends heads to a remote cabin and accidentally unleashes demonic forces from the Book of the Dead.

Why It’s Censored: Despite being a cult classic, The Evil Dead faced censorship due to its excessive gore and disturbing scenes. It was banned in several countries and was part of the UK’s infamous "video nasties" list, forcing edits to be made.

9. Faces of Death (1978)

Director: John Alan Schwartz

Plot: This pseudo-documentary presents graphic scenes depicting death, supposedly real, but mostly simulated.

Why It’s Censored: Marketed as real “death footage,” Faces of Death shocked audiences with its staged scenes. It was banned in numerous countries due to its graphic imagery, and some of its most gruesome scenes were cut from international releases.

10. Antichrist (2009)

Director: Lars von Trier

Plot: After a tragedy, a couple retreats to a cabin in the woods, where they experience terrifying and violent psychological breakdowns.

Why It’s Censored: Antichrist faced censorship due to its graphic sexual violence, disturbing visuals, and brutal depiction of psychological trauma. It was banned or cut in multiple countries for its explicit nature, and it remains a polarizing film.

These films represent some of the most notorious in the horror genre, testing the boundaries of censorship and viewer endurance with their graphic and provocative content. For horror fans, they serve as infamous examples of the extremes filmmakers have gone to explore the darkest aspects of humanity and horror.

[femmeleatherface]

Spooky Movie Marathon 2024: Week 1

i decided to do a movie marathon for spooky month <3 finally, an excuse to watch some all the horror movies on my embarassingly long watchlist!

the films watched thus far:

Day 1: The House on Haunted Hill (1959) - remastered edition

Day 2: The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) - 50th anniversary remaster and theatrical re-release :) :) :)

Day 3: Lyle (2015)

Day 4: White Settlers (AKA The Blood Lands) (2014) - copy under The Bloods Land title

Day 5: Prometheus (2012)

lyle, white settlers, and prometheus are the ones thus far that were new to me. lyle had that awkward indie movie vibe that sometimes i don't like, and was a little overly deritative of its obvious inspirations at time, but a film that can be best described as "lesbian rosemary's baby" is always okay by me. white settlers was interesting, it was kind of fascinating seeing hixploitation horror outside of an american context and at least trying to interrogate english colonialism (maybe. the employment of hixploitatation complicates matters. going to have to think about this.) and prometheus... exists.

i decided to rewatch the original house on haunted hill since i saw the 1999 remake back in february, loved it, and immediately needed to watch it again during spooky month. i want to watch the two versions closer together, plus the 1999 one's ill-reputed sequel that i managed to find on dvd in the spring and have been saving. so more thoughts on this after i get around to the remake, which will hopefully be next week because i am impatient.

the texas chain saw massacre <3 <3 so beautiful. so moving. such a hassle seeing an evening show in the middle of the week and having to get to bed late. nearly bought an emotional support twilight zone blanket at spirit halloween when my ride home was forty minutes late, but my last shred of wakeful rationality stopped me. incredible film experience, i hope to never have to endure it again.

rankings of all the movies so far because my life is incomplete without needless rankings, sortings, and lists:

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) (duh)

The House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Lyle (2015)

White Settlers (2014)

Prometheus (2012)

to be continued next week!

[andersonvision]

The iconic horror film The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is set to make its chilling return to the big screen for a special re-release, opening in over 900 theaters nationwide. This restored version, supervised by the late director Tobe Hooper, showcases the film in stunning 4K quality, allowing fans new and old to experience the visceral terror that changed horror cinema forever. A Landmark in Horror History, even if I prefer the sequel Originally released in 1974, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre tells the harrowing tale of five friends on a weekend getaway who encounter a gruesome family of cannibals in the Texas countryside. With its raw intensity, shocking realism, and confrontational style, the film not only terrified audiences but also ignited a wave of controversy and censorship upon its release. It stands as a powerful reflection of the political and social turmoil of its time, leaving an indelible mark on the genre. A Masterpiece Restored As we celebrate the film's 50th anniversary, fans can look forward to experiencing the horror classic as never before. The new 4K restoration brings the unsettling imagery and relentless atmosphere to life, ensuring that the film's impact resonates with contemporary audiences. Watch the trailer for the 50th Anniversary Restoration https://youtu.be/iSxFeBdcqeE?feature=shared For theater listings and to secure your tickets 50 years of Texas Chain Saw Massacre is in a theater near you October 2024 The Texas Chain Saw Massacre remains a cultural milestone, influencing countless filmmakers and shaping the horror landscape for decades. With this special re-release, audiences will have the chance to witness a piece of cinematic history on the big screen, reaffirming its status as one of the most terrifying films of all time. Don’t miss this opportunity to relive the horror—get ready for the adrenaline rush of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in theaters starting October 2024!

[absolutelybatty]

2, 3, 6, 13, 21, 22, 28.

The asks

2: First horror movie you remember seeing? If it counts, The Mummy (1999). My mom had it on tape when I was little and watched it a lot. I was freaked out by it, but, in my defense, I was like.... 3.

3: Favourite horror franchise? If we mean any horror, probably Silent Hill. If we mean exclusively movies, probably A Nightmare On Elm Street or Child's Play. The first three NOES were great, as was new nightmare. Chucky, however, is so dedicated to its own stupid continuity that I gotta respect that.

6: A horror movie you wish had a sequel? I'm not really sure of any that I'd want a sequel for. I mean, I don't know how it could be done well, but if they made a good sequel to Jacob's Ladder, I'd watch it. But over all, I think somethings work best with just the first.

13: Favourite 60s film? I haven't actually seen many 60s horror movies so I'm gonna go with Night Of The Living Dead.

21: Favourite slasher? I am such a fan of stupid slasher movies. If you mean favourite slasher movie, I'll go with Scream (1996), but I'm also a big fan of just the character of Leatherface. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 (1986) are both amazing, but I'm specifically talking about Leatherface/Bubba as a character.

22: Favourite Giallo? I'll be honest, I don't think I've ever seen a giallo film. The closest I've seen was Suspiria, and I don't think that counts. I'm open to suggestions!

28: Favourite creature feature? Of the main ones that come to mind, Creature From The Black Lagoon is my favourite to watch. I think Frankenstein has the best story, and Dracula the best visuals. My grandpa and I both LOVE Creature From The Black Lagoon so that one holds a special place in my heart.

[james-stark-the-writer]

secretly both an ableist and racist prequel and sequel to Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Sondheim needs to pay Tobe Hooper his royalties. a pretty great piece of the "white people doing dumb white people shit" canon.

My ★★★★½ review of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre on Letterboxd