Alexandre O. Philippe continues his journey into cinema with Chain Reactions, a critical analysis of what many view as a seminal work of horror, 1974’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre. After devoting a film to the shower scene in Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho) and exploring the influence of the The Wizard of Oz on director David Lynch (Lynch/(Oz), Philippe assembles a group of talkers to discuss the impact director Tobe Hooper’s raw chunk of horror had on them and on a genre that recently has grown in popularity and importance. Philippe relies on interviews with Patton Oswalt, Takashi Miike, Stephen King, Karyn Kusama, and Australian critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas to dive deeply into the movie and its unquestionable impact on successive attempts at raw-boned horror. If you’re a devote of American horror, you undoubtedly know Leatherface, the chainsaw-wielding killer who sliced and diced those who had the misfortune of entering a world occupied by his leering, demented family. Philippe’s interviewees talk intelligently about the film, but, for me, Oswalt’s analysis proved a standout. And who better to discuss Hooper's contribution to American horror than King? You’ll hear appreciations of a film that defined a horror aesthetic along with some consideration of whether Texas Chainsaw Massacre took a prescient look at the violent power unleashed by some of society's rejects. Is this analysis on point, or is Texas Chainsaw, to take the opposing extreme, an indulgence in cinema's trashiest impulses? To be honest, I’m not sure exactly where Texas Chainsaw belongs. Still, I love hearing smart analysis of films, and Philippe’s specificity and focus are creating an essential body of work for those of us who spend our lives in front of screens.
No comments:
Post a Comment