The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

It reviews better than it plays — admired more than it is enjoyed.

• “A black-humored, unflinching look at the Ugly American at his psychotic worst. And Tobe Hooper is at his best as a writer and director here.”

  Chris Parcellin, Film Threat · 100

• “Hooper's vision is horrid yet engrossing... But the worst part about this vision is that despite its sensational aspects, it never seems too far from what could be the truth.”

  Mike Emery, Austin Chronicle · 100

• “The film has outstanding sound effects, art direction and editing, and a clutch of effective, if necessarily, one-note performances.”

  Kim Newman, Empire · 100

• “What separates Texas Chainsaw Massacre from its predecessors is its anarchic, cynical hysteria—its bizarre and dark-as-hell gallows humor.”

  Eric Henderson, Slant Magazine · 100

• “The film never loses its intensity from the first moment Leatherface's sledgehammer drops. It's horror without a safety net: Survival isn't guaranteed for anyone, heroism and struggle are often futile, and as the old adage says, you can never come home again.”

  Scott Tobias, The A.V. Club · 100