And that's about all the plot there is to this movie. Technically for such a low budgeter the film is fine; it looks good, is surprisingly well-acted and directed, and sticks in the memory: and yet I just can't give it a high mark as there is something squamous and uncouth about the damn thing!
TCM may have been seen by some critics as a satire on American family values but the final 20 minutes isn't much above the level of torture porn. The final survivor of the Mystery Machine Mob is subjected to mockery and psychological torture that I felt crossed the line. It's exhausting (entirely the point) and a bit too nasty. There is very little gore here, however, and I hope it's because of artistic choice rather than not having enough money to film such stuff. Director Tobe Hooper does a great job of making you think you see more than you actually do; your imagination takes over and runs wild. It's very cleverly done.
The plot, though, is almost non-existent, and I found the victims unengaging and not particularly worth caring about. When they get whittled down by Leather-Face I didn't really feel much - maybe it's because the death scenes are handled matter of factly but pretty perfunctorily.
A real stand out sequence is the scene where Leather-Face chases the girl thorough the woods - suspense rather than horror, excellently done. And the opening is queasily effective, too. This consists of live action "snapshots" of grave robbed corpses arranged artistically on a funeral monument, and it's this that starts the flimsy story in motion.
As a genuine horror film fan I re-watched this movie with an open mind having not seen it in many years (and not enjoying it first time around) and my impression is still the same. It probably deserves a higher mark but it's just not a film to enjoy - too much dragging the viewer through the ordure. I did the same with Scanners recently and was pleasantly surprised. But not with this movie.
TCM may have been seen by some critics as a satire on American family values but the final 20 minutes isn't much above the level of torture porn. The final survivor of the Mystery Machine Mob is subjected to mockery and psychological torture that I felt crossed the line. It's exhausting (entirely the point) and a bit too nasty. There is very little gore here, however, and I hope it's because of artistic choice rather than not having enough money to film such stuff. Director Tobe Hooper does a great job of making you think you see more than you actually do; your imagination takes over and runs wild. It's very cleverly done.
The plot, though, is almost non-existent, and I found the victims unengaging and not particularly worth caring about. When they get whittled down by Leather-Face I didn't really feel much - maybe it's because the death scenes are handled matter of factly but pretty perfunctorily.
A real stand out sequence is the scene where Leather-Face chases the girl thorough the woods - suspense rather than horror, excellently done. And the opening is queasily effective, too. This consists of live action "snapshots" of grave robbed corpses arranged artistically on a funeral monument, and it's this that starts the flimsy story in motion.
As a genuine horror film fan I re-watched this movie with an open mind having not seen it in many years (and not enjoying it first time around) and my impression is still the same. It probably deserves a higher mark but it's just not a film to enjoy - too much dragging the viewer through the ordure. I did the same with Scanners recently and was pleasantly surprised. But not with this movie.