sensational aspects, it never seems too far from what could be the truth”. Noted reviewer Rex Reed called it “The most terrifying motion picture I have ever seen.” Fellow horror director Wes Craven has reminisced of his first viewing of the film, stating that he wondered “what kind of Mansonite crazoid” could have “conjured up such a visceral and punishing experience.” Horror novelist Stephen King considers it “cataclysmic terror”, and stated, “I would happily testify to its redeeming social merit in any court in the country.” Variety stated, “Despite the heavy doses of gore in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Tobe Hooper’s pic is well-made for an exploiter of its type.” The film has also been declared one of the few horror movies to invoke “the authentic quality of nightmare”.
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Since The Texas Chain Saw Massacre’s premiere, the film has appeared on