Narrative

The main inspiration behind the film is to show the birth of the psychopath who was introduced in the first part of the film which was released in 1974. The film has a linear narrative even though the whole film is in flashback mode with the time going back to 1939 when Thomas Hewitt (Leather face) was born and the entire film is based in 1969. The linear narrative keeps the story organised which makes it easier for the audience to follow.

The audience does not have much of a relation with the narrative, unless the audience members were citizens of Texas when these horrific incidents took place. There can not be a personal relationship with the film for the masses of the audience as its set in an area of America which is considered to be quite dangerous. The audience can however relate to the text by putting themselves in the characters position.

The Heroes and villains are easy to identify as Sheriff Hoyt makes his evil intentions clear after he kills the real Sheriff and takes his uniform and later he finds Eric, Dean and their partners as victims. The main villain is Sheriff Hoyt even though leather face is the horrifying figure in the film. It almost like he is controlled by Sheriff Hoyt and does not have a brain of his own, all he has is physical strength. The film does not have a set hero or heroine from the start but we as the audience can assume that Jordana Brewster who plays Chrissie (Eric’s girlfriend) in the film is the lead heroine as she is the last one to die and much of the story revolves around her as she is not captured in the house by the Sheriff.

The main ideologies of the narrative are negative as the end of the film shows that Leather face kills the final girl as she is about to get help for survival and the voice over at the end states that this Texas family has killed 33 innocent people till date and the hunt continues. This scene demonstrates that villain wins over hero. Hence this also proves the theory of the final girl by Carol J. Clover wrong as according to that theory in Slasher films there is always a final girl remaining who kills the villain and manages to survive.

Media Language and Forms

In Texas chainsaw massacre- the beginning there are great levels of meaning as there are stories to be revealed within the film; however as the audience you feel some aspects are unclear for example why does the character ‘Leather face’ have such a cruel and inhuman personality.

There is a great significance of the texts connotations as that's where the mysteries within the text are unfolded, although there are some things which are left to one’s own interpretation. On the other hand there are examples in the movie of the questions being answered in the text which gives the audience satisfaction and better understanding of the entire text. For example the mystery which is revealed at the end of the film is that none of the main characters are left alive by sheriff Hoyt and leather face. Furthermore earlier on in the film there is a moment where anxiety builds up for the audience as the Protagonists try to break free from the house of horror but only a few minutes later the audience discover that breaking free from that place is almost impossible. This is one of many scenes in this film which engage the audience.

The non verbal structures of meaning like the facial expressions, props and the gestures are quite self explanatory as looking at the facial expressions of the characters the audience is able to identify and relate to the situation without the need of a dialogue. The facial expression which is most dominant in the entire film is the nervous and horrified look. The props such as chainsaw, knives, guns etc are a very important element of the film as it’s a Slasher film and weapons express the terror that words cannot. The costumes worn by the characters are very casual as they are on a road trip but once they have an accident and are taken away by Sheriff Hoyt to the house of terror all characters have some element of blood on their body and also their clothes.

The locations used in the film are very stereotypical as most Slasher films are set away from the city centre, in the countryside where hardly any human being is to be seen. The house being in such a quiet area gives it more significance and reinsures the audience that this is the house of terror where Sheriff Hoyt and Tommy terrorise their victims. Furthermore the old wooden furniture and low key lighting within the house make the location gory and horrifying.

There are many non-diegetic sounds included in the text although they are short sound effects rather than theme tunes. When there is an element of non-diegetic sound it plays an important part as it alerts the audience that something really intensive or violent is about to happen. Diegetic sound effects such as fierce movements, sound of chainsaw, character screams are also very effective in engaging the audience. Moreover the combination between the camera angles/movements and the sound is very interesting. For example there is a scene where Leather face is walking with a chainsaw, there is an extreme close up on his foot and the sound is of the chainsaw and foot steps.

Plot of the film

On one last road trip before they're sent to serve in Vietnam, two brothers and their girlfriends get into an accident that calls their local sheriff to the scene. Thus begins a terrifying experience where the teens are taken to a secluded house of horrors, where a young killer is being nurtured (Leather face/ Tommy). The tag line of the film is ‘Witness the birth of fear’ which relates to the film as in the beginning we are shown the past of July 1969 which witnessed the birth of Thomas Hewitt (leather face).