There’s certainly evidence of its low budget at times, but the fundamentals of its camerawork and the brilliantly distorted score create an incredible sense of tension that’s eventually pierced by disturbing scenes of violence. Over 50 years later, it’s still heavier and eerier than most modern slashers, and Marilyn Burns’ performance in the last scene is unforgettable. 

I was very quickly reminded of Black Sabbath’s earliest releases while watching and this was only further reinforced during the runtime; the bloodsucking grandfather figure feels like he’s pulled straight out of the first verse of War Pigs/Luke’s Wall. I think TCM and Sabbath were some of the earliest indications of the dark underbelly of the countercultural movement as it became tainted by the paranoia of the Nixon era.  The van full of horny hippies descends helplessly and unknowingly into their grisly fate in a region harshly affected by ongoing deindustrialization and rising energy prices, which is alluded to by the gas station owner on the drive to the mansion as he barely conceals his insanity.

Tobe Hooper presents a clear connection to the never ending stream of reports of violence and death from Vietnam with the opening narration and subsequent radio chatter, and you get the sense that the relative recency of the advent of widely distributed images of war and death in the news media has a part to play in driving everyone a little bit more mad. The lack of commitment to or motivation for the actions of the maniac father and his two unhinged reinforces the meaninglessness of the violence as well. A great pick for a rainy October night.

Watched 10/19/2025