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User:Paleface Jack/Special effects of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre

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The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 independent horror film produced and directed by Tobe Hooper, who co-wrote it with Kim Henkel. The plot follows a group of friends who fall victim to a family of cannibals while on their way to visit an old homestead. The ensemble cast includes Marilyn Burns, Allen Danziger, Paul A. Partain, William Vail, Teri McMinn, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, Gunnar Hansen, and John Dugan.

The development of the film began in 1973, four years after Hooper's directorial debut Eggshells (1969).

Production design

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Image: Robert Burns decorating Chainsaw House

Production design for the film was headed by art director and production designer Robert "Bob" Burns. The interior of the cannibals' house was decorated by Burns, Church, and members of the production team. Most of the bones and dead animals were real, as the costs of acquiring them were often cheaper than the construction and purchase of alternatives.[1] Burns drove around the countryside, collecting the remains of cattle and other animals in various stages of decomposition, which he littered the floors of the house with.[2][3] Other remains were obtained from the farming community around North Dallas and from a personal friend of Burns, who worked at the site of a proposed state park.[4] According to Burns, the animal remains "were made up of parts of eight cows, two dogs, a cat, two deer, three goats, and a chicken".[5][6] Props, such as furniture, and a lamp made from a human face, were constructed using a mixture of real and fake human bones, and a latex material for the upholstery, imitating the appearance of human skin;[2][3] only ten of the remains seen in the film were fake.[6] The interior walls were covered with drops of animal blood that Burns obtained from a local slaughterhouse.[7]

Makeup and special effects

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Makeup and special effects were completed by Bob Burns, Dorothy "Dottie" Pearl,[8][9] and the local plastic surgeon Dr. William E. Barnes,[9][10] who was a friend of star Marilyn Burns.[11] The corpse in the film's opening sequence, was sculpted by Skaaren.[12]

The special effects were simple and limited by the budget.[13] The close-up of Leatherface cutting his leg with a chainsaw was accomplished by wrapping a metal plate around Hansen's leg for protection, with a piece of meat, simulating torn flesh, covering the plate. A bag filled with fake blood was then taped over the meat, which burst once the chainsaw cut into it. Even with the metal plate, Hansen suffered a small burn from the friction of the blade heating the metal.[14][15]

Character design

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Leatherface

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Main article: Leatherface

Image: Leatherface Masks

Burns was tasked with designing the Leatherface costume. When designing the character, a total of three separate masks were created. The masks themselves were crafted from face molds cast by Barnes.[9][10] The molds were made from locals in the area, who had volunteered to have casts taken of their heads; one of the volunteers was the film's producer Parsley, whose head cast was made into the "Killing Mask".[11] Once the molds were set, Burns modified them with the help of Barnes, using algenate to create facial expressions for each mask.[a] Burns experimented with different latex mixtures to make the masks appear like layers of dried skin, eventually using a combination of liquid latex and yellow fiberglass insulation.[9][11] Pieces of the material for each mask were then sewn together with a thin wire, to give off a crude and rudimentary look to the designs.[9] A set of dentures was also created for the film,[17] based on molds taken of Hansen by his dentist.[11]

Costume Three-inch heels were added to the actor's boots to accentuate the character's height.[11]

A Poulan 245A chainsaw was used for the film, which was borrowed from a local and returned once filming ended. To avoid legal issues, tape was placed over the brand name.[18][19]

Grandpa

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Image: Grandpa design example

For the design of the Grandpa, described by Hooper as "an embryonic old man",[20] Barnes cast molds of Dugan's head using algenate. The mold was then sculpted with additional details added to enhance the appearance of the mask. These details included wrinkles, cysts, and moles.[21] It took around seven to eight hours to apply the necessary makeup and mask to Dugan,[21][22] and only two masks were made as production could only afford three masks.[10]

Stunts

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Kirk's death

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To film Kirk's death scene, pillows were placed on the floor behind Hansen for him to drag Vail back without injury, and a prop sledgehammer with a foam rubber head was used. Vail was injured on the first take when Hansen accidentally hit him harder than intended, causing burst blood vessels behind his eyes.[23]

Chainsaw dismemberment

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After telling Vail to stay still lest he be killed, Hansen brought the running chainsaw to within 3 inches (7.6 cm) of Vail's face.

Pam's death

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Stunt double

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Several takes were required to shoot Pam's flight and capture. McMinn shot portions of the scene where she runs out of the house and is grabbed by Leatherface, while interior shots were filmed with script supervisor Mary Church[b] to "give Teri a break".[25]

Hook scene

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Franklyn's death

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Chase scenes

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Image: Behind the Scenes Chase set-up

Other stunts

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References

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Footnotes

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Notes

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  1. ^ A contrast to Hooper's statement that the masks were made of "coat hanger(s) and some kind of parchment paper".[16]
  2. ^ Church was also an assistant and girlfriend of Robert Burns at the time of production.[24]

Citations

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  1. ^ Hansen 2013, pp. 27–36.
  2. ^ a b Jaworzyn 2012, p. 46.
  3. ^ a b Triplett 2006.
  4. ^ Crawford 1974, p. 8.
  5. ^ American Film Institute 2023.
  6. ^ a b Hansen 2013, pp. 37–44.
  7. ^ Hooper 2008, 00:58–01:14; 01:38–02:00.
  8. ^ Hansen 2013, pp. 17–26.
  9. ^ a b c d e Macor 2010, p. 23.
  10. ^ a b c Jaworzyn 2012, p. 61.
  11. ^ a b c d e Hansen 2013, pp. 45–54.
  12. ^ Jaworzyn 2012, p. 75.
  13. ^ Freeland 2018, p. 241.
  14. ^ Jaworzyn 2012, p. 67.
  15. ^ Hansen 2013, pp. 127–136.
  16. ^ Smith 2014.
  17. ^ Balun 1988, pp. 48–51.
  18. ^ Hawkes 2015.
  19. ^ Gilchrist 2006.
  20. ^ Hansen 2013, pp. 105–114.
  21. ^ a b Bustin 1974, p. 6.
  22. ^ Hansen 2013, p. 105-114.
  23. ^ Hansen 2013, pp. 43–53.
  24. ^ Hansen 2013, p. 27.
  25. ^ Hansen 2013, pp. 62–65.

Works cited

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