A review by cinnamonvortex
Chain Saw Confidential: How We Made the World's Most Notorious Horror Movie by Gunnar Hansen

5.0

An excellent look at the making of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre from the perspective of its most famous star. Gunnar Hansen (who played Leatherface) is an excellent writer—not surprising considering he is a poet and highly educated—who not only takes the reader through the filming of the movie but has some exceptionally well-written commentary about the horror genre toward the end of the book. One chapter that was an unexpected gem was where he recounts experiences from encounters with people who are convinced that the movie is a true story or that they were somehow part of its production in some way (despite there only being perhaps a dozen crew members on set), the highlight being the guy trying to get Hansen to *wink wink* play along with the story that he was part of the filming so he can impress his girlfriend. Hansen handles it admirably and justly.

I really just picked the book up out of curiosity. I mean, it is written by Leatherface himself. And the Texas Chain Saw Massacre (I know, we don't separate "chain" and "saw" in modern type but they did then) is often imitated but never duplicated. Well, it scared the bejeezus out of me when I was a kid and I was delighted to gain access to the artistry (and insane ramshackle tomfoolery at times) that went into its creation. Mr. Hansen is an excellent guide through the process and his thoughts on its cultural impact are equally interesting. Perhaps there is good reason Joe Bob Briggs loves this movie so much...