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A review by kfish3
Chain Saw Confidential: How We Made the World's Most Notorious Horror Movie by Gunnar Hansen
4.0
Chain Saw Confidential by Gunnar Hansen is a Goodreads First-Reads advance reader copy of a book I received for free and, quite honestly, very fortunately, since my boyfriend adores horror films and horror movie conventions. So, yeah, it felt like I was earning good-girlfriend points, being given a book I would choose to read, and going to learn a lot about a movie I haven't yet seen (yes, I know, I'll see it as soon as I can).
As I've gotten older, I've found that I encounter horror films by chance, instead of willingly sitting down to watch them and be open to being scared. And, with age comes introspection - just why exactly does it happen that way? Do horror films scare me? Am I a rom-com fan? Do I see scary movies as being subversive or gross or just not my cup of tea? And, lately, with the onset of the romantic supernatural and gory thriller film genres, I'm gradually, bit by bit, seeing more movies that happen to have a horror theme.
Then came Cabin in the Woods. I love that movie, not just because of it pulling back the curtain on a horror film's character and plot stereotypes or being a Whedon film by proxy, but because of its psychological aspects and beautiful moss green/black cinematography. It all pieced together for me after that; I was open to thrillers and horror films much more, now that I had a better handle on what to expect, be it a summoned big bad, a psychopath with a melee/mystical/mechanized weapon, or a virginal teenage nymphet who knows to leave the back door open and yet defend herself with the strength of a lumberjack when a lurking shadow creeps up on her from behind.
Needless to say and with my limited horror knowledge in mind, I picked up Chain Saw Confidential with the expectation that Gunnar Hansen's narrative voice would be primal, sadistic, larger than life, and hyper-masculinated to the point that, not only could I not muster the courage to ever watch the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but that I might put be put off from watching any kind of horror films for quite a while.
But, no, he had to be charming. And well-spoken and humble, but especially candid. He told his side of the story from audition to wrap-up and appearances at horror conventions completely chronologically and in-line with the movie, instead of being mindful to a shooting script while on set (which has always confused me, even if I've seen a movie a dozen times and then read a book about its filming). So, _of course_, I _have_ to see it now and keep an eye out for the scenes he took pains to describe (i.e. when a female character is on a swing or when Leatherface speeds up a flight of stairs with a live chainsaw overhead while Hansen himself is unbeknownstly under the influence of pot brownies that the film set's caterer had on hand).
As I've gotten older, I've found that I encounter horror films by chance, instead of willingly sitting down to watch them and be open to being scared. And, with age comes introspection - just why exactly does it happen that way? Do horror films scare me? Am I a rom-com fan? Do I see scary movies as being subversive or gross or just not my cup of tea? And, lately, with the onset of the romantic supernatural and gory thriller film genres, I'm gradually, bit by bit, seeing more movies that happen to have a horror theme.
Then came Cabin in the Woods. I love that movie, not just because of it pulling back the curtain on a horror film's character and plot stereotypes or being a Whedon film by proxy, but because of its psychological aspects and beautiful moss green/black cinematography. It all pieced together for me after that; I was open to thrillers and horror films much more, now that I had a better handle on what to expect, be it a summoned big bad, a psychopath with a melee/mystical/mechanized weapon, or a virginal teenage nymphet who knows to leave the back door open and yet defend herself with the strength of a lumberjack when a lurking shadow creeps up on her from behind.
Needless to say and with my limited horror knowledge in mind, I picked up Chain Saw Confidential with the expectation that Gunnar Hansen's narrative voice would be primal, sadistic, larger than life, and hyper-masculinated to the point that, not only could I not muster the courage to ever watch the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, but that I might put be put off from watching any kind of horror films for quite a while.
But, no, he had to be charming. And well-spoken and humble, but especially candid. He told his side of the story from audition to wrap-up and appearances at horror conventions completely chronologically and in-line with the movie, instead of being mindful to a shooting script while on set (which has always confused me, even if I've seen a movie a dozen times and then read a book about its filming). So, _of course_, I _have_ to see it now and keep an eye out for the scenes he took pains to describe (i.e. when a female character is on a swing or when Leatherface speeds up a flight of stairs with a live chainsaw overhead while Hansen himself is unbeknownstly under the influence of pot brownies that the film set's caterer had on hand).