One of the features that really stands out to viewers of the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" is that the film is supposedly based on "a true story". While some people may completely discount this as a pitiful tagline solely aimed at getting peoples' asses in the theater seats, others actually believe that there was a family of chainsaw wielding cannibal loonies in the backwoods of Texas that preyed upon unsuspecting teens. Well.... as far as i can discern: they're both wrong.
The "truth" behind the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a bit more sinister... in the twisted life of the infamous ghoul and cannibal Ed Gein who shocked the mind of 1950s America with his acts of unspeakable evil.
Facets of the infamous Ed Gein's life have seeped into the collective American psyche in recent years through such famous films as PSYCHO, SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, and of course THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE... but none of these films completely mirror Gein's own diseased existence. Rather, the directors of these films would take small aspects of Gein's life and utilize them to "flesh out" their own fiendish characters.
Ed Gein is notorious in the annals of human history for his acts of grave-robbing, necrophilia (that's sex with the dead, kiddies), cannibalism, and flat-out murder. Driven by the powerful memory of his domineering mother, Ed Gein was truly The American Nightmare. Prowling the cemetaries of Wisconsin by night Gein would unearth corpses whose decaying skins would be crafted into a variety of "masks" or simply take parts of their anatomy that he would use to "decorate" his home. Although Ed Gein always acted alone, and never used a chainsaw, the influences of his modus operandi can be felt in THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE.... well, at least in the original.
CAPTAIN RHODES
Posted by isis9968 (Member # 1780) on :
Thanks Captain, for scarying the living CRIPES out of me!!
Posted by Jules (Member # 2627) on :
EWWWWWWWW!!!!
Posted by C.T. (Member # 2903) on :
They even made a strait-to-video release called Ed Gein it was'nt a very good movie. I just recently heard of this Monster about 3 years ago i read the long story about what happen on Court TV .Com it has a section about Serial Killers that you can read up on. But The Chainsaw part Tobe Hooper said he came up with that to make the story more scary and it worked.
Posted by HipsterMom27 (Member # 2161) on :
There was also a rash of unsolved murders in the Texarkana, TX area around 1950 that factors into TCM [I think].
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