The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974, 88%)
Pieces (1982, 42%)

Let’s start with a tribute with Tobe Hooper, who passed away in August and shaped the face of modern horror with

Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Made on a $300,000 budget and shot documentary-style, Chainsaw would become among the

most profitable movies ever, as theaters – grindhouse, drive-ins, and mainstream alike – booked it to shock

audiences with Hooper’s detached imagery, chilling plausibility, pervasive tension, and

implied violence.

Meanwhile, “implied violence” and “plausible” are the last phrases you’d use to describe Pieces, a splatterfest

supposedly set in Boston but filmed entirely in Spain, directed by Juan Piquer Simon. Expect goofy dialogue, pig

guts with red herrings, and one very real chainsaw — the authenticity of terror on these actors’ faces as

they’re being menaced and massacred is up to your interpretation. And let’s not forget the ballsy shock ending!

The easiest way to watch this is on Blu-ray via Grindhouse Releasing; if you do, watch the American version – it’s faster-paced with a better soundtrack.