As with Romero's zombie trilogy, critical/moral condemnations of this classic horror film have focused on its degree of violent content. But what may be more unpalatable for such critics is these films' similar satirical subtext which seems to suggest that a competitive consumer based society can dehumanise people and turn them into monsters. Perhaps all films, no matter how bland or innocent they seem, have a political agenda? The debate continues: contra the (affirmative) vision of, say, "Forrest Gump", "Chainsaw" might suggest that life is more like a box of human barbeque than a box of chocolates.
Review of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
(1974)
a brief comparison to Romero's zombie films as social satire
22 December 1998