Horror and Action, Both Great for their Genres

By: Blake Voros

I’m going to be talking about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hooper, and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Ang. These sound like extremely different films, which they are, their story lines have absolutely nothing in common with each other. But, they actually have a ton in common behind the scenes and critically, which make them both amazing films for the genres, even if you aren’t the biggest fan of either of the films stories. Both films represent their genres well, have amazing acting, and did well with the critics.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is based of a series of true events, it takes place in well, Texas. Some responses of this film was the events weren’t actually true. The film was BASED on true events. I was fine with the amount of detail we got on the actual events. If I had wanted more true detail, I’d watch a documentary. The scenery in this film is very bland and dead looking. Crouching Tiger Hidden dragon is based on a novel by Wang Du Lu. The film takes place in China and has beautiful, lively scenery. The scenery and locations of these films are very different. Both scenery’s represent the films well.

Both the films scenery represent the location and theme of the films extremely well.  This is where I’m comparing and contrasting the films at the same time. They take place in very different locations and look very different, one dead and one lively, but they are both maximizing their film’s ratings by having scenery’s that pull the film’s themes together so well.

I’m going to continue analyzing the different dimensions of both films, and also talking about critical debate, the history of the film. There is obviously a budget difference in the films. But, both these films are classic’s for the genres.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, directed by Ang Lee, is a thriller packed with martial arts and great acting. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon holds the record for highest gross earnings for a foreign language film in American History.  Here is the theatrical trailer for those who have not seen it:

Here is the trailer for Texas Chainsaw Massacre:

The trailer for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is obviously from the 70’s. I think it gives a great preview and really shows potential viewers and audience how scary and gruesome the film is.

Back in 1974 a movie like Texas Chainsaw Massacre was one of a kind and rare, so not everyone agreed with it being made for no reason. I think back then, horror movies for enjoyment weren’t as popular as they were now. I see previews for movies just as scary all the time and there aren’t a lot of controversy about it. I think this film made history because it was so ground breaking for it’s genre.  I think this is what made it a classic for the horror genre. I thought that it’s very interesting there was no blood in the movie, this shows the audience can be scared without fake blood.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon did very well here in America. But, in China, people were upset by the accents of the leading actors. I thought it was interesting the film was made to please America and Chinese audiences.

The Rolling Stones gave a complimenting review of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. The critic states it was the kind film making magic we’ve been missing in our lives. I love how he says it’s the film’s spirits that soar, since I really felt the same way while watching the film!

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre got a variety of reviews. It is sometimes described as one of the scariest movies of all times. I personally was really scared in it! I underestimated it for it’s time it was made, but it does live up to expectations.

Roger Ebert gave a great review of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, weather you watched the movie or not I highly recommend reading his review. He praises it for what some would dislike it for! He basically says the movie was great for it’s genre, even if horror and the story line aren’t your favorite. It’s funny how he says he doesn’t understand how someone could want to make a movie like this, yet now in 2019, there are so many similar to it. I like how he mentions horror and exploitation sell well when done well. I think his review was accurate for someone who doesn’t love scary movies, but respects them.

The ending of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the scariest scenes of the movie. Something notable about The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is that there is no blood the entire movie. I thought this was a good skill used by the director. I feel with the ending scene of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, is confusing, mysterious, and needs some explaining. I had to ask myself, “Did she just kill herself?” But, you figure it out. The music does a great job of telling you how to feel as well in scenes like these.

If scary movies are your thing, you’ll love The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as it is a classic for it’s genre. Even if you think the story line isn’t true enough, it gives a great film. If you don’t like scary movies and they give you nightmares, you should definitely stay clear of this movie.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon gives a lot of motivation and empowerment to the viewers. You have to have patience to read the caption. Some people enjoy reading the subtitles even for English movies, so if that’s something you do this shouldn’t be a bother. There is a lot of martial arts scenes that are very realistic and beautiful to watch. I think this movie is great for anyone with some patience and wants to feel empowered. The music in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon puts me in my feelings the entire movie.

-Blake

Works Cited:

https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-texas-chain-saw-massacre-1974

 

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon