My wife found me this book at our local library. I'm not sure why she choose this book for me being as I've never seen The Texas Chain Saw Massacre before. Nor ever really wanted too. But I do now!
I was a film studies minor in college. So I have read my fair share of books about film; especially scholarly works. This recollection of the film process of the legendary 1974 horror in regards to the tumultuous events plaguing our nation in the early 70s is a scholarly work. But it was for the most part a very enjoyable read.
Author Joseph Lanza does a fantastic job recalling how Tobe Hooper, Gunner Hansen and crew filmed a hellacious flick in near Hell-like conditions. Lanza is also a very good storylteller when recalling the events of the Watergate scandal and episodes of quite a few ghastly murders that were sensationalized in the early 1970s. He should write true crime novels; if he doesn't already. But when Lanza tries to get philosophical and make allusions between art and inspiration, the writer fails.
Joseph Lanza used some really odd phrases in this book. But Lanza makes it a habit to reuse them those phrases an annoying Nth degree. I've never heard the term 'venting their spleen' before. But Lanza has and he reuses the phrase a total of 8 times in this 240-ish page book. (He might have used it more, but I lost count after 8.) Plus, all his rambles over the The Club of Rome could have been omitted from the book for more information over some glossed over elements I would have been interested in learning about, like the Jonestown tragedy. I understand that group of international thinkers is our modern version of the Illuminati. But Lanza couldn't make me actually care about their philosophy.
When the author is in his element, I couldn't put this book down. I've gone nearly 42 years without seeing Tobe Hopper's opus. I also really didn't care too see it. But thanks to Joseph Lanza, I really want to watch it now!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
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