This is a pretty well known documentary on the making of the original classic. It was an awful time had by the crew and cast - most of them remember the 18-20 hour days in 118 degree Texas heat with zero amount of positive feeling. In fact, most of the goodwill the makers of the film now have is only due to its legacy and cult status after the fact.
The Family.
Marilyn Burns getting bloodied up...
The teenager who played Grandpa in full makeup.
Director Tobe Hooper in Grandma's room...
There are three stories I will always remember from watching this documentary.
1. The Heat. Like I mentioned, it was often 118 degrees during the filming, which took place in middle the day. During the infamous dinner scene, they covered up the windows with thick black blankets to keep the sun out since it was supposed to take place at night...in between shots, at least one member of the cast/crew, including Leatherface himself, would run outside and vomit, then come back in for the next take. Nasty.
2. The bones. The house where the carnage occurs was full of bones, skeletons and macabre statues and decoration. All of these "props" came from nearby farms where the SFX guy went and recycled dead cattle bones lying half buried in the fields. He also was able to access a vet's office graveyard where he took old bones from deceased cats, dogs, goats, pigs and God knows what else. The house has since been moved and now serves as an upscale restaurant in Texas. How's that for irony?
3. The Mafia. Since this truly was a 'guerilla filmmaking' venture, they had no money to promote the film. The company they ended up dealing with happened to be run by the mafia! In the end there is no record of how much money they lost to his sour deal but in the end it got the film out to the public, and the rest is history. Gunnar Hansen's first royalty check for playing the role of Leatherface was around $47.00! Wow.
No comments:
Post a Comment