The scene: Leatherface appears
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is considered one of the most punishing, sickly transformative experiences in horror. And it’s not even 90 minutes long – and nothing really happens for the first 30 minutes. But once Leatherface appears, the movie never lets up. His grand debut happens inside his house, when a stupidly intrepid young adult enters looking for fuel for his car. Leatherface pops out from a hallway and hits the dude in the hammer, the body crumpling and then twitching on the ground. Leatherface drags the body into the butcher room, and slams the door. There’s plenty of more scares to come, but this opening salvo is as disturbing as they come.
