The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is credited with revolutionizing the horror genre. Many subsequent films emulated its brutally, psychologically violent approach. And a few subsequent films have just ripped it off.
Accordingly, I've generated a checklist to evaluate whether and how well modern horror films rip off the TCM. (I'm kidding, BTW. I'm making this "checklist" up on the spot.)
Qualification checklist:
--Crazy family of murderers? (Check.)
--Butchery of the dead? (Check.)
--Emphasis on realism and brutality? (Check.)
--A scene where someone thinks they've escaped the family and gotten help, only to discover that the person they're getting help from is also part of the family? (Check.)
So, yes. Frontier(s) definitely qualifies as a TCM rip off. But how good is it? Pretty darn good. Good enough to offend you. Good enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, even though you've seen it a million times before. Good enough, perhaps, to make you cringe. Highly recommended, if that's your sort of thing. Not really as gory as some films, but it certainly has enough brutality to stand among the best of them.
Of course, it takes a lot more to shock us today than it did in the 70s. Accordingly, my quality evaluation checklist bears little resemblance to the shocks from the original TCM.
Quality Evaluation:
--Pregnant women gets punched in the face? (Check.)
--Severed tendons? (Check.)
--Someone gets ruined with a buzzsaw? (Check.)
--Exploding head? (Check.)
--Boobs? (Sort of. I recall seeing a boob for about half a second in the latter half of the film, and earlier in the movie there's a nonsensical, fast-paced sex scene with music video style editing. I can't remember if any breasts are bared in this early scene.)
So, all in all, it's pretty good.
On a parting note. Others have compared it to Hostel and to High Tension; I think these are inappropriate comparisons. The film's structure is much more similar to TCM. Hostel is divided distinctly into two sections, with the first half being a fantasy wonderland and the second half being its seedy underside. High Tension is pretty much one situation happening for an hour and half. Frontier(s), like TCM, is a downward spiral for the first 45 minutes or so, and then an extended climax that maintains its intensity right up until perhaps 30 seconds before the credits roll.
Accordingly, I've generated a checklist to evaluate whether and how well modern horror films rip off the TCM. (I'm kidding, BTW. I'm making this "checklist" up on the spot.)
Qualification checklist:
--Crazy family of murderers? (Check.)
--Butchery of the dead? (Check.)
--Emphasis on realism and brutality? (Check.)
--A scene where someone thinks they've escaped the family and gotten help, only to discover that the person they're getting help from is also part of the family? (Check.)
So, yes. Frontier(s) definitely qualifies as a TCM rip off. But how good is it? Pretty darn good. Good enough to offend you. Good enough to keep you on the edge of your seat, even though you've seen it a million times before. Good enough, perhaps, to make you cringe. Highly recommended, if that's your sort of thing. Not really as gory as some films, but it certainly has enough brutality to stand among the best of them.
Of course, it takes a lot more to shock us today than it did in the 70s. Accordingly, my quality evaluation checklist bears little resemblance to the shocks from the original TCM.
Quality Evaluation:
--Pregnant women gets punched in the face? (Check.)
--Severed tendons? (Check.)
--Someone gets ruined with a buzzsaw? (Check.)
--Exploding head? (Check.)
--Boobs? (Sort of. I recall seeing a boob for about half a second in the latter half of the film, and earlier in the movie there's a nonsensical, fast-paced sex scene with music video style editing. I can't remember if any breasts are bared in this early scene.)
So, all in all, it's pretty good.
On a parting note. Others have compared it to Hostel and to High Tension; I think these are inappropriate comparisons. The film's structure is much more similar to TCM. Hostel is divided distinctly into two sections, with the first half being a fantasy wonderland and the second half being its seedy underside. High Tension is pretty much one situation happening for an hour and half. Frontier(s), like TCM, is a downward spiral for the first 45 minutes or so, and then an extended climax that maintains its intensity right up until perhaps 30 seconds before the credits roll.