“Texas Chainsaw Massacre”
“Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is a horror film directed by Nispel. The film debuted in 2003 and had its success throughout the world. It was banned in some countries for its violent based scenes although. The film is scary and spectators are left to wonder the nature for which such acts can be allowed to happen. The film constitutes both gender characters who act to unfold the plot as a whole. It is based upon a group of teenagers who fall prey to a hitchhiker that kills most of them by a chainsaw. This scenes are intriguing to the spectators especially men who shift their support from the killer to the heroine altogether. Therefore, this research paper tries to examine the gender shift for support as depicted by male spectators.
A recent conduct research survey depicted that male spectators, unlike their women counterparts, are glued and fascinated by acts of violence and terror, especially when it is meant to terrorize women characters as a whole. It is assumed that men tend to focus on the killer as compared to the protagonists and will thus be heard making fascinated-based sounds in the course of watching the film (Hooper, 1974).
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In this film: “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”, the aforementioned aspect is evidently clear so that specific scene promotes the philosophy altogether. The research conducted also postulates the fact that men tend to be detached emotionally with either of the characters irrespective of gender but towards the end of the film this behavior tend to switch as male spectators become compassionate, especially to women characters and would thus be perceived as keen and conservative while still making loud warning noises to the killer when about to kill a female character.
Male characters, unlike their female counterparts, are perceived to be fascinated with such features as horror film setting and will try to deduce the resultant climax of it all. For instance, when the first female character is killed, the setting of the house is considered to be a catalytic feature of the killings. She goes into a house and finds a room that is filled with chicken and heap of both human and animal bones that the owner of the house uses to make furniture.
This scenario is so disturbing and is considered to foreshadow acts of violence and killings. While in the process of examining the house, the female character is unexpectedly approached by a man whose face is entirely covered with leather mask. As she tries to escape from the man and the house in that matter, she is dragged back and is placed on a metal hook while still screaming (Hooper, 1974).
This scream is so persistent for an extensive period of time. Despite the screams, it is assumed that male spectators are fascinated and are full of excitement and it is at this point in time they are considered to be full of expectations of both horror and violence. The scary sounds made by women characters also are considered as a stimulating factor for cross gender spectatorship.
It is fair to indicate that with the first killings male spectators are oblivious of gender character and are not specifically fascinated that the violence is impacted to female characters, but that it has occurred intensively and with vigor.
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They are also considered to be detached from the protagonist of the film and are in constant watch of the killer altogether. This focus builds up when the killer, after hanging Pam, on a meat hook, makes her watch as he dismembers the boyfriend. The decision by the director to omit the scene for which she gets hanged is far more effective as it further intrigues the male spectator by expanding their imagination altogether.
After dismembering the boyfriend, the killer uses the body parts as food. These acts furthers intrigues the spectators and are filled with much expectations as they are left with suspense to figure out matter befalling Pam who remains hanged on the meat hook. The two characters are the first to be killed by the hitchhiker and spectators, especially male, are assumed to be unremorseful of the scene since these two teenage characters leave the group to pursue sexual activity. It is assumed that sex is a forbidden activity in horror films especially that the survival of the killings and violence is concerned. It is believed that male spectators watching the film feel compassionate mainly because the characters were pursuing matters taboo in horror movies (Hooper, 1974).
Later, the film unfolds when another male character is killed instantly. This male character is at first perceived to be the protagonist of the film due to his full-bodied features. His killing leaves a female character to survive on moment of violence. It is assumedly clear to indicate that the male spectators start to feel compassionate for the female character especially because she is considered weak and less masculine to handle the hitchhiker who is well-built. These compassionate feeling is the result of the complication in cross- gender spectatorship. At this point in time, the heroine gets all the attention and is supposedly assisted by the spectators to escape the misfortunes ahead.
When Jerry finds Pam frozen but alive in a freezer, it is assumed that male spectators opt not to have her killed as she can be of importance in assisting Sally to escape the massacre. However, this does not happen since the hitchhiker kills her and so does Franklin, a disabled male character, on a wheelchair.
The fact that the last character tries so hard to survive the killings makes the male spectator gaze and makes effort to identify with the protagonist. She experiences such challenges as jumping out of a window and being hit by mallet on the head. Despite all this misfortunes, she thrives to survive. Even under custody and being forced to dine with the hitchhiker, leather face man and their grandfather, she manages to jump outside through the window and reaches for a van, in which a black man runs over the hitchhiker and thus assists her in evading the killings (Hooper, 1974).
It is assumed that the protagonist is energetic, determined and comes out strong and these traits are the specific facets that draw the attention of male spectators to her and perceiving her as the long awaited protagonist who is ready to kill the violent men and thus subjecting them to justice. It is also assumed that the male spectators are fed up with the killings performed by the hitchhiker and the brother and wants them face the consequences for their overdue actions altogether.
The fact that the last character survives the horrific times of the movie to challenge the killings is a feature that makes male spectators adore and desire to attribute with the female character. According to Clover (2011), whenever the friends of Sally possessed the notion that they were going to die seconds before the killing catapults the protagonist to survive even much longer as she acquires the enlightenment that she had to survive the event for long. Despite the fact that she faced the death, she managed to find the strength needed to stay longer while she was seeking the ways to either survive longer and be rescued or devise methodologies, for which she will use to destroy the killers altogether. The fact that she displays the enigma to survive further complicates the matter at hand.
Another scene that further complicates the cross gender spectatorship is when the black driver comes to Sally’s rescue and runs over the killer but is eventually killed and Sally gets help from a white male character. The significance of this scene is assumedly expounded on the past stereotyping that a black man was weak and was vulnerable to killing while their white counterparts displayed enigma and skills that they could use to rescue victims.
Therefore, it is safe to indicate that the film: “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” remains to be most controversial films that attributes to the slasher genre. The fact that it is characterized by scenes promoting dehumanization and realism as a whole, the filmmaker takes to utilize this aspect to draw attention from male spectators towards the heroine and thus appreciate her actions in the unfolding of the movie altogether.