Hooper's vision is horrid yet engrossing... But the worst part about this vision is that despite its sensational aspects, it never seems too far from what could be the truth.

A black-humored, unflinching look at the Ugly American at his psychotic worst. And Tobe Hooper is at his best as a writer and director here.

An intelligent, absorbing, and deeply disturbing horror film that is nearly bloodless in its depiction of violence. Using the age-old technique of suggestion, combined with a gritty, well-executed (no pun intended) visual style, the film seems much bloodier than it actually is.

The picture gets to you more through its intensity than its craft, but Hooper does have a talent.

Despite the heavy doses of gore in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Tobe Hooper's pic is well made for an exploiter of its type... Sharp sense of composition and careful accumulation of detail also help enliven the crude plot, and the acting is above par for this type of film.