This contains exactly what it says on the package: there’s massacring, there’s Texas, and there’s a chainsaw. Leatherface’s chainsaw dances are kind of sublime in their ridiculous grace. The screaming in the last half hour is intense, and quite understandable given the situation, but it loses its impact pretty quickly and becomes just background noise.
As one of the first slasher movies, this is certainly an historically important movie; and as a feat of film making, it’s pretty impressive: the tone is perfect, the effects are restrained but scary, and the pace is fast. I’m not convinced it holds up–I would say it’s definitely showing its age more than “Night of the Living Dead” does–but it’s certainly no worse than its countless imitators, and often much better than some recent attempts to tap into the “Chainsaw” vibe.