The film Texas chainsaw massacre will forever remain one of the scariest movies in history. It contains the most related fear in all of mankind, cannibalistic death. Fear is nothing more then an emotion that acts as protection from threats and dangerous surroundings. It is only really present if the film represents danger to other humans because then we can relate that experience to ourselves.  On the cover of the movie they do a great job at getting the main point of the film in one picture. Through the use of many visual terms, they thread the parts in the image to make out one point. By looking at the Framing/ Camera Angles, Balance and contrast within the cover photo, we can see the focal point, which most viewers don’t see; this is important because it emphasizes the main purpose the cover is trying to display; Fear.

The designer first attracts the viewer by his unique framing techniques. The photo is a Close-up shot rather than a long shot. This is the case so closer social relation can be taking place. It allows viewers to focus on less details but more concentrated ones. Being able to see the few important details in the photo is very critical to the audience’s perspective. It allows one to focus their attention to specific points rather than the whole picture. The details they want you to see is all of the contributions that make Texas Chainsaw massacre a monster. Just by seeing him you automatically feel intimidated by his atrocious face. There are many important details in this picture that people would miss if the Close-up shot was not taking place. You can see all the things that make him extract fear from individuals. His chainsaw, face, bloody hands and eyes staring directly at the audience. The framing is how visual text start; it is one of the most important factors in analyzing a photo. The camera angle is another huge factor in the character of this visual text. The creator made it so that the Chainsaw Massacre is looking down at you just like his prey. In the movie, he normally kills all of the people after they have fallen down. This camera angle demonstrates the frightened human who is about to die. It gives the viewers a very lucid image and allows us to put ourselves in the perspective of his victims. The camera angle is what gives this visual text life, it allows each and every one of us to let our imagination go wild. Not only do you see his filthy eyes staring into your soul, but you can also see the scary contour of his body. His downward angle displays that he is superior to you and you are weak, just like his prey. The camera angle really emphasizes on the focal point; the Chainsaw itself. It makes the chainsaw un-proportional in the picture allowing that to be the first thing everyone sees. The chainsaw represents failure because once it gets pointed at you your life will be over. The close-up of the chainsaw lets you see the blood that was on there before the previous victim. It shows how horrible of a monster he really is and extracts fear from every individual that views it.

This photo is very unbalanced when it comes to colors. The whole visual text is very dark because he is very evil and they want people to relate the two together. The only very light part of the text that is apparent is the chainsaw. The balance in the photo directs our attention once again to the focal point. The chainsaw is very bright so we can be drawn to that first. By the brightness being emphasized you can see all the details on it and the dark blood that drips down. The Texas chainsaw massacre’s face remains bright except for the eyes. If you can not identify the face of someone it automatically makes them a lot more intimidating. The creator keeps the eyes hidden so you can not see them directly, but gives you enough to realize he is almost staring at you like a piece of meat.

Contrast plays a huge role in this Dvd cover. Every part of the visual image is completely dark except his red shirt and his chainsaw. These two both clash with the backgrounds heavily allowing us to establish what they really mean. The dark red represents all the blood he sheds when killing his prey. It lets us all associate him to a killer, based on the blood on the chainsaw and the dark red shirt. The chainsaw is the biggest contrast in comparison to the black background. It seems to be bright silver which stands out against a black surrounding incredibly. This is the main contrast so we can develop the main focal point. The chainsaw is a dominant area of interest which all viewer’s eyes tend to fall right away. Right when you see that you can infer what the film is about, which is exactly what the creator of the visual image was going for.

The film Texas Chainsaw massacre came out in 1974, and it completely shook up all the viewers who watched it. The reason it terrified so many Americans is due to the false statement of “a true story” in the film. The film was based off of a true story, however, he seemed to amplify it to extract chills from the individuals who viewed it. However, Tobe Hooper knew that this would be the case so his brilliance made him go down in history forever. Even people today still believe this film is true, and others do not know what to think. The thought of it possible being reality is what anchors the concept in the mind forever. By looking at the many different visual arts that make this cover photo so unique, we can see the focal point, this is important because it amplifies the main purpose the cover is trying to display, Fear. That is why this film will go down in history as one of the scariest to mankind. 