Hayward/Terror Tracks, 8. Texas Chainsaws: Audio Effect and Iconicity

This chapter looks at how the chainsaw and its distinctive sounds do not so much provide the core horror moments in Texas Chainsaw Massacre as complement and crystallize a broader set of audiovisual impressions that engender it. In particular, the film's suspense and shock sequences are graphically rendered through a series of intense and sonically inventive sound sequences that draw on pre-recorded music, score, human vocalization and skilfully blended sound effects.